Song of the Bailing Man

Song of the Bailing Man is the fifth Pere Ubu album, released in 1982.^[8][9] It was the final Pere Ubu album until 1988's The Tenement Year.^[10]

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)[1] 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	[2]
Chicago Tribune	[3]
Robert Christgau	B+[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
PopMatters	[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	6/10[7]

Production

Anton Fier replaced drummer Scott Krauss for the recording of the album.^[4] The band broke up shortly after producing Song of the Bailing Man.^[11]

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."^[12] The Spin Alternative Record Guide called Song of the Bailing Man "more of a bouncy pop record, though Thomas is as gone as ever."^[7] 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."^[13]

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