Ultravox

Depeche Mode claimed to be punks with synthesizers, but it was Ultravox! who first showed the kind of dangerous rhythms that keyboards could create. 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 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…

The Best of Ultravox is a fairly comprehensive compilation that disregards the era during which guitarist Robin Simon and vocalist John Foxx were in the group. It's actually comprehensive to a fault, since it's a little too fair to the group's later and lesser singles off 1986's U-Vox – an album that was almost as poor as its title…

Rejecting the abrasive guitars of their punk-era contemporaries in favor of lushly romantic synthesizers, Ultravox emerged as one of the primary influences on the British electro-pop movement of the early '80s. Formed in London in 1974, the group – originally dubbed Ultravox! – was led by vocalist and keyboardist John Foxx (born Dennis Leigh), whose interest in synths and cutting-edge technology began during his school years…

After Ultravox dissolved in 1988 following the very disappointing album U-Vox, Billy Currie created two very interesting and good solo albums. But, in an attempt to revive his career, he teamed up with relatively unknown guitarist/vocalist Tony Fenelle and first created a new version of the classic Ultravox song "Vienna ("Vienna '92") and then created this album with co-producer Rod Gammons…

While Ultravox's commercial success was virtually nonexistent in the U.S., their singles were strewn across the British charts throughout the early half of the '80s. Led by Midge Ure's haunting but forceful vocal presence, sometimes reminiscent of U2's Bono, Ultravox used the keyboards to guide their sophisticated and intelligent pop style, resulting in some extremely intricate and provocative material…

With the successes of Vienna and its follow-up, Rage in Eden, Ultravox's position in the music scene was unassailable, further fortified by frontman Midge Ure's foray into solo-dom with the summer 1982 hit cover of the Walker Brothers' "No Regrets." …

As the title suggests, Ultravox were in a gray mood as they launched into their seventh studio LP, their previous existential angst now pooling around personal anguish. The album's title track was a study in languorous melancholy, where the emotional pain lingered on and on…

28 years have passed since the most successful incarnation of Ultravox (vocalist Midge Ure, bassist Chris Cross, keyboardist Billy Currie, and drummer Warren Cann) have recorded together, but their first studio album since 1984's Lament shows that nothing much has changed…

In an age of excess, 12" singles were a prime place for a band to preen, play out their pretensions, and indulge their every passing fancy. Programming the drum machine for an extra two minutes of tedium or allowing the rhythm section to carry on (and on) without the rest of a band was a popular maneuver for the creatively challenged (I mean you, Thompson Twins), with few bands actually utilizing the space in a meaningful manner…

Ha!-Ha!-Ha! is a bruising album, a tsunami of a set that epitomized the fire and fury of its age. Icy to its core, producer Steve Lillywhite brilliantly captured both the band's urgency and the brittleness of their sound. Like the implosion of gases that ignited the Big Bang, Ha!-Ha!-Ha! hangs in the millisecond before the ensuing explosion, trembling with ferocious tension and fierce anticipation of the coming storm…