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Pere Ubu: Tom Herman, Scott Krauss, Tony Maimone, Allen Ravenstine, David Thomas (vocals, various instruments). It is hard to believe that such noises could come from so deep in America's heartland, played by a group named after a French absurdist play. The debut album by Pere Ubu, The Modern Dance is the realization of group leader David Thomas's (a.k.a. Crocus Behemoth) high-concept vision of a rock band whose sound was always just on the verge of falling apart. Avant garde and not terribly accessible, the album's noisy anarchy was a tonic for punks and intellectuals sick of the bloated, corporate sound that passed for commercial rock at the time. It became a major influence on the leading alternative bands of the following decade, including the Pixies and Husker Du.
