- By Order Of Mayor Pawlicki
- Intro
- Heart Of Darkness
- On The Surface
- Petrified
- Real World
- Rhapsody In Pink
- Modern Dance
- Navvy
- Small Was Fast
- Over My Head
- Long Walk Home
- Codex
- My Dark Ages
- Rounder
- Dub Housing
- Fabulous Sequel
- Vulgar Boatman Bird
- Caligari's Mirror
- Final Solution
- CD bonus disc
- Kick Out The Jams
- Sonic Reducer
- Final Solution
- Visions Of The Moon
- Modern Dance Blues
- Weird Cornfields
- Merch Hypnotism
By Order Of Mayor Pawlicki
Pere Ubu
Mixed by Nadan Rojnić and David Thomas.
Released May 22 2020.
Cherry Red Records
Released May 22 2020
CDBRED0806, 2 cds
BRED0806, 2 lps, colored vinyl
Buy it from Ubutique.
Release Notes
"On Friday, July 14th 2017, Pere Ubu musicians and crew undertook the journey to Jarocin, Poland, from their homes around the world..." And so begins the story of By Order Of Mayor Pawlicki. Broken mics, broken drums, broken itineraries and some espionage set the stage for a stand-out gig.. There is no band like Pere Ubu. What they do matters. Pay attention.Incorporating the earliest songs from 1975-1982, the troubled route to show time is related in the accompanying text but is belied - or perhaps an explanation of - the blistering performance that ensued. Performing material from the first seven years of their career, Pere Ubu rejuvenate and reinvigorate eighteen cornerstone pieces of their jigsaw history, each performed with dedicated brutality.
The joy of Pere Ubu live albums (of which there have been eight over the forty-plus year history) is not only the unique performances but lead singer and founding member, David Thomas' narratives throughout. He is rude, hilarious and heartfelt in equal measure.
Included with the CD version of the release is a bonus disc of encores entitled We Don't Do Encores. Three tracks are taken from the MonkeyNet tour of 2018, a collage of all-time rock anthems featuring Kick Out The Jams, Sonic Reducer, and a snippet of Teen Spirit that segues into Final Solution. Added to that is three songs from the more peculiar and abstract Visions Of The Moon tour, with extended instrumentals and a fascinating improvisation of Modern Dance entitled Modern Dance Blues.
By Order Of Mayor Pawlicki stands as a must-have document of a band whose prime is everlasting, and whose musical explorations are essential.
Artwork produced by Johnny Dromette, designer of those seminal early album sleeves.
All songs on By Order Of Mayor Pawlicki were recorded at Scena Rynek, Jarocin, Poland, on July 15 2017, except Codex and My Dark Ages which were recorded at Le Poste a Galene, Marseille, France, on April 5 2016.
Pere Ubu in Jarocin
Gary Siperko guitar
Robert Wheeler analog synthesizers
Michele Temple bass guitar, backing vocals
Steve Mehlman drums, piano, backing vocals
Pere Ubu in Marseille
David Thomas vocals, musette, roller barTom Herman guitar, backing vocals
Robert Wheeler analog synthesizers
Michele Temple bass guitar, backing vocals
Steve Mehlman drums, piano, backing vocals
The songs on We Don't Do Encores are from Heidelberg and Zagreb.
Pere Ubu in Heidelberg:
David Thomas vocalsGary Siperko guitar
Robert Wheeler analog synthesizers
Michele Temple bass guitar, backing vocals
Steve Mehlman drums, backing vocals
Recorded at Karlstorbahnhof, Heidelberg, Germany, on May 24 2018. Engineered and mixed by Nadan Rojnic’.
Pere Ubu in Zagreb:
David Thomas vocals, xiosynthKeith Molinè guitar
Gagarin digital synthesizers
Darryl Boon clarinet
Steve Mehlman drums
Recorded at Club Mochvara, Zagreb, Croatia, on November 3 2013. Engineered by Nadan Rojnic’.
Mastered by Nick Watson, Fluid Mastering
Cover design: John Thompson
Management: Kiersty Boon
All songs on By Order Of Mayor Pawlicki are published by Virgin Music-BMG VM Music Ltd, except Long Walk Home and Vulgar Boatman Bird which are published by Fire Songs, under license from Ubu Projex / Complete Music.
Kick Out The Jams written by (Tyner - Kramer - Smith - Davis - Thompson), Sonic Reducer by (Thomas - O'Connor), Final Solution by (Bell - Herman - Krauss - Laughner - Taylor - Thomas - Wright), Visions Of The Moon by (Boon - Mehlman - Moline - Temple - Thomas), Modern Dance Blues by (Herman - Krauss - Maimone - Ravenstine - Thomas) and Weird Cornfields \ Merch Hypnotism by (Diagram - Moline - Thomas). Visions Of The Moon and Weird Cornfields published by Fire Songs, under license from Ubu Projex. Modern Dance (Blues) published by Virgin Music-BMG VM Music Ltd.
Press Reaction
"This is their 12th live album. That seems a weirdly "rockist" move for Pere Ubu, especially as this release comprises exclusively of songs written 40 years ago. Maybe they're being ironic, but it really doesn't matter as it captures some genuinely thrilling performances. If you've managed to get to 2020 without hearing anything by them, you could do a lot worse than By Order of Mayor Pawlicki. Thank God for Pere Ubu. They were the first, and they'll probably be the last." - Ian Rushbury, Pop Matters"However it happened, it’s awesome. It’s dark, menacing, ramshackle, eccentric and hyper-original. Pere Ubu are stalking their past, dismembering their own songs and re-assembling them into new and disturbed versions. You thought Dylan reconstructed his musical past? Ha! Dylan has nothing on this band." -Rupert Loydell, International Times
"Tell me what it is: I suggest Genius! Unmissable album." - Andrea Trevaini, Rumore (IT)
"Excellent 82/100." - Andrea Valentini, Buscadero (IT) ****
"An excellent way, in any case, to discover this mythical American group of expressionist rock and roll still active since 1975, and having kept intact its identity and its bad mood." - Jean-Emmanuelle Deluxe, L'Incorrect (F)
Photo by Kiersty Boon.
