''Cloudland'' is the seventh studio album by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their d ...

. Released in May 1989, the album was produced by

Stephen Hague Stephen Hague (born 1960) is an American record producer most active with various British acts since the 1980s. Early life Hague was born in Portland, Maine in 1960. Early career Hague started his musical career in the mid-1970s as a session k ...

. The single "Waiting for Mary", the video for which achieved some

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

exposure, netted Pere Ubu their only ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' chart success to date, reaching number 6 on the

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart. Cloudland is a village in north-western Georgia between Summerville and

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

on a spur of

Lookout Mountain Lookout Mountain is a mountain ridge located at the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Georgia, the northeast corner of Alabama, and along the southeastern Tennessee state line in Chattanooga. Lookout Mountain was the scene of the 18th-cen ...

. In the early 20th century, it was a summer getaway for Floridians. After being out-of-print for several years, ''Cloudland'' was re-released on CD with bonus tracks in 2007.

Critical reception

American magazine ''

Stereo Review ''Sound & Vision'' is an American magazine, purchased by AVTech Media Ltd. (UK) in March 2018, covering home theater, audio, video and multimedia consumer products. Before 2000, it had been published for most of its history as ''Stereo Review''. ...

'' in its August 1989 issue called ''Cloudland'' "smart music for a mass audience" and placed the album in its "Best Recordings of the Month" section. Pete Clark of '' Hi-Fi News & Record Review'' left a lot of warm words on the album. He wrote: "Gems on this record will open the ears of anyone but a Flowerpot Man. Working within a fairly straightforward rock format, the Ubus bring more wit and panache to the business of making music than a dozen pop lamebrains." Martin Aston, reviewer of British music newspaper ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'', was also satisfied. As per him: "Because avant-garage icons Pere Ubu have never considered writing an undeniable 'pop' type of album, ''Cloudland'' sounds as fresh, vital and impulsive as a

debut Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to: * Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society * Debut novel, an author's first published novel Film and television * ''The Debu ...

and quite their best since 1978's '' Dub Housing''."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Pere Ubu (Chris Cutler, Jim Jones, Scott Krauss, Tony Maimone, Allen Ravenstine and David Thomas); except where indicated # "Breath" – 3:58 # "Race the Sun" – 3:25 # "Cry" – 2:33 # "Why Go It Alone?" – 2:49 # "Waiting for Mary" – 3:29 # "Ice Cream Truck" – 2:48 # "Bus Called Happiness" – 3:13 # "Monday Night" – 2:15 # "Love Love Love" (Tom Herman, Scott Krauss,

Peter Laughner Peter Laughner (August 22, 1952 – June 22, 1977) was an American guitarist, songwriter and singer. A native of Bay Village, Ohio, Laughner was described by Richie Unterberger as "probably the single biggest catalyst in the birth of Cleve ...

, Dave Taylor, David Thomas, Tim Wright) – 3:28 # "Lost Nation Road" – 2:16 # "Fire" – 3:45 # "Nevada!" – 3:20 # "The Wire" – 3:20 # "Flat" – 2:23 # "The Waltz" – 3:30 # "Pushin'" – 2:27

Personnel

;Pere Ubu * David Thomas – vocals *

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", ...

– guitar, backing vocals *

Allen Ravenstine Allen Ravenstine (born May 9, 1950) is an American keyboard player, most recognized for his work in the experimental rock group Pere Ubu. In 1991, he quit music to become a commercial airline pilot. History Early years Allen Ravenstine was ...

– EML synthesizers, backing vocals *

Tony Maimone Tony Maimone (born September 27, 1952) is a bassist, producer, and recording engineer, who lives in Brooklyn, New York. He was a member of Pere Ubu from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s, often playing with drummer Scott Krauss. The duo were dubb ...

– bass, backing vocals *

Chris Cutler Chris Cutler (born 4 January 1947) is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of other bands, including Art Bears, Ne ...

– drums *

Scott Krauss Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their d ...

– drums ;Additional personnel *

– keyboards

References

Pere Ubu albums 1989 albums Albums produced by Daniel Miller (music producer) Albums produced by Stephen Hague Fontana Records albums {{1980s-rock-album-stub