Disco de Ultravox: “Ha! Ha! Ha!”

180 degrees from the mascara wearing, Midge Ure fronted Ultravox, this album is an absolute paranoid masterpiece. Sounds like having a nasty glam hangover in a world gone to sh**. 100% relevant to this day.

This album, recorded with the band's original lead singer John Foxx, falls somewhere between punk and new wave. If you liked "Vienna," you may like it. If you like "Quartet," forget this one. But if you liked "Hiroshima Mon Amour," this is the album for you. It's got a lot harder edge to it than Ultravox's later work, and John Foxx's rougher vocals are more remiscent of Ian Curtis than of Midge Ure. But the album is one of the early ones that put Ultravox on the map, and it's a good one.

John Foxx's Ultravox is still one of my all time favorite groups. The first 3 albums with John were the best. This may be the best of the three. Sadly, not many people in the UK or America paid any attention to that at the time. Gary Numan who is a very modest and generous fellow was huge at the time. Numan even said something along the lines that he wished his music was as good as the John Foxx era Ultravox.

John Foxx and Ultravox broke up because their records were not selling and I beleive it caused them to owe the record company money. Gary Numan continued to rally for the cause and hired Billy Currie to play on a few Numan songs. Midge Ure and the band reformed and did some great work but the John Foxx era stuff was the best in my opinion.

While some of the tracks on "Ha! Ha! Ha!" may sound outright cheezy to some listeners, the album itself is interesting though it didn't sell well in it's time. Most of the songs sound like a blend of punk-rock and new wave genres. The tone of the album is raw, somewhat experimental, and rather rough and fast except for the occasional slow song. John Foxx's vocals are somewhat outtuned, but somehow, it enhances the listening experience of the album.

In my opinion, some highlight tracks on the album are "Rockwrok" and "Fear in the Western World" and the slow and perhaps most famous early Ultravox song "Hiroshima Mon Amour", a track free from Stevie Shear's guitar. Though many of the songs sound rather dated, they still maintain distinctiveness like it did over 20 years ago.

So far, I have to say that I do not see many flaws in the music itself (okay, it was a bit cheezy), but if you decide to get the album, do not expect some of the best packaging in the world (Yes, this refers to the CD). The album's jacket is very plain and the paper on mine has aged and faded when I just got it, this may not be the same case for you though.

Overall, this is a good album not only for fans of the early band, but for anyone looking for something more new wave, punk-ish, and retro to add to their collection of albums.

If this album had been released in 2009, Ultravox would be hailed as genius and they would be reveried as 'the next big thing.' Unbelievably, this album was all but ignored when it first came out; proof that Ultravox were simply light years ahead of their time. John Foxx must be one of the most underated lyricists of all time. From the frantic, adrenalin fuelled, hook laden power of album opener ROckWrok to the mystical, poetic beauty of Hiroshima Mon Amour, this album is a powerhouse of diversity, innovation and original songwriting; this is genuinely exciting music. The Man Who Dies Everday is full of eerie soundscapes and slow building atmospherics. The Artificial Life features some brilliant sub-bass sonics right at its conclusion and Distant Smile starts as a surreal, ambient ballad which suddenly bursts into full on rock. Every track is simply brimming with ideas and energy. The album comes with a wonderful black glossy sleeve; all the original artwork restored and a brilliant essay regarding the story behind the album complete with full lyrics. I cannot recommend this album too highly.