Track Listing
1. Skulls of Our Enemies
2. Wage Slave
3. Mystico Fanatico
4. Rich Men Eat My Voice
5. So What?
6. PHP 2032
7. Earthbound
8. Moo?
9. If You Die
10. Clarence in Wonderland
11. Patapan
| Details | | Producer: | Josh Pollock | | Distributor: | City Hall | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Full performer name: Daevid Allen's University Of Errors.
Personnel: Daevid Allen (vocals, guitar); Josh Pollock (guitar, piano, percussion); Nicoletta Stephanz (trumpet, Theremin); Jason Mills (piano, drums, percussion); Tony Maimone (keyboards); Pat Thomas (drums).
Audio Mixer: Joel Hamilton .
Recording information: Studio G, Brooklyn, NY.
Editor: Patrick Conway.
Photographer: Bill Maas.
If Money Doesn't Make It was dirty, Uglymusic.4.monica is downright mean! A psychedelic wet dream, University of Errors' third album allies spellbinding playing with wonderful absurdities and a couple of unexpected pieces of candy. Guitarist John Pollock, bassist Michael Clare, and drummer Jason Mills form the core of the group led by Daevid Allen. Tony Maimone (of Pere Ubu fame) contributes keyboards. The album begins with a solid acid rock track, "Skulls of Our Enemies," another fine example of the group's willingness to throw the genre off course while retaining its hypnotic drive. "Mystico Fanatico" and "If You Die" stand out among the new songs, the former for its sweet-and-sour take on the marginalized, the latter for its atmospheric reflection on death (and the imaginative use of a vocoder to disincarnate Allen's voice). "Moo" is one of those lovably stupid ditties you thought Gong's mastermind couldn't come up with anymore. And hidden within the track list is a scorching revision of Gong's "Pothead Pixies," (it's titled "php 2032"). The album concludes with two more surprises: a rendition of Kevin Ayers' early Soft Machine song "Clarence in Wonderland" -- it brings a blinding ray of sunshine to an otherwise rather dark album -- and a punk rock/pub rock take on the traditional English tune "Patapan" that will catch many a fan off guard. The production is booming, guitars clawing at you. The material is stronger, more adventurous, better arranged and organized than on previous efforts. In one word: essential. ~ François Couture
You've got to love Daevid Allen. He might be in his '60s, but he's never lost or diluted his hippie sensibilities -- instead he's just updated them musically as the years have passed.
Playing with University of Errors (including former Pere Ubu keyboard player Tony Maimone), he has a harder sound than in the past (especially on tracks like "Skulls Of Our Enemies," which lives up to its hard name). And, overall, Ugly Music for Monica is a deeper meditation than much of his previous work -- "Rich Men Eat My Voice" offers a caustic snub of the Rupert Murdoch's of this world, while "If You Die" is a speculation on what happens after. But there's still room for the old whimsical Allen. He brings out his old "Pot Head Pixies" theme song and dresses it up in new clothes for "PHP 2032," then dusts off Kevin Ayers' "Clarence In Wonderland" (a song that needs to be paraded around every few years). If you love the "Daevid Allen" of yore, this tougher edge might not sit easily. But if you appreciate someone who can remain curious and vital as he gets older, this is definitely for you. ~ Chris Nickson
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