Entertainment For Lively Minds
Ultravox
Haven't read much interest in the Ultravox reunion on here. Went to see them last night and I was very impressed. Of course, they played nearly all the hits, but as a bit uneducated in the Ultavox dept, I was quite taken with their obvious Kraftwerk influences, as well as how well Midge Ure crossed it with his Celtic influences. And the drama side of the new romantic movement.
And I had no idea how good a multi - instrumentalist he is. Crowd loved it , and the band seemed genuinely moved by the reaction they got, as they mentioned they'd had doubts if anyone would actually be interested in turning up.
I always liked them, but as a typical fan who really only knows their hits - as many of us do when we attend gigs. I think I might scrape a bit deeper below the surface with them.
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Did he play this?
Midge Ure indeed!
I'm waiting for the Ultravox! reunion.
errr....
It's already happened... hence the posting :-)
It's all in the exclamation
Give me the John Foxx version any day. Vienna? It means nothing to me.
What's the (exclamation) point?
The original post was about Ultravox not Ultravox!.
IS
John Foxx involved?
Here's Midge
playing with Thin Lizzy. Also a co-write with Phil Lynott:
Whiskey In The Jar
Apparently Ure plays guitar on this live version of Whiskey In The Jar:
Could be - but not in 1980
Gary Moore walked out of the 1979 US tour a few dates in, so Midge Ure learned the songs and stood in.
As for Ultravox! (the
As for Ultravox! (the exclamation mark is crucial), never really got into them.
I think Gary Numan stole the best bits from John Foxx and made it a bit more accessible.
As for Slik, well nobody in the audience shouted out for it (or All Fall Down, or If I Was!), so I guess that will have to be a separate show..........................
..................that nobody would turn up for.
The exclamation mark
I never noticed that the name had subtly changed when John Foxx left!
Fair point
I guess the band members who went from Ultravox! to Ultravox know which side their bread is buttered on, so a ! reunion is pretty unlikely.
If I'm honest ! seem a bit patchy now, but I'd pay good money to hear Slow Motion being banged out at top volume.
Second (and third) album syndrome!
That 1st album is still a triumph. I've always felt that the next two albums are a bit patchy. I saw them live before I'd heard of them (supporting Eddie & the Hotrods - must have been an Island package) and they basically ran through the album about a month before it was released. They were so good I can still picture the gig but I can't remember anything of Eddie & The Hot Rods.
Anything goes where no-one knows your name
I just remembered they were also responsible for the glorious Young Savage... maybe I need to dig those records out!
well...
I seem to recall reading in the NME (because that was the only inky I subscribed to) that originally Roxy Music had a '!' on the end and they wanted to be like a punk Roxy Music!
the above is not my theory and when you consider, at the time, Baker was reviewing gigs for the NME that he wasn't at, well...
What a show!
Although a massive Ultravox fan (without the apostrophe), I never had the chance to see them live as I was a little too young to go to gigs when they split up.
So I was delighted to watch them this week for the first and (probably) last time. £30 for Cardiff's St David's Hall was outrageous, but as it's a one-off...
I'm pleased to report it was fantastic from start to finish. The atmosphere built slowly, with, as previously mentioned, a lot of Kraftwerk influences, before really kicking off with One Small Day about halfway through. From then on, it was ridiculously exciting, and I found myself grinning from ear with the sheer delight of seeing one of my favourite groups pulling off such a terrific night.
They had the audience in the palm of their hands, and rocked like maniacs (even though Chris Cross insisted on keeping one hand in his pocket while playing his keyboard). By the time they finished with a version of The Voice that threatened to blow the roof off, I thought the crowd was going to carry them shoulder-high around the streets of Cardiff.
Wonderful. Long may they reunite.
John Foxx version for me
too. Now that would have been something.
If he won't do it then they
If he won't do it
then they could always get Matt Horne to stand in for him
Rage In Eden
One of the first albums ever bought with my own hard earned. What was that 81/82?
The Voice and The Thin Wall. Very good.
Never liked Vienna or the John Foxx version though....
RiE
is an epic album, it still stands up today
Robin from the !
is apparently turning up at the Roundhouse gig later in the tour.
I'm going tonight to Hammersmith Odeon (I don't care what they call it, it's still that to me.) First ever gig in December 82 was Ultravox at Odeon, so it'll be a fun homecoming. I think I spent most of 82-84 at that venue one way or another...
John Foxx - Nicest man in show business
I saw ! 3 times in the 70's. When they played Portsmouth Polytechnic me and my friend were denied entry as we were under age. Git of a bouncer said that we should go home as there was no way we would get in.
The band returned from getting outside of a few pints, we explained the situation and John Foxx recognised me from a previous gig in Brighton. He put his arms round us and took us in as guests of the band - the sweetest way to enter a gig.
On the way out we waved to the bouncer, and can still see his face now.
No interest in the reformed version.
Can't wait
Am going to the Roundhouse.
My favourite group when I was in my early teens. Love the reissues, too.
The only bad point is that you can't really talk about the 'Ure Era' because it sounds like you're saying 'Urea'. That would never do.
Roundhouse gig tonight was awesome
and certainly reflected all the glowing comments already posted (and Midge still seems worried that people won't come).
As jonimac said at the start, Midge swaps instruments quite a bit and emerges as something of an 'axeman' - I never regarded 'The Thin Wall' as having a monster riff until this evening's version.
And yes, after an onslaught of electronic tracks, the back-to-basics, everyone-playing-actual-instruments rendition of 'One Small Day' tore the roof off.
I absolutely, unreservedly loved it.