Monster (David Thomas album)
David Thomas album
Monster is a box set anthologizing David Thomas's solo career from the years 1981–1987, during which time his main vehicle, Pere Ubu, was inactive. 'Variations On A Theme' has been remixed and rearranged from its original forms. On its release in 1997, the box included a contemporary live disc entitled "Meadville" by Thomas's group the Two Pale Boys; as of the current 2002 reissue, that disc has been excised, anticipating a future standalone release.
Track listing
CD1 - The Sound of the Sand
"The Birds Are a Good Idea" – 1:58
"Yiki Tiki" – 2:16
"Crickets in the Flats" – 4:58
"Sound of the Sand" – 3:27
"The New Atom Mine" – 5:14
"Big Dreams" – 2:21
"Happy to See You" – 3:32
"Crush This Horn, Part 2" – 1:49
"Confuse Did" – 2:32
"Sloop John B" – 5:09
"Man's Best Friend" – 4:28
CD2 - Variations on a Theme
"A Day at the Botanical Gardens" (1983 mix) – 3:44 (extra track on the 2002 reissue)
"Bird Town" – 2:44
"Pedestrian Walk" (1983 mix) – 4:17 (extra track on the 2002 reissue)
"The Egg & I" – 2:55
"Who Is It?" – 3:40
"Song of the Hoe" – 6:03
"Hurry Back" – 4:20
"The Rain" (1983 mix) – 3:48 (extra track on the 2002 reissue)
"Semaphore" – 5:11
"A Day at the Botanical Gardens" – 3:21
"Pedestrian Walk" – 4:31
"Hurry Back" (1983 mix) – 3:57 (extra track on the 2002 reissue)
"The Rain" – 5:18
CD3 - More Places Forever
"Through The Magnifying Glass" – 2:58
"Enthusiastic" – 4:46
"Whale Head King" – 5:50
"Song of the Bailing Man" – 4:42
"Big Breezy Day" – 3:23
"The Farmer's Wife" – 4:32
"New Broom" – 4:21
"About True Friends" – 4:35 (the original version on vinyl is approximately 5:00 long and has an accapella introduction.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Monster (David Thomas album)” is david Thomas album. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Monster, David and Thomas, not as a finished interpretation.
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Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 24, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q6902657. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1981, 1987, 1997 and 2002.
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