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SCRAPING THE BOTTOM OF THE HAPPY JAR
Recorded at the Knitting Factory, NYC
January 23, 1993

[LATE SHOW] Tracks 1-16
[EARLY SHOW] Tracks 17-19

The Accordion Club, v.4.0, with Ira Kaplan & Garo Yellin New York Times, 1/28/93, Ann Powers
"Is it half-empty or half-full?" David Thomas mused from the Knitting Factory stage on Saturday night, holding up a juice pitcher with a single slip of yellow paper inside. The slip indicated the possible number of "happy songs" to be performed this evening; another pitcher overflowed with scraps representing "sad and depressing" selections. A blue night lay ahead...Yet Mr Thomas's question hinted at the double nature of his music, which saves even his most desolate scenarios from mere pathos. His large frame and squeaky tenor single him out as a "figure of fun," as he says in one composition; yet his songs can be heart-wrenching expressions of helplessness and loss... the understated accompaniment by Ira Kaplan (the guitarist of the group Yo La Tengo) and Garo Yellin on cello let the subtlety of his art resonate... At the evening's end, the group performed the folk song, "The Sloop John B"... The group's performance drew all the anxious loneliness from the song, which most people presume to be a jaunty sing-along, again proving Mr Thomas's ability to find the haunting secrets within every happy tale.

This is the Official Pere Ubu Bootleg page Assembled from lead singer, David Thomas' own cassettes, CDs and sound desk recordings, we will be issuing a year on year history from the archives to present day. Bootleggers are not the pirates: Pere Ubu are the pirates and they sail the good ship Ubu Projex. For all info on Pere Ubu, visit ubuprojex.com

1. ubuprojex.com