Monster (David Thomas album)

Monster
Box set by David Thomas
Released	June 1997
Genre	Rock
Label	Rough Trade
Producer	David Thomas
David Thomas chronology
Meadville (1997) Monster (1997) Mirror Man (1999)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic

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' current 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

1. "The Birds Are a Good Idea" – 1:58
2. "Yiki Tiki" – 2:16
3. "Crickets in the Flats" – 4:58
4. "Sound of the Sand" – 3:27
5. "The New Atom Mine" – 5:14
6. "Big Dreams" – 2:21
7. "Happy to See You" – 3:32
8. "Crush This Horn, Part 2" – 1:49
9. "Confuse Did" – 2:32
10. "Sloop John B" – 5:09
11. "Man's Best Friend" – 4:28

CD2 - Variations on a Theme

1. "A Day at the Botanical Gardens" (1983 mix) – 3:44 (extra track on the 2002 reissue)
2. "Bird Town" – 2:44
3. "Pedestrian Walk" (1983 mix) – 4:17 (extra track on the 2002 reissue)
4. "The Egg & I" – 2:55
5. "Who Is It?" – 3:40
6. "Song of the Hoe" – 6:03
7. "Hurry Back" – 4:20
8. "The Rain" (1983 mix) – 3:48 (extra track on the 2002 reissue)
9. "Semaphore" – 5:11
10. "A Day at the Botanical Gardens" – 3:21
11. "Pedestrian Walk" – 4:31
12. "Hurry Back" (1983 mix) – 3:57 (extra track on the 2002 reissue)
13. "The Rain" – 5:18

CD3 - More Places Forever

1. "Through The Magnifying Glass" – 2:58
2. "Enthusiastic" – 4:46
3. "Whale Head King" – 5:50
4. "Song of the Bailing Man" – 4:42
5. "Big Breezy Day" – 3:23
6. "The Farmer's Wife" – 4:32
7. "New Broom" – 4:21
8. "About True Friends" – 4:35 (the original version on vinyl is approximately 5:00 long and has an accapella introduction. The version on the “Monster” box set is 3:34 and lacks the vocal introduction)

Monster Walks the Winter Lake

1. "My Theory of Spontaneous Simultude / Red Tin Bus" – 3:06
2. "What Happened to Me" – 2:45
3. "Monster Walks The Winter Lake" – 11:13
4. "Bicycle" – 4:17
5. "Coffee Train" – 2:24
6. "My Town" – 3:19
7. "Monster Magee, King of the Seas" – 2:14
8. "Monster Thinks About The Good Days" – 3:37
9. "What Happened to Me" – 2:41

CD4 - Blame the Messenger

1. "My Town" – 3:07
2. "A Fact About Trains" – 4:24
3. "King Knut" – 5:27
4. "When Love Is Uneven" – 3:27
5. "The Storm Breaks" – 3:34
6. "The Long Rain" – 4:11
7. "Havin' Time" – 4:53
8. "Friends of Stone" – 3:18
9. "The Velikovsky 2-Step" – 6:50