Dub Housing

Pere Ubu recorded Dub Housing at Suma in 1978 with Ken Hamann, who engineered it. The band's release notes say the session was the band's first effort at an album of songs that would fit together, and that work began after the first US and European tours. The basis of Thriller! was recorded at the Discohome in Cleveland Heights, and the original LP was mastered at Air Studios in London. Chrysalis released it, having contacted the band earlier, although Burnstein had insisted that The Modern Dance go out on Blank.

The cover shows the Plaza, 3206 Prospect Avenue, seen from its back parking lot with an extra floor added. It was the first album sleeve designed by John Thompson, known as Johnny Dromette, who put it together on the copier at the drugstore at the bottom of the street. The woman in the window is Jean Kormos, the Ubu Girl, who is also on the back of The Modern Dance. Caligari's Mirror was inspired by the sea shanty Drunken Sailor, and Drinking Wine Spodyody refers to a 1949 blues song by Stick McGhee.

Cliff Burnstein came to Suma to hear the final mixes. According to the band's notes, Burnstein said, "Do two more albums like this and you will be pop stars," and Ravenstine answered by asking what if they did not want to. Burnstein was also managing Def Leppard, and had them come out to watch how Pere Ubu ran their soundchecks on the November tour. Ravenstine later said that Dub Housing was his favorite of the records and that everybody else preferred The Modern Dance.

Jon Savage wrote in 1978 that the album remained "baffling, infuriating, haunting, menacing and ferociously funny" and ended with "This album will last." Robert Christgau wrote in 1979 that it sent him back to The Modern Dance. It came ninth in the Village Voice Pazz and Jop poll for 1979. NME put it eighth and Sounds 13th on their lists of 1978. Trouser Press called it "simply one of the most important post-punk recordings" in 2012. Thomas recalled that after it the British press kept calling the band the end of rock and roll, which he took as a challenge. Reissues came on CD from Rough Trade in 1989, Thirsty Ear in 1999 and Cooking Vinyl in 2008, then on CD and vinyl from Fire in 2015.