ultravox! / john foxx

The first three Ultravox albums are very different from the band that hit the big time in 1980 with Vienna. Under the leadership of John Foxx, Ultravox! (with the ! apeing that of the German band NEU!) issued three albums between 1976 and 1978 which run the gamut of trashy glam, punk,  and eventually synth pop. It’s occasionally a bit rubbish, especially when they try too hard to be punks, and clearly they’re way too nice and middle-class to pull it off convincingly. But on the whole it’s a cracking mixture of the punk sensibility, the clear musical influences of Roxy and Bowie, and Foxx’s literary inclinations (especially his JG Ballard influences which see his lyrics peppered with lines about machines and liquids and stuff). Plus this band can play.

The first self-titled album sees all sorts of instruments thrown into the mix – wobbly synths, manic violins, incongruous acoustic guitar on the epic "I Want To Be A Machine", even some r’n’b style harmonica. It’s all a bit of a muddle to be honest, but in the same way that first Roxy album was a huge mess of ideas. It’s not as good as the first Roxy album, not be a long chalk, but the ambition is clear. The whole thing is a bit rough and ready, but the assistance of both Steve Lillywhite and Brian Eno helps pull the album together. Eno was at Island studios mixing some of this album when one of Ultravox took a call for him. Eno didn’t like being interrupted, but he was told it was an international call, and the guy on the other end says he’s David Bowie. Still thinking it was a prank, Eno reluctantly took the call, and by the end of the week he was helping Bowie record Low at the Chateau d’Herouville just outside Paris.

The second Ultravox album, Ha! Ha! Ha! was recorded in the first few weeks of 1977 and has an appealingly vital live sound. The songs are way more focused and tighter and display a far stronger commercial sense than on the debut. And the best ideas are those that clearly point the way forward – the closing track, the hugely electronic "Hiroshima Mon Amour" is an astounding leap forward from the opening punky thrash of "ROckWrok" (and check out that crazy spelling folks, and surely the title came from the not at all punk 801’s "RongWrong"?) But despite the chilly Germanic soundscapes of "Hiroshima" that song on this album that really sums up the Foxx era is "The Man Who Dies Every Day" – a stomping electronic beat, woozy keyboards, jagged guitars and a very English lyric which marvellously rhymes ‘a moment in the rain’ with ‘a gesture of disdain’, delivered in Foxx’s clinical croon. And it’s supremely catchy.

The third Foxx album, 1978’s Systems Of Romance, is more of a precursor to Vienna in terms of the overall sound, but apart from a few key songs, it seems to me to be rather confused as to what’s it’s trying to achieve. There’s still a number of guitar-led tracks that try to hang onto the punk sound even though it’s clear by now that Ultravox don’t do that very successfully. The more synth based songs are notably much better – the dreamlike "Slow Motion" is especially good and "When You Walk Through Me" is basically a psychedelic Beatles-type song (complete with phasing and Warren Cann playing the drum part from "Tomorrow Never Knows"). It’s a good album, but perhaps not as enjoyable as Ha! Ha! Ha!.

And then Foxx was gone, intent on becoming a Machine, delivering the astonishingly good Metamatic at the start of 1980. Gary Numan steals much of the Systems Of Romance sound for Replicas and The Pleasure Principle (and steals Billy Currie to help him achieve it) and has massive success with a sound and style that Ultravox had originated. By then of course Ultravox had basically split up, during the middle of 1979 (Warren Cann drummed for the Buggles for a while, and Currie played with Numan and then Visage where he met Midge Ure.) Ultravox then reformed with Midge in the winter of 1979 / 1980 and came up with Vienna. And they didn’t look back after that!

visage

One of the very first albums I ever owned was Visage, by Visage.

Released in 1980 it is quite remarkable how well this record stands the test of time. Sure the synths are perhaps a little dated and the occasional drum machine sounds slightly clunky, but on the whole it really doesn’t sound 31 years old.

Partly this is to do with (mostly) real drums and bass - as with Gary Numan’s best stuff, the songs are rooted by ‘real instruments’ with loads of treated guitars and keyboards (plus some chirpy saxophone) over the top. And it’s interesting how much burning guitar is present. Midge Ure, (fresh from his stint in punky New Wavers the Rich Kids, where Rusty Egan was the drummer, and from his deputizing as Thin Lizzy’s tour guitarist after Gary Moore abruptly left) contributes loads of screaming guitar, and Magazine’s John McGeoch plays snarly choppy licks (alongside his Magazine bandmates bassist Barry Adamson and keyboards whizz Dave Formula). Both the instrumental "The Dancer" and the lovely Clint Eastwood homage "Malpaso Man" feature some surprisingly heavy guitar.

The vocals often blend Steve Strange’s not terribly strong voice with the distinctive Scottish brogue of Midge Ure – this works superbly. Later Visage songs often sound somewhat weedy and this is primarily down to Steve singing solo, and exposing the weaknesses in his voice. 

One of my favourites is the closing instrumental "The Steps" – slabs of massive synths attempting to sound like a church organ and deeply booming drums create a wonderfully atmospheric conclusion. It's filmic and huge and miles away from the delightfully light "Mind Of A Toy". With it's musical box theme and the sounds of children playing (seemingly essential to all New Romantic albums) "Mind Of A Toy" was a very successful single, but has perhaps dated the most of all the songs on this album. Other highlights include the brilliant opening statement of intent "Visage" and "Tar, an unusual attack on cigarettes – which makes it perhaps more and more relevant as the years pass.

But it’s "Fade To Grey" that still stands out as an absolutely classic song – the pretentious French lady, the warmly buzzing synths, the snappy drumming, the eminently danceable rhythm and the supremely catchy chorus – it’s the blueprint for virtually every other New Romantic song.

It almost makes me want to don some makeup and wear ridiculous clothes… well almost...