The Modern Dance

The Modern Dance is the debut album by American rock band Pere Ubu. It was released in January 1978 by record label Blank. A 5.1 surround sound version was released as the DVD-Audio side of a DualDisc in 2005.
== Critical reception ==
The Modern Dance has been critically acclaimed. Reviewing for The Village Voice in 1978, Robert Christgau wrote that "even though there's too much Radio Ethiopia and not enough 'Redondo Beach,'" he would be "listening through the failed stuff—the highs are worth it." In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), he reaffirmed that "the highs are worth it, and the failed stuff ain't bad" in his revised review. Ken Tucker, writing in Rolling Stone, called it vivid and exhilarating, even if "harsh and willfully ugly".
== Track listing ==
All tracks are written by Pere Ubu (David Thomas, Tom Herman, Allen Ravenstine, Tony Maimone and Scott Krauss), except where noted.
No.	Title 	Writer(s) 	Length
1. 	"Non-Alignment Pact" 	 	3:18
2. 	"The Modern Dance" 	 	3:28
3. 	"Laughing" 	 	4:35
4. 	"Street Waves 	 	3:04
5. 	"Chinese Radiation" 	 	3:27
6. 	"Life Stinks" 	Peter Laughner	1:52
7. 	"Real World" 	 	3:59
8. 	"Over My Head" 	 	3:48
9. 	"Sentimental Journey"	 	6:05
10.	"Humor Me" 	 	2:44
== Personnel ==
Pere Ubu
* David Thomas – vocals, musette, percussion, production
* Tom Herman – guitar, backing vocals, production
* Allen Ravenstine – EML 101 and 200 analog synthesizers, saxophone, tapes, production
* Tony Maimone – bass, piano, backing vocals, production
* Scott Krauss – drums, production
* Tim Wright – bass guitar on "The Modern Dance" and "Sentimental Journey", production
Technical
* S. W. Taylor – sleeve artwork
* Ken Hamann – engineering, production
* Mike Bishop – engineering assistance
* Paul Hamann – engineering assistance
* Mik Mellen – sleeve photography
== Release History ==
Year of Release	Place of Release 	Format 	Label
1978 	United States 	Vinyl LP 	Blank
1981 	United Kingdom 	Vinyl LP 	Rough Trade
1988 	United Kingdom 	Vinyl LP 	Fontana
1988 	Germany 	CD 	Fontana
1998 	United Kingdom 	CD 	Cooking Vinyl
1998 	United States 	CD 	DGC
1999 	Italy 	Vinyl LP 	Get Back
2005 	Europe 	DualDisc 	Silverline
2007 	United States 	Vinyl LP 	Blank
2008 	United Kingdom 	CD 	Cooking Vinyl
2015 	United Kingdom and United States	CD and Vinyl LP	Fire Records (UK)