Interesting to hear the b sides. I have never bought a single in my life so I had never heard them before. This box could be quite interesting
Passionate Reply I like the structure of this one quite a bit, the lead vocal has a strong melody that balances the repetitive synth riff Billy play throughout, though honestly this one kind of goes through one ear and out the other. I definitely enjoy it while I'm listening to it, Warren's drumming it great as always - it feels more realized than Waiting, I'll give it 3.5/5
Enjoyed the two uptempo live tracks from yesterday. "Passionate Reply" doesn't do a lot for me, but probably good for an occasional listen as a b-side.
Covered as an a-side by New Zealand singer Zaine Griff, who was floating around the new romantic scene (and I think had the same management as Visage). A very underrated singer in his own right. Another quality b-side, and nice contrast to the masterpiece on the other side .
Further to my earlier post about the Vienna box set, I got a nag email this morning from tmstore, saying there are only 500 copies of the 5 CD / 1 DVD set. I thought for a second I would regret passing on it... That made me crack. Take my money, please..
I'm interested in the box, but I can't convince myself that there is much on it that I'll play more than twice that's not already on the 2 CD version.
Waiting: A bouncy number. A clear B-side, but av very good B-side: 3,5/5 Face to face: A lost gem. I Think Billy Currie played rythm guitar on this one. 4/5 King´s lead hat: 3/5 Passionate reply: Really good! 4/5
Nearly seen Ultravox live August 1980 ( going underground/ ashes to ashes in the charts ) when they played in Devon. Loads of posters.
That seems an insanely small number for such a release. I guess they don't want hundreds of copies in a warehouse somewhere for months on end, but 500?
The clear vinyl LP set was 500 as well, though it sold out quickly. If I'm understanding the realities of physical media, anything above a few thousand copies of anything is probably rare. I'd love to know how many titles of anything are pressed up in physical units of 20K and up. The scales of the music industry have completely shifted to streaming as it's way more profitable. As much as I despise it.
Hard disagree Very hard to make analog synths dated for me anyways - however Vienna/Rage in Eden are probably one of the finest arguments for the defense, therefore I'm not going to prosecute.
Passionate Reply This B-side was built on a rhythmic foundation that suggested the same mortar which "The Thin Wall" would soon be built from. The sequenced synth bass rhythm was punctuated by handclaps while the synth leads were slurred to offset the tight rhythms. Midge doubled his lead vocals on the chorus at split octaves [an old Bowie trick to fatten the sound] and Billy bent the pitch on his ARP solo as Midge joined in vocally on the melodically expansive middle eight, which featured wordless expression vocals. Marking this as a definite unfinished song, and thus a great B-side candidate for a quick one day session while on tour in America when Chrysalis says "we need a B-side for "Vienna." They cut this one producing themselves at Criteria Studios in Miami; the Bee Gee's platinum-plated studio. I liked the increase of tempo at the fade as the track entered the room delicately, but left urgently. Tasty! 4/5
am i passionate about ultravox yes.... so this is a 'passionate reply' i swear this song is a perfect candidate for 'rage in eden'. unfortunately, it's not a good fit for vienna, but it is still decent for what it is. a very simple guitar riff, and keyboard tones punctuate the song, with some double tracked vocals over it. i've never listened to this song much, but then again, it was never promoted, or played much. midge ure has brought it back a few times. here's a live version: yeah, definitely sounds like its from a different era. can be found here: --------------------- Ultravox – Vienna Label: Chrysalis – CHS 2481 Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Clear Country: UK Released: 05 Jan 1981 Genre: Electronic Style: Synth-pop Tracklist B Passionate Reply 4:20 Ultravox – Vienna Label: Chrysalis – CHS 12 2481 Format: Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM, Single Country: UK Released: Jan 1981 Genre: Electronic Style: New Wave, Synth-pop Tracklist B1 Passionate Reply 4:20 Ultravox – New Europeans Genre: Electronic Style: New Wave, Synth-pop Year: 1981 Tracklist Passionate Reply 4:17 Ultravox – Vienna Label: EMI Gold – 7243 5 25523 0 6, EMI Gold – 525 5230 Format: CD, Album, Enhanced, Reissue, Remastered Country: UK & Europe Released: 2000 Genre: Electronic, Rock Style: New Wave, Synth-pop Tracklist Bonus Tracks: 11 Passionate Reply 4:17 Ultravox – Vienna Label: Chrysalis – 5099923436527, Chrysalis – CHRX 1296 Format: CD, Album, Reissue CD, Compilation All Media, Remastered, Special Edition, Definitive Edition Country: UK & Europe Released: 19 Sep 2008 Genre: Electronic, Rock Style: New Wave, Synth-pop Tracklist Vienna Further Listening 2-5 Passionate Reply 4:46 Ultravox – Rare 1 Genre: Electronic Style: Synth-pop Year: 1993 Tracklist Passionate Reply 4:18 i'm not too passionate about this song. passionate reply : 3/5 later -1 later -1
looking into this further, the 2008 remaster version is 28 seconds longer than the original, so that is more of an extended version: 2-5 Passionate Reply 4:46 Passionate Reply 4:18 later -1
Alles Klar Sounds incredibly German to my ears - the feel of dissonance is very mid 70s Berlin School feeling, this piece builds and builds from a little sequence that layers then fades into a new sequence that holds throughout, and the rest is a ton of layering of synth/guitar (?) passes along with great percussion as always. But it figures the first straight instrumental is the one I'm giving 4/5
Well first after Astradyne This a bit of a let down, it's nowhere near as interesting as Astradyne, yet despite being shorter it seems to go on much longer. It's ok for what it is, and that sound of electronics and guitars will always be a winner for me, but in general I'm not a huge fan of pop instrumentals, and this is good example of why.
Alles Klar An atmospheric instrumental, made with Conny Plank co-production, so it's from the "Vienna" sessions and not a later track recorded afterward for a B-side release. Warren Cann did the rhythmic breathing and said he had nearly hyperventilated by the end of the five minutes of recording. He goes up and down in the mix but he's there all the way through, if you listen! It's a mood piece; perhaps underdeveloped for its length and relative lack of complexity. The glassy repeated synth figure lent the track a sense of frozen stillness even as the other elements [guitar distortion, drum machine, synth leads] kept adding to the mix. So I think that aspect of the arrangement made this one seem longer than it was. I like the deep bass synth "foghorn" that periodically cropped up. Hence the title. A fair to good Vox instrumental. 3/5
Alles Klar Classic, I love atmospheric instrumental synth tracks and this is right up there with the best, just a wonderful track. 5/5
