Twin/Tone Records
David Thomas
"A lot of people see music in terms of opposite poles," the artist explains. "Axis with opposite poles. At one pole you've got art, and at the other end of that axis you've got rock. On another axis you've got improvisation at one end and at the other end you've got orchestration. So what I've wanted to do, what I've been working toward --if I can get conceptual here for a minute--is this: if you put those two axis at right angles and spin 'em around, you've got a spere. I've wanted to have a band again that could opeate at ease, with familiarity, at any point in that sphere."
David Thomas has been heading this direction for nearly ten years now. Beginning in Ohio with Pere Ubu, a group Thomas now says was almost universally misunderstood ("That bleak industrial wasteland stuff was all wrong," he says.), through the first two Pedestrians LPs and two vocal performance projects, Thomas has been headed for More Places Forever.
- from the Twin/Tone bio for "More Places Forever" (1985)
released: April 15, 1985
Twin/Tone Records - TTR 8551
(vinyl) (cassette)
David Thomas
More Places Forever
The Pedestrians
David Thomas - Lyrics and Vocals
Lindsey Cooper - Sopranino, Alto Sax, Bassoon, Oboe, Tuba, Piano, Organ
Chris Cutler - Drums and Flotsam
Tony Maimone - Bass guitar, Piano
Engineer: Paul Hamann at Suma, Painesville, Ohio
released: March 16, 1986
Twin/Tone Records - TTR 8667
(vinyl) (cassette)
David Thomas
Monster Walks the Winter Lake
The Wooden Birds
David Thomas – lead vocals, accordion
Allen Ravenstine – EML synthesizer
Garo Yellin – cello
Daved Hild – accordion
withDaved Hild – percussion, vocals, accordion
Tony Maimone – bass guitar, drums, piano, horns
Roz Ilett – accordion
Produced and engineed by Paul Hamann at Suma, Painesville, Ohio
recorded over 4 days in November 1985.
released: April 1, 1987
Twin/Tone Records - TTR 87105
(vinyl) (cassette)
David Thomas
Blame The Messenger
The Wooden Birds
Chris Cutler - drums
Jim Jones - acoustic and electric guitars, vocals
Tony Maimone - acoustic and electric basses, vocals
Allen Ravenstine - EML synthesizers, piano, organ
David Thomas - vocals, accordion
Produced and engineed by Paul Hamann
at Suma, Painesville, Ohio
on September 23-24, 1986
Edited at Telarc
Mastered by Mike Bishop at Suma
David Thomas was one of my favorites…. In 2004, Cooking Vinyl (London) licensed and released a four CD set which contained all of the David Thomas projects that he recorded while Pere Ubu was inactive (1981-1987). It contains the five albums: The Sound of Sand, Variations on a Theme, More Places Forever, Monster Walks the Winter Lake and Blame the Messenger. As of 2021 it appears to be “out of print” and only available via the used and on-line stores. Twin/Tone had licensed the titles we released and we don’t have the rights to post them in the streaming services… when I see that they have been made available, I will link to them. - Paul (March 2021)
Also check out David Thomas in Pere Ubu …
released: December 19, 1985
Twin/Tone Records - TTR 8561
(vinyl) (cassette) (CD)
Pere Ubu
Terminal Tower
Tom Herman – guitar, bass
Peter Laughner – guitar, bass
Tim Wright – bass, guitar
Mayo Thompson – guitar
Scott Krauss – drums
Tony Maimone – bass
Allen Ravenstine – EML synthesizers, saxophone, vocals
David Thomas – vocals, trombone
Chris Cutler - drums, percussion, sounds
Dave Taylor – EML synthesizers, Acetone organ on "Final Solution" and "Cloud 149"
Alan Greenblatt – rhythm guitar on "Untitled"
The Pere Ubu Story with David Thomas