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Song of the Bailing Man
Studio album by Pere Ubu
Released	September 1982
Recorded	August 1981 – January 1982
Studio	Suma Recording Studio, Painesville, Ohio
Genre	Post-punk
Length	36:10
Label	Rough Trade (original release) Cooking Vinyl (1999 European CD reissue) Thirsty Ear (1999 US CD reissue) Get Back (2001 Italian LP reissue) Fire (2016 European LP & CD reissues)
Producer	Adam Kidron
Pere Ubu chronology
390° of Simulated Stereo (1981) Song of the Bailing Man (1982) Terminal Tower (1985)
David Thomas chronology
Vocal Performances (1981) Song of the Bailing Man (1982) Variations on a Theme (1983)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Chicago Tribune
Robert Christgau	B+
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
PopMatters
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Spin Alternative Record Guide	6/10

Song of the Bailing Man is the fifth Pere Ubu album, released in 1982. It was the final Pere Ubu album until 1988's The Tenement Year.

Production

Anton Fier replaced drummer Scott Krauss for the recording of the album. The band broke up shortly after producing Song of the Bailing Man.

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that "Fier’s lighter, jazzier playing sets the tone for an album that, for all its Euro-prog iconoclasm, never quite ignites." The Spin Alternative Record Guide called Song of the Bailing Man "more of a bouncy pop record, though Thomas is as gone as ever." In its review of the Architecture of Language 1979-1982 boxset, The Quietus wrote that "Tony Maimone's basslines play a bigger part on this record, making this LP more overtly poppy sounding than its predecessors."

Track listing

All lyrics by David Thomas; all music by Pere Ubu

1. "The Long Walk Home" – 2:34
2. "Use of a Dog" – 3:17
3. "Petrified" – 2:16
4. "Stormy Weather" – 3:20
5. "West Side Story" – 2:46
6. "Thoughts That Go by Steam" - 3:47
7. "Big Ed's Used Farms" - 2:24
8. "A Day Such as This" - 7:17
9. "The Vulgar Boatman Bird" - 2:49
10. "My Hat" - 1:19
11. "Horns Are a Dilemma" (Pere Ubu, John Thompson) - 4:21

Personnel

Pere Ubu

• David Thomas – vocals, cover artwork
• Mayo Thompson – guitar
• Allen Ravenstine – EML synthesizers
• Tony Maimone – bass
• Anton Fier – drums, piano, marimba, percussion

with:

• Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton - trumpet

Technical

• Paul Hamann - engineer
• John Thompson - design

References

1. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Pere Ubu". www.robertchristgau.com.
2. Song of the Bailing Man at AllMusic
3. Kot, Greg (13 July 1989). "THE WEIRD, WONDERFUL PERE UBU". chicagotribune.com.
4. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 483.
5. "Pere Ubu: New Picnic Time / The Art of Walking / The Song of the Bailing Man". PopMatters. January 10, 2017.
6. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 539.
7. ^ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 291–292.
8. "Pere Ubu | Biography & History". AllMusic.
9. Taylor, Steve (September 27, 2006). The A to X of Alternative Music. A&C Black. ISBN 9780826482174 – via Google Books.
10. Buckley, Peter (December 15, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531050 – via Google Books.
11. "MUSIC THAT DOESN'T FIT FOR PEOPLE THAT DON'T FIT - Record Collector Magazine".
12. "Pere Ubu". Trouser Press. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
13. "The Quietus | Reviews | Pere Ubu". The Quietus.

• Pere Ubu albums
• 1982 albums
• Albums produced by Adam Kidron
• Rough Trade Records albums
• Cooking Vinyl albums
• Fire Records (UK) albums