Ultravox Album: “Three into One”

The editorial review (above) seems to have misidentified this album, which is in fact a digest of the first three albums ('77-'79) by English electropop pioneers Ultravox. The CD offers a well-balanced summary of the early phase of the band's career, when it was fronted by singer John Foxx and was altogether a different beast from its later (and more commercially successful) Midge Ure-fronted incarnation.

Those familiar with Ure's uber-smooth and overwrought Ultravox might be surprised by the somewhat aleatory and chaotic feel of the band under Foxx. The main influences here are Krautrock, early punk, and Eno-period Roxy Music, and while Foxx may not be as operatic as Ure, nor the band as tight and sleek as it was later to become, the product (while admittedly derivative) is far more vital and satisfying than it ever was after Foxx's departure. "Young Savage" is razor-sharp camp (imagine the Buzzcocks fronted by Gary Numan); "Slow Motion" and "Hiroshima Mon Amour" suggest Japan in their less selfconscious moments.

Those interested in such current acts as Ladytron and Interpol will do well to investigate this seminal, but largely unrecognized, influence on modern electro.

I had to hunt for this listing; for some odd reason this CD was buried in the Ultravox listings, almost lost! In any case, this is a great compilition of early Ultravox recordings, picking the cream off their first three albums, before Midge Ure and "Vienna" catapulted them to worldwide acclaim and popularity. But these songs were just as dynamic and moving. This version of Ultravox, of course, had a different lead singer, that being the stylish John Foxx. Another reviewer mentioned Gary Numan as a comparison, which is in the ballpark, but I think Foxx is a much better singer, displaying a wider emotional range. The songs on this album aren't just simple electro-pop numbers, or Kraftwerk sound-alikes. You have the frantic, almost punk-ish drive of "Young Savage" and then a big switch to the smooth, lush sway of "Dangerous Rhythm." There are also gorgeous ems like "The Wild, the Beautiful, and the Damned" and the stunning and evocative "Hiroshima Mon Amour." That song takes my breath away every time. Some diehards prefer this version of Ultravox, and I can't say I disagree with that sentiment, as much as I also love "Vienna" and "Rage in Eden". These early recordings show that Ultravox were, if not pioneers, early masters of the electro-pop sound, but a band that focused more on song craft and mood-scapes than dance grooves.