TERMINAL DRIVE
Ubu-Related Rarities from the Cleveland Years

THE INCREDIBLE TRUTH Foreign Bodies

"The Incredible Truth" b/w "Long Walk Home" by FOREIGN BODIES (Bizart gak-l). Produced by Jones-Ryan. Released May 1980. Jim Jones: sequencer, synthesizer, saxophones. Pat Ryan: trumpet, riot tape. Written by Jones-Ryan. © 1980 Minky Music. Pat Ryan was the Ubu soundman from 1976 to 1980. Jim Jones was road tech on Ubu's first European tour. He joined Ubu in 1987. Pat is a booking agent living in Colorado. This track was inspired by the Road Tapes, interesting concrete sound recordings made on Ubu's tours. One of them appeared in "On The Surface." The riot tape was recorded off Toronto tv.

IT'S IN IMAGINATION 15-60-75

"It's In Imagination"/"Here In The Life" by 15-60-75 (Hearpen Records HR108). Produced by David Thomas. Released December 1979. Bob Kidney: vocals & guitar, Michael Stacey: guitar, Jack Kidney: tenor sax, Terry Hynde: alto sax, Tim Magilone: baritone sax , Bart Johnson: bass, Dave Robinson: drums. Written by Kidney. ©1979 Water Brothers. "Uncapturable in its intensity, because you had to be packed into the crowd in that hot sweaty club in Kent where the Numbers Band played week after week for years on end, just letting go, to really hear the music." The Numbers Band still plays every week at JB's in Kent and is possibly the greatest live band you will ever see or imagine seeing. You don't believe this and certainly there's not a clear indication of it from this recording but this group inspired everyone, regenerated everyone, and was a nagging doubt in the back of everyone's minds, "The Numbers are better than you can ever hope for."

NEVER AGAIN Syd's Dance Band

Never released. Recorded December 1980 at Suma. Tony Maimone: vocals, bass, EML & keyboards, Pat Morgan: guitars, Doug Morgan: harp, Scott Krauss: drums. Written by Maimone. Copyright Control 1980. Brothers Doug & Pat Morgan appear on more of these rarities than Jim Jones. They often collaborated with Tony and Scott.

SUNSET IN THE ANTIPODES Carney & Thomas

Bowling Balls From Hell (Clone Records CL011). Released 1980. Anthology lp of Akron bands. David Thomas: vocals, Ralph Carney: saxes & keyboards, Mark Price: bass, Nappy Lemans: drums, Michael Aylward: guitar. Written by Carney-Thomas. © Hearpen Music/Akron Cracker. The track features most of Tin Huey, recorded in Mark Price's living room studio in Akron. Find Mr Price's Water Tape if you can. Ask him to send me a copy.

(please) FIX MY HORN (my brakes don't work) Home & Garden

How I Spent My Vacation by Home And Garden (Bizart Records Biz 5). Produced by Home & Garden & Pat Ryan. Ep released in 1982. Scott Krauss: drums, organ & tapes, Tony Maimone: bass, synthesizers, Pat Morgan: guitar. Written by Home & Garden. Copyright Control 1982. First release from the Krauss & Maimone solo group that recorded 2 albums and several eps in the mid 80s, and would later feature 3 future Ubus: Jim Jones, Robert Wheeler and Michele Temple.

BAKING BREAD Neptune's Car

"Baking Bread"/"Lucky Charms" by Neptune's Car (Koolie 240). Produced by Jones-Ryan. Released in 1980. Doug Morgan: guitar & vocals, John Freskos: guitar, Brian Cox: bass, Scott Krauss: drums. Written by Morgan-Freskos. ©1980 Neptune's Car.

ATOM MIND David Thomas

Never released. Recorded January 1981 at Suma. David Thomas: vocals, Alan Greenblatt: guitar, Paul Hamann: bass, Scott Krauss: drums, Allen Ravenstine: EML synthesizers. Written by Thomas. ©1995 Hearpen Music. Out-take from David's first solo album.

AUTUMN LEAVES Tripod Jimmie

Long Walk Off A Short Pier by Tripod Jimmie (Do Speak DO3). Released in 1982. Tom Herman: guitar & vocals, Lenny Bove: bass, Roger Prehoda: drums. Written by Herman-Bove. Copyright Control 1981. From Tom's first post-Ubu album. Recorded live on a pier in Erie PA. Band is named after Mik Mellen's three-legged dog. Tom lives in Oakland CA these days and plays out with Tripod Jimmie from time to time.

DEAR RICHARD Friction

Recorded 11/2/76 at Pirate's Cove, Cleveland. Peter Laughner: vocals & guitar, Susan Schmidt: guitar, Debbie Smythe: bass, Anton Fier: drums. Written by Laughner. Copyright Control 1976. Probably the best of Peter's post-Ubu bands. Debbie & Sue had a band called Chi Pig. Anton was in Styrene Money which grew out of Mirrors. Later he was in Ubu. Today he produces records and leads The Golden Palominos. Peter died of pancreatitis in June 1977.

YOU'RE GONNA WATCH ME Pressler-Morgan

"You're Gonna Watch Me"/"Hand Piece" by Pressler-Morgan (Hearpen HR107). Produced by Doug Morgan. Released in 1979. Charlotte Pressler: vocals & electronics, Doug Morgan: guitar, Pat Morgan: guitar, Bob Kravitz: bass, Leo Ryan: drums. Written by Pressler-Morgan. ©1979 Pressler-Morgan. Charlotte was a writer and poet and Plaza resident. This song describes watching fellow Plaza residents Barb Krauss & Jean Kormos (the girl in the MODERN DANCE, DUB HOUSING, NEW PICNIC TIME and DATAPANIK photos). Charlotte lives in Buffalo and is pursuing her doctorate in literature. Jean designs clothing in New York City.

AMPHETAMINE Rocket From The Tombs

Never released. Recorded in Summer 1975. David Thomas: sax & Ace Tone organ, Peter Laughner guitar & vocals, Gene O'Connor: guitar, Craig Bell: bass, Wayne Strick: drums. Written by Laughner. Copyright Control 1976. Once the group had finished wrecking itself-- this was the last show-- Stiv Bators took John Madansky and Gene O'Connor to back him up, eventually as The Dead Boys, David & Peter formed Pere Ubu, and Craig moved to New Haven to make more music and work on the railroad.

SHE SMILED WILD Mirrors

"Shirley"/"She Smiled Wild" by Mirrors (Hearpen Records HR105). Recorded in August 1975. Released in 1977. Jaime Klimek vocals & guitar, Jim Crook: guitar, Jim Jones: bass, Michael Weldon: drums. Written by Klimek. © 1977 Mirror Music. "In 1975, the Velvets and Troggs-oriented minimalist band Mirrors, having survived a long stretch of four-set-a-night, 14-people-in-the-audience gigs, was breaking up over musical direction. Keyboardist Paul Marotta and guitarist Jaime Klimek wanted more musicianship than this group of friends and neighbors seemed to offer, and accordingly reformed Mirrors as the more adept, more arranged, but far less primal Styrenes. Later, Klimek and Marotta moved to New York, as did ex-Mirrors drummer Michael Weldon, who turned his other love, for B movies, into the magazine Psychotronic. Craig Bell had already left Mirrors to join Rocket From The Tombs." The recording is Jim Jones auditioning for the band.

JAGUAR RIDE The Electric Eels

Never released. Recorded in August 1975. Produced by Paul Marotta. Dave E: vocals, John Morton: guitar, Brian McMahon: guitar, Jim Jones: bass, Nick Stephanoff: drums. Written by Electric Eels. ©1975 Fauvist Music. "The Electric Eels, meanwhile, had smashed up on the (anti-) responsibilities of their Art (and life) Terrorism. Always an unstable and fragile group, their commitment to extremity had managed to survive hunger, cold, habitual drunkenness, a few recordings, a half-dozen gigs, unnumbered fistfights and an arrest or two; but the Eels did not survive the push to turn them into something recognizably viable as a "band." After their 1975 breakup, Nick Stephanoff changed his last name to Knox, moved to New York, and played drums for the Cramps. John Morton continued to work as a visual and performance artist, also leading the band X-Blank-X; though Dave E and Brian McMahon ceased their Eel-like activities shortly afterwards."

STEVE CANYON BLUES Tom Herman

Never released. Recorded in 1972. Tom Herman: bass & rhythm guitar, Rick Kallister: guitar, Cindy Black: moog synthesizer, Scott Krauss: drums. Written by Herman. Copyright Control 1972. An example of what was going on at the East 23rd Street house. A legendary recording. Prefigures elements of the Ubu sound.

HOME LIFE Allen Ravenstine

Never released. Recorded April 1975. Allen Ravenstine: EML synthesizers & tape, Albert Dennis: bowed string bass. Written by Ravenstine. ©1975 Copyright Control. Part of a suite that Allen called "Terminal Drive." Allen moved to New York City and is a pilot for Northwest Airlines.

30 SECONDS OVER TOKYO Rocket From The Tombs

Recorded in June 1975. David Thomas: vocals, Peter Laughner: guitar, Gene O'Connor: guitar, Craig Bell: bass, John Madansky: drums. Written by Thomas-Laughner-O'Connor. See booklet credits for copyright information. Wayne Strick happened to be in the band when most of the photographs were taken but this was the longest lived of the RFTT variants, playing here at a Heavy Metal Showcase (!).

HEART OF DARKNESS Proto Ubu

Never released. Recorded in late 1975 at the Ubu rehearsal house in South Euclid. David Thomas: vocals, Peter Laughner: guitar, Tim Wright: bass, Dave Taylor: EML synthesizer. See booklet credits for copyright information. David was often called "Crocus" in the early days. He wrote under the name Crocus Behemoth. In live recordings after 1977 you can hear off-mic calls to "Ed." David's name became Ed for reasons no one can remember.

PUSHIN TOO HARD Pere Ubu

CLE 3A, flexidisk. Recorded in May 1975. Released in 1980. David Thomas: vocals & harmonica, Peter Laughner: guitar, Tom Herman: guitar, Dave Taylor: Ace Tone organ & EML synthesizers, Tim Wright: bass, Scott Krauss: drums. Written by Saxon. © Neil Music Inc./BMI.

[Datapanik Box Set]