The Art of Walking

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	B+[2]

The Art of Walking is the fourth full-length album by Pere Ubu.^[3] Mayo Thompson of The Red Krayola joined as guitarist for this album and slanted the proceedings further towards deconstruction and abstraction, and away from the primal rock that former guitarist Tom Herman had facilitated.^[4] The group would record one more album with Thompson, Song of the Bailing Man, before disbanding.

An error in the first U.S. pressing resulted in a vocal overdub mix being used of "Arabia" - the original UK pressing used the correct instrumental mix. The first Rough Trade CD edition also used the accidental second mix, but the remastering on the Datapanik box set restored the correct version. The individual remastered disc issued subsequently included both (titling the vocal version "Arabian Nights"). Later editions of the album also changed the title of "Miles" to "Young Miles in the Basement." A version of the song "Horses" had originally appeared on Mayo Thompson's solo album Corky's Debt to His Father, in 1970.

Track listing

All songs written by Pere Ubu, except "Horses" (Mayo Thompson)

1. "Go" – 3:34
2. "Rhapsody in Pink" – 3:35
3. "Arabia" – 4:58
4. "Young Miles in the Basement" – 4:20
5. "Misery Goats" – 2:37
6. "Loop" – 3:14
7. "Rounder" – 3:25
8. "Birdies" – 2:27
9. "Lost in Art" – 5:11
10. "Horses" – 2:34
11. "Crush This Horn" – 3:00

Personnel

Pere Ubu

• David Thomas – lead vocals (1-5, 7-9, 11), Vox Continental Baroque organ, drums (9)
• Mayo Thompson – guitar, backing and lead (6, 10) vocals, piano
• Allen Ravenstine – EML synthesizers
• Tony Maimone – bass, piano, organ
• Scott Krauss – drums (all but 9), horn, piano, drum machine

Technical

• Paul Hamann - engineer
• John Thompson - cover design

References