Ultravox Album: “Collection”

Those of us who are Ultravox fans and were during the 80s obviously will rate this album at the top (as bar 2 exceptions) all the songs on it were UK Top 30 hits for the group.

Ultravox were in the forefront of the New Romantic movement in the early 80s (especially once Midge Ure and Billy Curie joined the band). As a reaction against punk, New Romanticism was more about melody, the musical expression and the electronic media that had started to become fashionable at that time, and less about rebelling and defying convention. Ultravox are probably one of the finest exponents of the genre.

Ultravox became known with the song Vienna (which at the time boasted the most expensive video ever made). It's an opera in three minutes. From a commerical point of view the group never reached the same heights with the later tracks although their musical skill and style continued to develop.

The two earliest songs (Sleepwalk and Passing Strangers) are quite weak in comparison to the later works and really are not worthy of this CD. The rest are works of art. Personal favourites include 'Reap The Wild Wind' and the incredibly haunting 'Visions In Blue'.

For somebody who knows little or nothing about Ultravox this is the best place to start. If you don't like this then don't go any further.

If you find yourself drawn in then I suggest you buy the four albums from which these songs are drawn. In order of release they are Vienna, Rage in Eden, Quartet and Lament. On these albums you'll find more to enjoy from one of the 80s best bands.

To put it bluntly, I have had friends start laughing when I play this cd in the car with them. I don't care, and do you want to know why? Music is fun, and it can take you to places and moods that are difficult to revisit otherwise. I didn't grow up on the 80's music, and neither did my friends. I was waking up to music when grunge hit, when we were oh so serious in our melancholy. What I love now about the "older" stuff is how experimental it all was; you have to admit these bands were enjoying themselves by making new and unusual sounds with increasingly untraditional instruments. So, if you think you can handle the dip into that strange period in popular history, what better band than Ultravox? They were their own group, and their sound had its impact on other bands of the era, not to mention the teenagers who are now all grown up and contributing to the industry. One of my favorite artists right now is Moby, and he listened to Ultravox. I love every song on this cd; the ideas in the lyrics are well versed, and the tunes are undeniably catchy. When the bug hits to listen to one of them, that cd stays in the player for at least a couple weeks! Be forewarned, this is typical 80's stuff, and most people either love it or can't stand it.

I think one thing that everyone seems to forget is the power of Midge Ure's voice. Just listen to Ultravox doing Vienna from Live Aid with no dress rehearsal and you will know what I mean. A little known fact is that Midge's voice was held in such high esteem that it was used as the example to follow at one of the premier musical schools in NYC. The students were told to listen to Vienna and learn from it, in effect telling them that this was the perfection they should strive for. I should know because I was there. And as hard as we tried no one had the range or the strength to match Midge. The school was the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

The Collection puts together the best that Ultravox was. Each song is tremendous in its own right. Ultravox was a cohesive bunch, always pushing the envelope. And it is true that after John Foxx left Ultravox seemed to pull together becoming a tighter unit then before. This new Ultravox breathed life back into music and created, while not excitement, music to make you think. Depeche Mode tried their best to be Ultravox but couldn't reach that high. All this comes to light on The Collection. If you want a taste of music that time forgot and wish to join a very select group of fans pick this up. And listen close to Midge, you could learn alot.

Ultravox was the logical extention of electronic and progressive music set to 80's dance. Their work with producer/collaborator Conny Plank and to a degree George Martin validates their impact.

Unfortunately that impact wasn't seen much in the U.S. A greatest hits package makes sense on one level, they did release several singles that charted well in their native U.K and Europe but Ultravox was an album band which makes a collection difficult.

Thankfully The Collection picks most of their important songs from the second lineup of the band. Songs like Lament, Hymn and The Voice might not seem hits from the 80's but they are strong tracks that extended progressive elements at a time when anything progressive was considered passe.

Besides the electronic meets rock aspect of the band Ultravox also uses acoustic instrumentation in their exploration of genres.

Ultravox ranged from smart dance grooves to eerie dirges to pop and managed to maintain their sound. A vastly underrated band and a great collection of their music for the uninitiated.

One of the best of it's kind. Vienna, One Small Day, Reap the Wild Wind - These are 3 of the greatest songs of the decade and they still hold their own today.