Customer Reviews

Worlds in Collision

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World In Collision is Pere Ubu's most accessible album. It still contains their experimental edge, but a song like the poignant opening track Oh Catherine is pure pop with its lovely melody and poetic lyrics. Cry Cry Cry is likewise a most soulful and moving tune with universal appeal, the perfect hit single that never was.

Even a song like I Hear They Smoke The Barbecue has a catchy tune that sticks in the mind long after the last notes have faded, whilst the quirky Turpentine has a hook strong enough to pass the pop test. Weirdness comes in the form of the title track with some innovative found sounds and Life Of Riley with its complex structure and swaying rhythm, whilst Mirror Man contains a lovely Glockenspiel.

Over The Moon is another catchy pop song with a beautiful lead vocal and evocative imagery, Don't Look Back is a powerful rock number with a driving beat and rousing chorus and Playback is an atmospheric ballad. The beautiful choir-like vocals of Nobody Knows and the song's complex but cohesive structure make this one of my favorites.

This amazing and rewarding song cycle concludes with the eerie, evocative ballad Winter In The Firelands. Worlds In Collision is a remarkable and neglected work that offers beautiful songs, moving vocals and impressive arrangements. I enjoy this album more than the highly acclaimed Dub Housing and Terminal Tower put together.

Although Pere Ubu have never been much more than a cult act, it would be difficult to fully understand this after listening to one of their albums. Case in point, the group's early 90s release "Worlds in Collision" may have a cover that is graced by disgracefully childish artwork, but underneath the offsetting packaging there lies a brilliantly conceived pop album that is in every way as deserving of critical acclaim as the band's more well known peers, which include The Pixies and to a certain extent the Talking Heads. On Worlds in Collision, Pere Ubu knows they are forever bound for obscurity, but they continue to pursue a pleasing and poppy sound nevertheless. Drafting Gil Norton as producer, a move that only strengthens the band's likeness to The Pixies, toning down the weirdness, and crafting the most straightforward set of songs the group has ever experimented with, Pere Ubu shows that even though they continue to share the stage with abrasive minded indie elite, they are in no way afraid to expose their more marketable leanings. However, even when Pere Ubu decides to abandon much of their underground persona, their pop effort would still be most accurately described as an experiment, since instead of cementing a single genre, Worlds in Collision tests the limits of pop music while still bordering on the Avant Garde in a way that few bands would dare to try. "Worlds..." is therefore a far cry from the group's post punk beginnings, a genre cultivated on the sprawling skronk of bands like the Birthday Party and Gang of Four, and owes much more to the styles less aggressive fallout, such as the Talking Heads. The lack of blatant shock factors and punk rock machismo on "Worlds..." also highlights the group's impressive songwriting abilities, which not only make for a thoroughly enjoyable and delightfully consistent album, but show the incredible sense of collaboration within the band itself, since every song is credited to the entire lineup. A consistent and utterly enjoyable album, World's in Collision is not likely to change your entire outlook on music, the way the Pixies could, but as a one of the most ingenious modern takes on classic pop, Worlds... is definitely a memorable listen.

World In Collision, Pere Ubu's most accessible album, has been reissued with four extra tracks. The work retains an experimental edge, but a song like the stirring opening track Oh Catherine is pure pop with its lovely melody and poetic lyrics. Cry Cry Cry is likewise a most soulful and moving tune with universal appeal, the perfect hit single that never was. Even a song like I Hear They Smoke The Barbecue has a catchy tune that sticks in the mind long after the last notes have faded, whilst the quirky Turpentine has a hook strong enough to pass the pop test.

Weirdness comes in the form of the title track with some innovative found sounds and Life Of Riley with its complex arrangement and lilting rhythm, whilst Mirror Man contains a lovely Glockenspiel in the mix. Over The Moon is yet another catchy pop song with gripping vocals and arresting imagery.

There's eneregetic rock like Don't Look Back with its driving beat and rousing chorus, and its opposite the slow brooding ballad Playback. The beautiful choir-like vocals of Nobody Knows and the song's intricate texture make this one of my favorites. Then there's the eerie ballad Winter In The Firelands, quite a tour de force.

The additional tracks previously appeared as B-sides to singles but were not released on any album as far as I know. This reissue contains informative liner notes on the band. Worlds In Collision is a remarkable and neglected work that offers beautiful tunes, appealing vocals and impressive arrangements. I enjoy this album more than the highly acclaimed Dub Housing and Terminal Tower: An Archival Collection put together.

This album along with Cloudland should be in every serious audiophiles collection. Certainly the most mainstream of all of Pere Ubu's works but at the same time sublimely subversive. Catchy as a deadly virus and widely available and very affordable.