Yeah, that's fair enough. TBH I couldn't put my finger on exactly who, but I'm definitely hearing early 80's posey and pretentious in there.
Also my least favorite song on Ultravox!, but good call on the Duran Duran. I can hear what you mean now that you put that out there. I spotted DD as fans of Ultravox from the get go, almost as much as JAPAN.
Foxx fans. The book of John Foxx's "Quiet Man" stories is finally being published over 40 years after he began writing it. It can now be pre-ordered in hardcover here. $65 signed/$50 standard. Not cripplingly expensive, so yay.
Late to the party, but a few thoughts. I really think UV only got better after this album, but there is a lot to like on this sort-of-futuristic glam punk album as well. My faves so far are Wide Boys (would have made a better single off the album IMO, more punky), Slip away (Foxx's delivery makes much of the song) and Machine (I borrowed, or stole, the opening couplet for a poem I wrote when I was 17 or 18....ah, the innocence....was a big fan of Foxx's lyrics). I do quite enjoy Dangerous Rhythm also, faux reggae and all. Got into UV in late 81, after hearing Vienna and seeing the Thin Wall video on the telly. I liked the blend of futurism and noir 40s styre, I think. Got Rage in Eden for Xmas that year, the first album I owned. They became my fave band for the next few years. Only after a while, I realised they had actually made albums before Vienna! With another singer. So I decided to backtrack, first getting Three into one and then buying all the rest (and soon sidestepping into Visage and Foxx solo). Was amazed at their development in style. So anyway, really love the cover of this album. Was only quite recently that I found a UK original with the gatefold, to add to my pressing as bought in 1982, which is not a gatefold. And thanks for the heads up on The Quiet Man @Post-Punk Monk , pre-ordered it.
By the way, this is a very good article on the history of the band (article is from 2009). I was not aware that they recorded demos with Steve Lillywhite prior to the first album sessions. I would really like to hear those. The box set of the Island years from a few years back was a missed opportunity in that they did not dig into the vaults properly, IMO. MONUMENTAL A HISTORY OF ULTRAVOX - Record Collector Magazine
My first copy was the US and surprisingly enough, it was a gatefold edition. My second copy was the 1977 JPN edition, which was not a gatefold, but the obi counts for something! I have the initial CD and the 2006 DLX RM. So… only 4 copies of this one. I still need that "Island Years" box for the rarities on a discrete disc; my preferred methodology to the tracks split messily across all 3 2006 editions. Thanks shadow blaster, for that great link, by the way!
The Wild, The Beautiful And The Damned The albums other long track - it's probably the track on here that predicts the next LP the most in terms of structure but it's great anyway. Great imagery, memorable as hell chorus, great violin from Currie... really solid piece and a contrast to the introverted I Want to Be A Machine, while still being just as interesting 5/5
Total agreement for "The Wild, The Beautiful + The Damned." Should have been the debut single. One of the peak performances from this album. Dunno if it prefigures "Ha! Ha! Ha!" too much though. I think of that one as an incredibly violent album with strategic interludes of placidity to set the pace.
The Wild, The Beautiful & The Damned is another song introduced to me by way of Three Into One. Not only is it a great song propelled by some vicious violin thanks to Mr. Currie, it rates high for me because it was part of my introduction to the Foxx years. 4.5/5
The Wild, The Beautiful And The Damned Great track, my favourite on the album. It's like if Roxy got nasty. Again, I can definitely hear Ferry singing those verses, and sneak in an Andy Mackay sax solo there to complete the job. But enough of the influences, it's a great track in its own right, superbly arranged and produced.
It's a shame there aren't more contributors in this thread, as I can't always explain my views, and I'd like to know what others are hearing (especially for the next album!). Maybe it just reflects the band's popularity, and more people will join in from Vienna onwards (when I'll take my leave).
My Sex I love this song so much, there's no other track that gives me the same feeling on here - I remember first hearing this when I was 18, and I thought to myself, Foxx wrote a song about my feeling on sex, how open and honest it is, something that I find most people can't do. In particular though "My sex is savage, tender It wears no future faces, owns just random gender My sex is a wanting wardrobe I still explore Of all the bodies I knew and those I want to know" Incredible poetry that still resonates with me. I had no clue it wasn't a solo writing credit until the thread was started, it always sounded so Foxx solo adjacent I assumed it was all him - either way, amazing track for me despite it being the least musically involved thing on here. 5/5
The Wild, The Beautiful And The Damned A good rousing Roxy prog number. A great dramatic vocal from Foxx. My Sex A very Low (Bowie) inspired toon. A nice way to close the album.
My Sex Who co-produced this LP? What's that? Eno, you say? Ah, I see. I like this one. Not sure about poetry. All I know is I was 13 when I bought it (first on the Live EP), and it's called My Sex. Snigger snigger. I think Gary Numan was listening. It definitely reminds me of something on Telekon a couple of years later.
I never found out if this was a cover, but apparently not - it's punky, very guitar oriented, bare with me for the write up for the next record tomorrow 4/5
My Sex You can hear Eno all over this. Fabulous track, possibly my favourite Foxx-era song. I saw JF & Louis Gordon live many many years ago and they finished the set with an absolutely blinding version of this, it was better than sex! (nearly) 5/5
Playing catch up again. Dangerous Rhythm - have to agree with the consensus - a very weak choice for a single. The Lonely Hunter - like this one - and if it does sound proto-new romantic, I'm all for it! The Wild, The Beautiful And The Damned - my second favourite on the album I think, after I Want To Be A Machine. My Sex - stunning and setting the precedent for the quieter last track on each of the Foxx albums (all of which are superb).
Modern Love just goes in one ear and out of the other, I can never remember how it goes (same for Quirks). A shame that no outtakes have surfaced from the Foxx era, though some titles have been mentioned in interviews.
Ha! Ha! Ha! October, 14 1977 Produced by Steve Lillywhite Track listing 1. "ROckWrok" John Foxx 3:34 2. "The Frozen Ones" (Foxx) 4:07 3. "Fear in the Western World" (Warren Cann, Chris Cross, Billy Currie, Foxx, Stevie Shears) 4:00 4. "Distant Smile" (Currie, Foxx) 5:21 5. "The Man Who Dies Every Day" (Cann, Cross, Currie, Foxx, Shears) 4:10 6. "Artificial Life" (Currie, Foxx) 4:59 7. "While I'm Still Alive" (Foxx) 3:16 8. "Hiroshima Mon Amour" (Cann, Currie, Foxx) 5:13 Personnel Ultravox! Warren Cann – drums, vocals, rhythm machine on "Hiroshima Mon Amour" Chris Cross – bass, vocals Billy Currie – violas, keyboards, synthesiser John Foxx – vocals, guitar on "Hiroshima Mon Amour" Stevie Shears – guitar Additional personnel C.C. (from Gloria Mundi) – saxophone on "Hiroshima Mon Amour" The best Foxx album for me, this one is the most consistent I feel like. Not a bad song on here, and most of them are great at that. Whereas the last album was a bit loose with genre definition, this one is more obviously an early example of post punk, with with more art rock leanings from the first record fitting into the context of a lot of these songs that would be rather straightforward otherwise. Much more aggressive, Currie has more involvement, Cann shows early on he was no slouch as a writer and Cross gets that live sound in the studio now. More confident and solid than the debut, but also maybe their most divisive album due to how punky it is. Album came with a free single - Quirks/Modern Love, and earlier a non album single, Young Savage (Now that I think about it, should of posted that first... but I'm not writing this again!)
Quirks A bit of filler... for a free 7" at that. Disregarding that, it's a bit weak anyway 2/5 Young Savage That's better. For mid 1977, this seems like a perfect single but like everything here, it's unknown. Classic punk Ultravox with that edge no one else had at that time. Killer guitar on this. 4/5