Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British
new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was their 1981 hit "
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
".
From 1974 until 1979, singer
John Foxx was frontman and the main driving force behind Ultravox. Foxx left the band in March 1979 to embark on a solo career and, following his departure,
Midge Ure
James Ure (born 10 October 1953) is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim, the diminutive form of his actual name. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s ...
officially took over as lead singer, guitarist and frontman on 1st November 1979 (despite writing and rehearsing with the band from April of that year) after he and keyboardist
worked in the studio project
Visage. Ure revitalised the band and steered it to commercial chart success lasting until 1987, at which time the group disbanded.
A new line-up, led by Currie, was formed in 1992, but achieved limited success, with two albums failing to chart and one solitary single reaching 90 in the UK Singles Chart. The band's best-known line-up of Currie, Ure, bassist Chris Cross and drummer Warren Cann reformed in 2008 and performed a series of reunion shows in 2009 and 2010 before releasing a new studio album, ''
Brill!ant'', in May 2012 which reached 21 in the British Album Charts. In November 2013, Ultravox performed as special guests on a four date UK arena tour with
Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United St ...
. These shows proved to be Ultravox's last, as in 2017 both Currie and Ure indicated that Ultravox had run its course.
History
Early years – Tiger Lily: 1974–1976
The band was formed in April 1974 on the initiative of vocalist and songwriter
Dennis Leigh, a then
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...
student, and was originally known as
Tiger Lily. An initial but incomplete line-up comprised Leigh plus
Chris Allen who was then billed as Chris St. John (bass guitar) and
Stevie Shears
Stevie Shears (born 1954/1955) is an English musician known for playing in the rock bands Tiger Lily and Ultravox! (later Ultravox), as well as being part of the bands Faith Global and Cowboys International.
Biography Tiger Lily and Ultravox ...
(guitar), with
Warren Cann (drums) and
(violin) joining in May and October 1974 respectively.
The group released one single in 1975, "
Ain't Misbehavin'", a cover of the
Fats Waller
Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz pi ...
song which featured in a soft porn film. Later, the band went through a series of name changes including The Zips, Fire of London, London Soundtrack, and The Damned, using this last name for a few weeks before discovering that
the Damned had already taken it.
Experimental years: 1976–1979
''Ultravox!''
On the strength of their live act, the band signed to
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
in 1976. The group had still not finalised their band name, wanting to make a good and lasting choice. In October 1976, while working on the late stages of their debut album, the band conceived the name ''Ultravox!'' (the exclamation mark was a reference to
krautrock
Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock
Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments ...
band
Neu!, produced by
Conny Plank, who later produced three Ultravox albums). At the same time, Leigh chose
John Foxx and Allen chose
Chris Cross
Chris Cross (born Christopher Thomas Allen, 14 July 1952, Tottenham, London) is an English musician, best known as the bass guitarist in the new wave band Ultravox.
Biography
Early years
Cross went to Belmont Secondary Modern School, ...
as their respective stage names.
In February 1977, Island released their eponymous debut album, ''
Ultravox!
Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...
''.
Like many other bands that formed Britain's
punk and
new wave movements, ''Ultravox!'' drew inspiration from the art-school side of
glam rock. Musically, Ultravox were heavily influenced by
Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...
, the
New York Dolls
New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...
,
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
and
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...
. Their debut was co-produced by
Steve Lillywhite and
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
(who next co-wrote and performed with Bowie on ''
Low
Low or LOW or lows, may refer to:
People
* Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low
Places
* Low, Quebec, Canada
* Low, Utah, United States
* Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station
* Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LO ...
''). ''
Ultravox!
Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...
''
's sales were disappointing, and neither the album nor the associated single "Dangerous Rhythm" managed to enter the UK charts. Relations within the band were on an occasionally tenuous footing during this time as Foxx declared that he intended to live without emotions, a sentiment he wrote into the début album track "I Want to Be a Machine".
Ultravox returned later in 1977 with the punkier ''
Ha!-Ha!-Ha!
''Ha!-Ha!-Ha!'' is the second album by British pop group Ultravox, at that time known as "Ultravox!", with an exclamation mark, as a nod to Neu!. Although the group would later achieve fame and commercial success with lead singer Midge Ure the ...
''. Sales of both the album and its lead single, "
ROckWrok
"ROckWrok" is a single by the post-punk band Ultravox!, released on 7 October 1977 by Island Records. It was the last British non-free single (the next, " Quirks", came free along initial copies of the album) released from the ''Ha! Ha! Ha!'' al ...
", were poor, both failing to register on the UK charts. "ROckWrok" had a punk-lyric chorus, with the words "Come on, let's tangle in the dark/Fuck like a dog, bite like a shark". (Despite this, it got airplay on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
.) Although ''Ha!-Ha!-Ha!'' was dominated by guitars and
electric violin, the final track, "Hiroshima Mon Amour", was a prototypical
synthpop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...
song. One of the first tracks by a British band to feature a drum machine (a
Roland Rhythm 77
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment, and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on 18 April 1972. In 2005, its headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. It has fact ...
with preset patterns) and a tenor
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...
solo played by "cc" of the band Gloria Mundi. Hiroshima Mon Amour signalled a new direction for Ultravox. The energy, anger and popular appeal of punk was fading in 1978, and the more creative UK punk genre talent sought new directions—calling themselves
British new wave instead of
punk rock artists. "Hiroshima Mon Amour" remains a critics' and fans' favourite from the group's initial period. Ultravox! also performed it on ''
The Old Grey Whistle Test
''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. ...
'' later in 1978.
Becoming Ultravox
In early March 1978, Stevie Shears, whose style of guitar playing was considered a limiting factor, was sacked from the band after they toured England and joined
Cowboys International
Cowboys International (also stylised as Cowboys International®) were a new wave and synthpop band formed by vocalist and songwriter Ken Lockie that put out one album in 1979, the influential '' The Original Sin'', and a handful of 45s befor ...
in 1980. He was replaced by
Robert Simon (ex-member of
Ian North's
Neo
Neo or NEO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional entities
* Neo (''The Matrix''), the alias of Thomas Anderson, a hacker and the protagonist of the Matrix film series
* Neo (''Marvel Comics'' species), a fictional race of superhumans
* ...
), who during his first days with the band changed his performance-name to Robin Simon. Some time in 1978, the group also dropped the exclamation mark, becoming simply "Ultravox". The new line-up performed live at the
Reading Festival along with
Radio Stars
Radio Stars were an English new wave group formed in early 1977. They released two albums and had one UK Top 40 single.
Career
Radio Stars were formed by Sparks exile Martin Gordon (bass, songwriter) and also included ex-John's Children voc ...
,
Penetration,
Sham 69
Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The ...
, The Pirates and
The Jam
The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 198 ...
, playing early versions of "Slow Motion" and "Quiet Men" on 27 August 1978.
Their third album, 1978's ''
Systems of Romance
''Systems of Romance'', released on 8 September 1978, is the third album by British New wave music, new wave band Ultravox (an exclamation mark having been dropped from the moniker earlier in the year). It was the final recording for the group ...
'', was recorded with producer
Conny Plank (the producer of German electronic outfit
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...
) and engineer Dave Hutchins at Plank's Studio in rural Germany. Musically, the album was markedly different from Ultravox's earlier work, bringing synthesisers to the forefront of the group's sound. Despite praise from some critics, the album was a commercial failure. Since none of the albums to date had generated much income, tensions within the band—particularly between Currie and Foxx—threatened the band's viability.
Island dropped the band on 31 December 1978 after an attempt to market the album in the United States failed to generate sales. That appeared to be the final nail in the band's coffin, but Ultravox self-financed a US tour in early 1979. They split after their final gig near San Francisco in March 1979 and Foxx declared his intention to pursue a solo career. Simon remained in the US and briefly joined The Futants, a punk band from New York. He later returned to England and teamed up with
Howard Devoto
Howard Devoto (born Howard Andrew Trafford, 15 March 1952) is a retired English singer and songwriter, who began his career as the frontman for punk rock band Buzzcocks, but then left to form Magazine, one of the first post-punk bands. After M ...
to replace guitarist
John McGeoch
John Alexander McGeoch (25 August 1955 – 4 March 2004) was a Scottish musician and songwriter. He is best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Magazine (1977-1980) and Siouxsie and the Banshees (1980-1982).
He has been described as one o ...
in the band
Magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
. The remaining members made their way back to a Britain in the midst of the
Winter of Discontent.
Island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
dropped the three Ultravox albums from its catalogue, and released a compilation of highlights from the group's first three albums in 1980, called ''
Three into One
''Three into One'' is the first compilation album from the band Ultravox, released in June 1980 in the UK. The album is a compilation of songs from their first three albums, ''Ultravox!'', ''Ha!-Ha!-Ha!'' and ''Systems of Romance'', and theref ...
''.
Foxx subsequently signed to Virgin Records and released his album ''
Metamatic'' in January 1980. By this time, Billy Currie had been recruited by the rising star
Gary Numan
Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...
in 1979 to do a performance at the ''Old Grey Whistle Test'' show with his band
Tubeway Army
Tubeway Army were a London-based new wave band led by lead singer Gary Numan. Formed at the height of punk rock in 1977 the band gradually changed to an electronic sound. They were the first band of the electronic era to have a synthesiser-b ...
. Numan had been a fan of Ultravox and Currie was also asked to play on Numan's début solo album, ''
The Pleasure Principle'', and its subsequent tour. Warren Cann went to work for
Zaine Griff
Zaine Griff (born 4 October 1957 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a singer-songwriter who was part of the English new wave and new romantics scene of the early 1980s. Raised in New Zealand, he moved to England in the 1970s, where he continued with h ...
, while Chris Cross did some shows with
James Honeyman-Scott (of
The Pretenders
Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...
) and Barrie Masters (from
Eddie and the Hot Rods).
The Midge Ure years: 1979–1987
![Midge April84](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Midge_April84.JPG)
With the band seemingly over, Ultravox were then revitalised by
Midge Ure
James Ure (born 10 October 1953) is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim, the diminutive form of his actual name. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s ...
, who joined the band as vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist. He had already achieved minor success with semi-glam outfit
Slik
Slik were a Scottish pop group of the mid-1970s, most notable for their UK number 1 hit " Forever and Ever" in 1976. Initially glam rock, the band later changed their style to soft rock/bubblegum. It was the first band with whom singer and g ...
and
Glen Matlock's
The Rich Kids
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, and in 1979, he was temporarily playing with hard rock band
Thin Lizzy on their American tour, replacing
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz ...
.
Ure and Billy Currie had met while collaborating on
Visage, a studio-based band fronted by
New Romantic
The New Romantic movement was an underground subculture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the nightclub scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy's and The Blitz. The New ...
icon and nightclub impresario
Steve Strange. Ure and Currie were part of the
Visage ensemble on a part-time basis while simultaneously being in Ultravox. During Ure and Currie's tenure, Visage had released two successful albums and had a string of hit singles (the most notable being "
Fade to Grey"), but Ure decided to leave in 1982 to concentrate solely on Ultravox. Currie remained with Visage for a while longer, but he too had left them by 1984.
Encouraged by Visage drummer and mutual friend
Rusty Egan, Currie asked Ure to join Ultravox. The first material for a prospective new Ultravox record came together quickly and the group decided to tour the US again at the end of 1979. They did so in the hope of being picked up by an American label. Ure knew of Ultravox's past, being a fan of ''Systems'' to the point where the new four-piece outfit (Ultravox mk. III) played songs from that album with Ure singing Foxx's lyrics.
Most of the album that would become ‘Vienna’ was ready to record by the time Ultravox signed a new record deal with
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Ag ...
. ''
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
'', heralded a major change of direction and would become their most successful to date, far surpassing any of the previous Ultravox (or Foxx) albums. As with ''Systems of Romance'', it was produced by Conny Plank.
Released in June 1980, the ''Vienna'' album produced the band's first UK Top 40 hit with "
Sleepwalk" reaching No. 29, while the album itself initially peaked at No. 14. A second single, "
Passing Strangers
"Passing Strangers" is Ultravox's second single from ''Vienna'', the band's first album with Midge Ure, released on Chrysalis Records on 15 October 1980.
A fast-paced guitar track recalling early John Foxx-era Ultravox, Passing Strangers ulti ...
", failed to reach the Top 40, only reaching No. 57, but the band achieved a substantial hit with the third single, the album's
title track. Accompanied by a highly distinctive video (inspired by
Carol Reed's 1949 film ''
The Third Man
''The Third Man'' is a 1949 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Set in postwar Vienna, the film centres on American Holly Martins (Cotten), ...
''), the single became Ultravox's biggest ever hit, released in January 1981 and peaking at Number 2 (kept off the top spot by John Lennon's "Woman" and then
Joe Dolce
Joseph Dolce (born October 13, 1947) (, originally ) is an American-Italian singer/songwriter, poet and essayist.
Dolce achieved international recognition with his multi-million-selling song, "Shaddap You Face", released worldwide under the n ...
's "
Shaddap You Face
"Shaddap You Face" is a novelty song written and performed by Joe Dolce (released under the name Joe Dolce Music Theatre) about a rebellious Italian boy. Released in late 1980, it set a number of sales and longevity records.
It was released by ...
"). On the strength of the single, the album then re-entered the chart and reached No. 3 in early 1981. A fourth single from the album, "
All Stood Still
"All Stood Still" is Ultravox's fourth and final single from ''Vienna'', the band's first album with Midge Ure, released on Chrysalis Records on 26 May 1981.
The single, on the back of "Vienna"'s success, hit No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart
...
", peaked at No. 8. in 1981, and "
Slow Motion" from ''Systems of Romance'' was also re-issued, reaching No. 33 the same year.
This was soon followed by ''
Rage in Eden
''Rage in Eden'' is the fifth album by the British new wave band Ultravox. It was released in 1981 on Chrysalis. The album reached #4 in the UK album charts and was certified Gold by the BPI for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.
Content
The ...
'' (1981), with the band returning to Plank's studio in Cologne for what turned out to be a difficult recording session. Whereas the ''Vienna'' material had been performed live a great deal prior to a three-week recording process, ''Rage in Eden'' took over three months. The album featured a long track in three parts on the second side. The album peaked at No. 4 in the UK, while two singles from the album, "
The Thin Wall
"The Thin Wall" is Ultravox's first single from the ''Rage in Eden'' album, recorded in Conny Plank’s Studio in Cologne, Germany and released on Chrysalis Records on 14 August 1981.
The music video, directed by Russell Mulcahy, features Midg ...
" and "
The Voice", both made the UK Top 20, reaching No. 14 and No. 16 respectively.
Ultravox teamed up with producer
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...
for 1982's ''
Quartet
In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments.
Classical String quartet
In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...
'', which peaked at No. 6 in the UK and contained four Top 20 hit singles; "
Reap the Wild Wind" reaching No. 12 and "
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
" No. 11 both in 1982, and "
Visions in Blue
"Visions in Blue" is Ultravox's third single from the '' Quartet'' album, recorded in Air Studios, Montserrat and released on Chrysalis Records on 11 March 1983. The single peaked at #15 in the UK charts on 26 March.Betts, Graham (2006). ''Compl ...
" and in 1983 "
We Came to Dance
"We Came to Dance" is the final single from Ultravox's sixth studio album '' Quartet'' (the third studio album recorded with singer Midge Ure), recorded in Air Studios
Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company ...
" charting at No. 15 and No. 18 respectively. It was their most successful album in the US, peaking at No. 61.
The band undertook a major world tour, the Monument Tour, which was recorded and released as
a live LP and video in 1983, which also reached the UK top ten.
Ultravox then decided to produce their next album themselves. 1984's ''
Lament
A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about somethin ...
'' continued the band's run of top ten albums and produced three top 40 hit singles, including the international hit "
Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" (UK No. 3), "
Lament
A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about somethin ...
" (No. 22) and "
One Small Day
"One Small Day" is the first single from Ultravox's seventh studio album, ''Lament'', released on 26 January 1984. It peaked at #27 in the UK Singles Chart.
The song is unusual for Ultravox in that it is mainly guitar rather than synth driven.
...
" peaking at No. 27.
After the "Set Movements Tour" in 1984, a "greatest hits" compilation spanning the band's 1980s output was released entitled ''
The Collection''. It was preceded by a new single, "
Love's Great Adventure", which enjoyed massive radio airplay that autumn and eventually peaked at No. 12 in the UK, accompanied by a popular
Indiana Jones
''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...
-style spoof video. ''The Collection'' went triple Platinum and reached No. 2 in the UK album chart, the band's highest ever peak.
In November 1984, Ure also co-wrote and produced the
Band Aid single "
Do They Know It's Christmas?
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup assembled by Geldof and Ure consisting of pop ...
". The four Ultravox-members took a long break from each other, but appeared at
Live Aid
Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...
the following year and played four of their hit singles ("Reap the Wild Wind", "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes", "
One Small Day
"One Small Day" is the first single from Ultravox's seventh studio album, ''Lament'', released on 26 January 1984. It peaked at #27 in the UK Singles Chart.
The song is unusual for Ultravox in that it is mainly guitar rather than synth driven.
...
" and "Vienna"). Last time they were touring in 1984 they had twenty-two keyboards on stage, and the sound checks alone took five hours, so Ultravox actually chose the songs that they could perform with the least equipment, with no rehearsal and no sound check. With Ultravox being switched in the running order so that
Princess Diana
Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
could see
The Boomtown Rats before leaving
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
, the start of the Ultravox set was lost to a poor hand-over from an over-running foreign link up. As the concert was never officially archived, this could not be resorted to the partial record of the event available on the official DVD.
Later in 1985, Ure scored a No. 1 solo hit with "If I Was" and his solo album ''
The Gift'' reached No. 2 in the UK.
During the time Midge was away working with his solo album and tour, Cann, Currie and Cross recorded demos to a forthcoming album. They recorded the track "Ukraine" which is available on Curries 1991 solo album ''Stand up and Walk''.
Ure later said that when he came back they were all working in different directions.
In a band meeting before the new recording began in 1986,
Warren Cann was sacked from the band due to musical differences. Ure said 1986: "After the two year break the differences that might have been very small two years ago, had magnified during that time, we had grown apart. It seemed like we could not work with him."
Ultravox recorded the ''
U-Vox
''U-Vox'' is the eighth studio album by British new wave band Ultravox, released on 9 October 1986 by Chrysalis Records. It was the band's fifth album during the Midge Ure era, and the final one featuring the band's 1979 lineup, with the exc ...
'' album with
Big Country's
Mark Brzezicki on drums in Plank's studio in Germany. The ''U-Vox'' album, released in October 1986, was later described by Ure as "unfocused". Although it continued their string of top ten albums in the UK, its singles showed declining chart results: "
Same Old Story" peaking at No. 31, and "
All Fall Down" at No. 30 in 1986, with "
All in One Day
"All in One Day" is the final single from Ultravox's 1986 album, ''U-Vox'', released on 8 June 1987. It was the last Ultravox release during their most popular 1980's incarnation with Midge Ure (until 2012). The song was written as a tribute to ...
" reaching only No. 88 in 1987. In 1987, Ultravox decided not to continue after the ''U-Vox'' tour and split up.
Currie signed a deal with
IRS Records
I.R.S. Records was an American record label founded by Miles Copeland III, Jay Boberg, and Carl Grasso in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave ...
and recorded a solo album. Cross retired from the music business to become a psychotherapist. Cann later moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
to work in the movie business. Currie and Robin Simon reunited in 1989 as the short-lived Humania, performing live shows, but never making a release until 2006, the album ''Sinews of the Soul''.
Currie's own Ultravox in the Nineties: 1992–1996
Without any other original members, Currie reformed Ultravox again in 1992 with vocalist
Tony Fenelle
Tony Fennell (born 16 November 1963) is a British musician, songwriter and producer. He was the lead singer, lyricist and musician for the band Ultravox from 1992 until 1994, as well as a writer and producer of music for television.
Fennell has s ...
to record ''
Revelation'', and later
Sam Blue
Sam Blue (born Simon Blewitt 1959 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England) (also known as Sam Blewitt) is an English hard rock singer, who has been part of the bands Emerson, Axis, L. A. Secrets, Paul Samson's Empire, Ya Ya, Ultravox, GTS, and Burns ...
replaced Fenelle in a new five-piece Ultravox line-up, lending his voice to another release, ''
Ingenuity'' released November 1994. This line-up also released the live album ''Future Picture'' recorded in Italy 1993.
These albums had little commercial success and the band dissolved again in 1996. Currie said 2006 about the attempt to continue Ultravox: "It wasn't a good idea but, in retrospect, it's always easy to say that."
Reunion: 2008–2013
![Ultravox London 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Ultravox_London_2013.jpg)
In September 2008, both ''Vienna'' and ''Rage in Eden'' were released in digitally remastered two-disc format with the second disc containing previously unreleased material.
On 2 October 2008 Midge Ure and Billy Currie met again and played an acoustic "Vienna" together, on Geoff Lloyd Show on
Absolute Radio
Absolute Radio is a British National radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts nationally across the UK via Digital audio broadcasting and on 1215 kHz MW.
History
1993–1997: Virg ...
in
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...
. After this they got an offer from
Live Nation
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...
, who their former manager Chris O’Donnell was now working for.
On 6 November 2008 the official announcement came: Warren Cann, Chris Cross, Billy Currie and Midge Ure reformed Ultravox again, for a 15-date UK tour in April 2009, entitled "Return to Eden". This would be the first time the classic line-up of the band had performed together since
Live Aid
Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...
in 1985. The first show was played at
Edinburgh Playhouse
Edinburgh Playhouse is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. With 3,059 seats it is the second largest theatre in the United Kingdom after the Hammersmith Apollo. The theatre is owned by Ambassador Theatre Group.
Building history
The theatre opened ...
10 April 2009.
On
Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s, hosted his own radio show on ...
's show on BBC's Radio 2 on 21 February 2009, Ure discussed the tour, with all four members of the most successful incarnation of the band on board. He mentioned that this reunion was not planned in light of the previously mentioned events, but rather was spontaneous and happened very quickly with the band members talking and communicating online (using email and Skype). The interview did not reveal whether or not new material would be recorded as a result of the reunion tour. Speaking to the ''Sunday Mail'', Ure stated that the reunion was only a one-off, and there would be no new material from the group. He said: "We're not trying to recapture our youth and won't be writing new songs or recording another album. This is about celebrating our music and our anniversary."
''Quartet'' and ''Monument'' were released in February 2009, also in two-disc editions. The second disc in the ''Monument'' package is a DVD containing the concert video that was previously only available on VHS tape. The other Chrysalis-era releases were planned for similar future releases.
Since success from touring the UK they have extended the tour to Germany and Belgium. A live CD and DVD of Ultravox's sell-out
Roundhouse show was released on 5 April 2010. The DVD features a documentary filmed on the build-up to and during the reunion tour, parts of it filmed by Midge Ure.
Ultravox returned to performing live with their Return to Eden II tour in Europe during 2010. In August they played four shows in Sweden together with
Howard Jones and
Alphaville. It was on this tour the band members decided that they should record some new material again.
On 20 January 2011, via their official website, Ultravox.org.uk, the band announced that a new studio album was nearing completion.
In 2011 Ultravox released a fan store exclusive EP called ''Moments from Eden'', featured four new live tracks recorded 23 April 2010 at Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg, and 24 April 2010 at Admiralspalast, Berlin.
Ultravox's 11th studio album, ''
Brill!ant'', was released on 28 May 2012. Following this release the band embarked on the 'Brilliant Tour' performing shows across the UK and Europe in late 2012.
30 November 2013, Ultravox performed their last show at
The O2 Arena
The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the s ...
in London, as special guests on a four date UK arena tour with
Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United St ...
.
On 4 January 2017, Billy Currie announced on his official website that he had decided that his time as a member of Ultravox had come to an end after 43 years. In December 2017 Midge Ure revealed in an interview with the ''
Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
'' that a further reformation by the band was unlikely.
Legacy
Gary Numan
Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...
has stated that the original 1970s-era Ultravox was the most important influence on his music. Ultravox was also a major influence on early
Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United St ...
and
Duran Duran
Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...
.
Along with acts like
Visage and Gary Numan, Ultravox was one of the early influences on
techno
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
. In his book ''Energy Flash'',
Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds (born 19 June 1963) is an English music journalist and author who began his professional career on the staff of ''Melody Maker'' in the mid-1980s. He has since gone on to freelance and publish a number of full-length books on music ...
quotes Adam Lee Miller of
Adult
An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...
: "I always get a kick when people say the first 'techno' record was
Cybotron's 'Alleys of Your Mind'... To me, it was just a
new wave record. It sounds particularly close to 'Mr X' by Ultravox."
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Ultravox!
Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...
'' (1977)
* ''
Ha!-Ha!-Ha!
''Ha!-Ha!-Ha!'' is the second album by British pop group Ultravox, at that time known as "Ultravox!", with an exclamation mark, as a nod to Neu!. Although the group would later achieve fame and commercial success with lead singer Midge Ure the ...
'' (1977)
* ''
Systems of Romance
''Systems of Romance'', released on 8 September 1978, is the third album by British New wave music, new wave band Ultravox (an exclamation mark having been dropped from the moniker earlier in the year). It was the final recording for the group ...
'' (1978)
* ''
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
'' (1980)
* ''
Rage in Eden
''Rage in Eden'' is the fifth album by the British new wave band Ultravox. It was released in 1981 on Chrysalis. The album reached #4 in the UK album charts and was certified Gold by the BPI for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.
Content
The ...
'' (1981)
* ''
Quartet
In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments.
Classical String quartet
In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...
'' (1982)
* ''
Lament
A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about somethin ...
'' (1984)
* ''
U-Vox
''U-Vox'' is the eighth studio album by British new wave band Ultravox, released on 9 October 1986 by Chrysalis Records. It was the band's fifth album during the Midge Ure era, and the final one featuring the band's 1979 lineup, with the exc ...
'' (1986)
* ''
Revelation'' (1993)
* ''
Ingenuity'' (1994)
* ''
Brill!ant'' (2012)
Band members
; Classic line-up
*
Chris Cross
Chris Cross (born Christopher Thomas Allen, 14 July 1952, Tottenham, London) is an English musician, best known as the bass guitarist in the new wave band Ultravox.
Biography
Early years
Cross went to Belmont Secondary Modern School, ...
– bass, synthesisers, backing vocals
(1974–1987, 2008–2013)
*
Warren Cann – drums, electronic percussion, backing and occasional lead vocals
(1974–1986, 2008–2013)
*
– synthesisers, keyboards, violin, viola
(1974–1987, 1992–1996, 2008–2013)
*
Midge Ure
James Ure (born 10 October 1953) is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim, the diminutive form of his actual name. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s ...
– lead vocals, guitars, synthesisers
(1979–1987, 2008–2013)
; Former members
*
John Foxx – lead vocals
(1974–1979)
*
Stevie Shears
Stevie Shears (born 1954/1955) is an English musician known for playing in the rock bands Tiger Lily and Ultravox! (later Ultravox), as well as being part of the bands Faith Global and Cowboys International.
Biography Tiger Lily and Ultravox ...
– guitar
(1974–1978)
*
Robin Simon – guitar, backing vocals
(1978–1979)
*
Tony Fenelle
Tony Fennell (born 16 November 1963) is a British musician, songwriter and producer. He was the lead singer, lyricist and musician for the band Ultravox from 1992 until 1994, as well as a writer and producer of music for television.
Fennell has s ...
– lead vocals, guitar
(1992–1993)
*
Sam Blue
Sam Blue (born Simon Blewitt 1959 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England) (also known as Sam Blewitt) is an English hard rock singer, who has been part of the bands Emerson, Axis, L. A. Secrets, Paul Samson's Empire, Ya Ya, Ultravox, GTS, and Burns ...
– lead vocals
(1994–1996)
*
Vinny Burns – guitar
(1994–1996)
* Tony Holmes – drums, percussion
(1994–1996)
* Gary Williams – bass
(1994–1996)
Lineups
Timeline
References
External links
*
*
The Story " Warren Cann interviewed by Jonas Wårstad. Gives a detailed history of the band.
{{EngvarB, date=May 2015
Musical groups established in 1973
Musical groups disestablished in 1988
Musical groups reestablished in 1992
Musical groups disestablished in 1996
Musical groups reestablished in 2008
English art rock groups
English electronic music groups
English new wave musical groups
English synth-pop groups
Musical groups from London
British synth-pop new wave groups
Second British Invasion artists
Island Records artists
Chrysalis Records artists
Articles which contain graphical timelines