![]() ![]() A few albums later, it would all seem like a fluke, but on Vienna, all the pieces come together. Add Anton Corbijn's photography and Peter Saville's smart cover design and all the ingredients for an early-'80s classic are there. Returning producer Conny Plank's style adapted well to the new group, pitting the stark and the lush against one another. There are plenty of pretentious and pompous moments at which Foxx-era purists cringe, but taken as a snooty rebellion against the guitar-heavy climate of the late '70s, they're ignorable. Between 198086, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was their 1981 hit 'Vienna.' The first three LP releases feature the vocals of John Foxx (real name Dennis. Drummer Warren Cann's monotone narration on "Mr X" and the frantic ride that is "Western Promise" give the album just enough diversity and showcase the rest of the group on an Ure-heavy album. Ultravox (earlier stylized as Ultravox) were a British new wave band, formed in London in 1973 as Tiger Lily (2). and making an impression in a new wave-apprehensive America. The simple and instantly recognizable drumbeat of "Vienna" proved infectious, taking the single to the top of the charts in the U.K. Discography Ultravox Follow Artist + Latter-day art rockers under John Foxx, then a major pop success and new romantic influence as synth popsters under Midge Ure. It was a bold move that took awhile to pay off (the first two singles, "Sleepwalk" and "Passing Strangers," went unnoticed), but when the monolithic title track was released, the Ure lineup became the band's most identifiable one almost overnight. Trading Foxx's glam rock stance for Ure's aristocratic delivery, Vienna recasts the band as a melodramatic synth pop chamber ensemble with most of the group doubling on traditional string quartet instruments and the synthesizers often serving to emulate an orchestra. The quintet certainly had their antecedents – Hawkwind, Roxy Music and Kraftwerk to name but a few – but still it was the group's 1977 eponymous debut's grandeur (courtesy of producer Brian Eno), wrapped in the ravaged moods and lyrical themes of collapse and decay that transported '70s rock from the bloated pastures of the past to the futuristic dystopias predicted by punk.With the departure of vocalist John Foxx and guitarist Robin Simon behind them, Vienna kicked off Ultravox's second phase with former Rich Kids vocalist Midge Ure at the helm. In his retrospective review, Dave Thompson, writing for AllMusic, opined "it was Ultravox! who first showed the kind of dangerous rhythms that keyboards could create. Reception Professional ratings Review scoresĪda Wilson in The Rough Guide to Rock wrote that the album "failed to recapture on-stage energy". "Life At Rainbow's End (For All The Tax Exiles On Main Street)" pointedly criticises the hugely popular 'dinosaur' bands of the past, namely The Rolling Stones, who released an album called Exile On Main Street in 1972. ![]() Lyrically the album is mainly about the band's environment, living in London in the mid-1970s, with lyricist John Foxx being heavily influenced by the writings of J. The song "My Sex" includes an early use of a synthesizer. The band's early ambition to combine 1950s and 1960s pop music with the intensity of raw rock music and glam rock developed into writing longer and more intricate songs like "I Want to Be a Machine". The latter, a reggae influenced song, was released as the first Ultravox single in February 1977 to positive reviews. The former song pre-dated punk music, written over a year before the emergence of punk. The songs "Saturday Night in the City of the Dead" and "Dangerous Rhythm", alongside other songs from the album, were written while the band were named Tiger Lily. It was released on 25 February 1977 by Island. It was recorded at Island Studios in Hammersmith, London in the autumn of 1976 and produced by Ultravox! and Steve Lillywhite with studio assistance from Brian Eno. Ultravox - Systems Of Romance album cover. Albans 1980) (LP, Album, Limited Edition, Mispress, Picture Disc, Reissue, Die Cut Cover) CHRP 1296 After listening to it just now - its seems to be a vinyl pressing of disc 5 of the Vienna 40th anniversary release. Ultravox! is the debut studio album by British new wave band Ultravox. Ultravox lyrics - 117 song lyrics sorted by album, including Slow Motion. ![]()
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