Ultravox Album: “Rage in Eden”

On 'Rage In Eden' Ultravox I feel truly transcended themselves, producing an album that was majestic, haunting, melodramatic, dissonant, trippy, and at times so cold and distant as to be almost inhuman.

Fans of the John Foxx fronted Ultravox of the 70s often accuse the Midge Ure era of being too commercial and pop deriative. While their following albums validate that cirticism, I don't see how it can apply to 'Rage In Eden.' This album transcends EVERYTHING John Foxx did with the group, and while the album sometimes comes dangerously close to being overdone and pretentious, it still holds itself together remarkably. Imagine if Edgar Allen Poe had his poetry put to music by a colloboration of Enigma and Jim Steinman, then melded together with lush synthesizers, and its my best effort of describing the sound and atmosphere of this album.

Top Cuts are definately 'The Voice', powerful and majestic, 'We Stand Alone' which sounds like an apocalyptic anthem and 'I Remember' which is seething, haunting but incredibly catchy. I Also love 'The Thin Wall' powerful, eery and wagnerian and the title track which is very experimental and sounds a blueprint for Enigma and Delirium.

It's hard to describe this album, other than to say atmospheric, haunting, VERY CATCHY, in an odd kinda way. I couldn't reccomend this album more.

WOW ... When I heard 'Rage In Eden' in the early 80's it knocked me out!!

What a sound... new, powerful, beautiful, rich and unique.

Ultravox (and its off-shoots Visage / and the New Romantics in general) represented the essence of the word 'Euro'.

Clearly influnenced by the cold machinery of Kraftwerk and the cool boldness of Bowie, Ultravox carved out a style of their own.

Midge Ure is a master of the hook. The song constructions and melodies are of first-class attraction. He sings with the concentrated power of a Gene Pitney and deliveres a song with 'heart-felt' soul sincerity like Scott Walker.

Just as the 60's sound sculptures were The Beatles, Stones and Motown; the 70's Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd and Bowie; the 80's belonged to U2, Tears for Fears and Ultravox.

I just wish Ultravox stayed around a little longer and that Americans would have embraced them more.

This is easily Ultravox' most haunting cd, and it contains the most underrated track by the group, Rage In Eden. Listening to this album, you are quickly whisked into an ethereal dreamscape, full of haunting, atmospheric synth and layered guitars to match. Nobody could blend synth and guitars like Ultravox. Too bad modern music lacks the same flavor. At some point somebody decided that synth was not the way to go in rock. They didn't bother asking me. Oh, well. At least we have the old stuff.

This is my favorite synthesizer album of the 80s, and one of my favorite albums of the entire New Wave. It's dark, chilly, haunting, exciting, and, yes, probably does have some of the most pretentious lyrics ever pressed to vinyl. I listen to it on CD these days, and I still hear new sounds, new rhythms, that I didn't hear on the LP I bought in 1982.

you can't listen to this album until you have heard "VIENNA". they truly set a standard for "synth-rok". "RAGE IN EDEN" is an excellent sequel. all songs are great. check out "stranger within", "rage in eden", "the voice', "the thin wall", & "i remember(death in the afternoon). extra bonus on this cd is the inclusion of "paths and angles" (from "the voice" 12" single/b-side) warren cann was very under-rated. billy currie is most creative. check out "VISAGE", & ultravox's "QUARTET"