Ultravox (formerly Ultravox!) was one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic movement, although it both pre- and post-dated New Romantic by several years, drawing inspiration variously from punk, the artier side of glam rock, and latterly straightforward synthpop. Image File history File links Ultravox-vienlogo. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the  United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... New Wave is a term that has been used to describe many developments in music, but is most commonly associated with a movement in Western popular music, in the late 1970s and early 1980s inspired by the punk rock movement. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Island Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group and is operated through The Island Def Jam Music Group. ... The EMI Group (LSE: EMI) is a British music company comprising of the major record company EMI Music which operates several labels, based in Brook Green in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based on Charing Cross Road, London. ... PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. ... Album photograph from In Mysterious Ways John Foxx is the stage name of English musician Dennis Leigh. ... Chris Cross (born Christopher Allen, on July 14, 1952 in Hampstead, North-west London, England) was the bass guitarist in the band Ultravox until their final demise in 1986. ... Billy Currie (born William Lee Currie on April 1, 1950 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England) is a musician known for keyboard, synthesizer, and violin work, primarily with the band Ultravox. ... Warren Cann was a member of the group Ultravoxand was responsible for writing most of the Vienna album. ... Midge Ure OBE (born James Ure on October 10, 1953 in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland) is a rock and roll guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Scotland, who had particular success in the 1970s and 1980s. ... Sam Blue (born Sam Blewitt) [1] is an English hard rock singer who has part of the bands Emerson, Axis, L. A. Secrets, Paul Samsons Empire, Ya Ya, Ultravox, GTS, and Burns Blue. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... David Bowie as Glam superstar Ziggy Stardust on the cover of his 1973 Album Aladdin Sane Glam rock (also known as glitter rock), is a style of rock and roll music, which initially surfaced in the post-Hippie early 1970s. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Biography

The band was formed in 1973 on the initiative of vocalist, songwriter and keyboardist John Foxx (born Dennis Leigh). Originally known as Tiger Lily, the first lineup included Foxx plus Chris Cross (bass guitar), Billy Currie (keyboards/violins), Stevie Shears (guitar) and Warren Cann (percussion). The group released one single in 1974, a cover of "Ain't Misbehavin'", before changing their name to Ultravox!. (The exclamation point was a reference to krautrock band Neu!, produced by Conny Plank, who later produced some Ultravox albums.) On the strength of their live act, they signed to Island Records in 1976, releasing their eponymous debut album in February 1977. Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ... Album photograph from In Mysterious Ways John Foxx is the stage name of English musician Dennis Leigh. ... Chris Cross (born Christopher Allen, on July 14, 1952 in Hampstead, North-west London, England) was the bass guitarist in the band Ultravox until their final demise in 1986. ... Billy Currie (born William Lee Currie on April 1, 1950 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England) is a musician known for keyboard, synthesizer, and violin work, primarily with the band Ultravox. ... Warren Cann was a member of the group Ultravoxand was responsible for writing most of the Vienna album. ... Aint Misbehavin is a 1929 song written by Fats Waller with Harry Brooks and Andy Razaf. ... Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s. ... Neu! (the German word for new, pronounced noy) were a German band, probably the archetypal example of what the UK music press at the time dubbed Krautrock. ... Konrad Conny Plank (frequently spelled Planck) (born about 1943 in Austria, died December 18, 1987 in Cologne) was a record producer. ... Island Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group and is operated through The Island Def Jam Music Group. ... The songs on the Ultravox!, self-titled, album, released 1 March 1977, owe a lot to the visions of American writers William S. Burroughs and Phillip K. Dick but this was consciously music made by and for English. ...

In common with many other bands which would go on to form Britain's punk and New Wave movements, Ultravox! drew inspiration from the art-school side of glam rock, from bands such as Roxy Music and The New York Dolls, plus David Bowie and Brian Eno's early pop albums. Their eponymous debut album was co-produced by Eno (whose next job after these sessions was working with Bowie on his Low album) and Steve Lillywhite. Sales were disappointing, and neither the album nor the associated single "Dangerous Rhythm" managed to enter the UK charts. Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... New Wave is a term that has been used to describe many developments in music, but is most commonly associated with a movement in Western popular music, in the late 1970s and early 1980s inspired by the punk rock movement. ... David Bowie as Glam superstar Ziggy Stardust on the cover of his 1973 Album Aladdin Sane Glam rock (also known as glitter rock), is a style of rock and roll music, which initially surfaced in the post-Hippie early 1970s. ... Roxy Music are an English art rock group founded in the early 1970s by art school graduate Bryan Ferry (vocals and keyboards). ... The New York Dolls were a glam rock band in the 1970s that prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era. ... David Bowie (IPA: []) (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer. ... Brian Eno (pronounced ) (born Brian Peter George St. ... Steve Lillywhite (born in 1955) is a well-known Grammy Award winning English music producer. ...

Ultravox returned later in 1977 with the punkier Ha!-Ha!-Ha!, although sales of both the album and its lead single "ROckwrok" - which, despite a chorus featuring the lines "Come on, let's tangle in the dark / fuck like a dog, bite like a shark", was played on BBC Radio 1 - were still unimpressive, again failing to chart. Stevie Shears left the band to form the new band Faith Global. Although Ha!-Ha!-Ha! was dominated by guitars and electric violin, the final track, "Hiroshima Mon Amour", was a prototypical synthpop song. It remains a critical and fan favourite of the group's early incarnation, and was performed by the group on the Old Grey Whistle Test. During 1978 the group quietly dropped the exclamation mark, becoming simply Ultravox. Ha!-Ha!-Ha! was the second album by British pop group Ultravox, at that time formally known as Ultravox!, with an exclamation mark. ... For any of the numerous radio stations with the name Radio 1, see Radio 1 (disambiguation) BBC Radio 1 is a British radio station operated by the BBC, specialising in popular music aimed at the 14-26 age bracket. ... Hiroshima Mon Amour, Alain Resnais acclaimed film, was released in the USA in 1960, and was called The Birth of a Nation of the French New Wave (nouvelle vague) by critic Leonard Maltin, because of its importance to the innovations of the movement. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from September 1971 until 1987. ...

Their third album, 1978's Systems of Romance, was recorded under the ear of Conny Plank at his studio in rural Germany and featured new guitarist Robin Simon. It also failed commercially and Island dropped the band. John Foxx left to pursue a solo career whilst Robin Simon left to join the band Magazine. Musically, the album was similar to Ultravox's subsequent work, bringing synthesisers to the forefront of the group's sound. Island released a compilation of highlights from the group's first three albums in 1979, Three Into One, which was until the mid-1990s the most widespread of Ultravox's early releases. Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Systems of Romance, released in 1978, is the third album by British band Ultravox (an exclamation mark having been dropped from the moniker earlier in the year). ... Konrad Conny Plank (frequently spelled Planck) (born about 1943 in Austria, died December 18, 1987 in Cologne) was a record producer. ... Magazine were an English rock group active from 1977 to 1981. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Ultravox's most-recognised lineup, formed 1979, from left: Warren Cann, Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Chris Cross.

Midge Ure, an already accomplished musician, asked to join the band. He had achieved minor success with semi-glam outfit Slik and Glen Matlock's more punk-inspired The Rich Kids, although in 1979 he was temporarily playing with hard rock band Thin Lizzy. Midge Ure and Billy Currie had met in the Visage project, a band fronted by Steve Strange. Midge therefore replaced John Foxx for their next album, which would become their most successful to date; as with Systems of Romance, it was produced in Germany by Conny Plank. Image File history File links Ultravox-Midge-lineup. ... Image File history File links Ultravox-Midge-lineup. ... Warren Cann was a member of the group Ultravoxand was responsible for writing most of the Vienna album. ... Midge Ure OBE (born James Ure on October 10, 1953 in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland) is a rock and roll guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Scotland, who had particular success in the 1970s and 1980s. ... Billy Currie (born William Lee Currie on April 1, 1950 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England) is a musician known for keyboard, synthesizer, and violin work, primarily with the band Ultravox. ... Chris Cross (born Christopher Allen, on July 14, 1952 in Hampstead, North-west London, England) was the bass guitarist in the band Ultravox until their final demise in 1986. ... Midge Ure OBE (born James Ure on October 10, 1953 in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland) is a rock and roll guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Scotland, who had particular success in the 1970s and 1980s. ... Slik were a Scottish pop band of the mid-70s, following in the footsteps of the Bay City Rollers. ... Glen Matlock (born August 27, 1956 in West London, England) was the original bass guitarist of punk rock band the Sex Pistols. ... The Rich Kids were a short-lived, much-hyped rock and roll band from London in the late 1970s. ... Thin Lizzy are a hard rock band who formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969. ... Visage was a New Romantic band that began life in 1978 in the London, England nightclub Billys. ... Steve Strange (born Steven John Harrington on May 28, 1959) is a British singer and pop icon, best remembered as an influential party promoter and as the frontman and lead singer for Visage. ...

Called Vienna, the album was released on Chrysalis Records, achieving a substantial hit with the title track (inspired by Carol Reed's The Third Man), which was accompanied with a distinctive video. It topped out at number two (Joe Dolce's "Shaddap You Face" infamously kept it from the top spot) on the UK Top 40 in 1981. The album reached number three, and was soon followed by Rage in Eden (1981), the band returning to Conny Plank's studio for what turned out to be a difficult recording session.^{[citation needed]} Original tracklisting from UK first release All songs written by Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Chris Cross and Warren Cann. ... Sir Carol Reed (30 December 1906 – 25 April 1976) was an English film director, winner of an Academy Award for his film version of the musical, Oliver! (1968). ... film noir. ... Joe Dolce Joe Dolce (, originally pronounced ; born 1947 in Painesville, Ohio) is an American-born, Australian-resident singer/songwriter who achieved fame with the song Shaddap You Face, recorded under the name Joe Dolce Music Theatre. ... The song Shaddap You Face, was written and performed by Joe Dolce also known as the Joe Dolce Music Theatre, and went to Number 1 on the Australian pop charts in 1980. ... Rage in Eden, released in 1981, is the fifth album by British band Ultravox, and the second of the bands most-recognizable incarnation, fronted by Midge Ure. ...

Ultravox teamed up with legendary producer George Martin for 1982's Quartet, which became their most successful album in the USA. Midge Ure co-wrote and helped produce the 1984 Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?". The group appeared at Live Aid. Sir George Henry Martin CBE (born 3 January 1926 in Highbury, London, England) is sometimes referred to as the fifth Beatle—a title that he owes to his work as producer of almost all of The Beatles records. ... Quartet, released in 1982, is the sixth album by British band Ultravox, and the third of the bands most-recognizable incarnation, fronted by Midge Ure. ... Cover art for the original release of Do They Know Its Christmas? – artist Peter Blake Band Aid was a British and Irish charity supergroup, founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in order to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the record Do They... Cover art for the original Do They Know Its Christmas? release – artist Peter Blake Do They Know Its Christmas? is a song written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 specifically to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief. ... Ethiopia, as its borders were in 1985. ...

1984's successful Lament (including the international hit "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes") was the last to feature the "classic" line-up. Warren Cann was asked to leave Ultravox at the beginning of sessions for their U-Vox LP in 1986.^{[citation needed]} After that album's mediocre performance in the charts Ure decided to leave, prompting Cross to do the same. Billy Currie and Robin Simon reunited in 1989 as the short-lived Humania, performing live shows but never making a release until 2006, when Billy released a Humania-recorded album, Sinews of the Soul. Billy reformed Ultravox again in 1992 with Tony Fenelle to record Revelation, and later Sam Blue replaced Tony, lending his voice to their final release, Ingenuity (1996). Lament is an album by Ultravox, released in 1984. ... Dancing With Tears In My Eyes is the second single from Lament, Ultravoxs fourth studio album with Midge Ure, peaking at #3 in the UK charts in 1984. ... U-Vox is an album by Ultravox, released in 1986. ... Sam Blue (born Sam Blewitt) [1] is an English hard rock singer who has part of the bands Emerson, Axis, L. A. Secrets, Paul Samsons Empire, Ya Ya, Ultravox, GTS, and Burns Blue. ...

Discography

Studio albums

• Ultravox! (1977)
• Ha!-Ha!-Ha! (1977)
• Systems of Romance (1978)
• Vienna (1980) [#3 UK]
• Rage in Eden (1981) [#4 UK]
• Quartet (1982) [#6 UK]
• Lament (1984) [#8 UK / #115 US]
• U-Vox (1986) [#9 UK]
• Revelation (1993)
• Ingenuity (1996)

The songs on the Ultravox!, self-titled, album, released 1 March 1977, owe a lot to the visions of American writers William S. Burroughs and Phillip K. Dick but this was consciously music made by and for English. ... Ha!-Ha!-Ha! was the second album by British pop group Ultravox, at that time formally known as Ultravox!, with an exclamation mark. ... Systems of Romance, released in 1978, is the third album by British band Ultravox (an exclamation mark having been dropped from the moniker earlier in the year). ... Original tracklisting from UK first release All songs written by Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Chris Cross and Warren Cann. ... Rage in Eden, released in 1981, is the fifth album by British band Ultravox, and the second of the bands most-recognizable incarnation, fronted by Midge Ure. ... Quartet, released in 1982, is the sixth album by British band Ultravox, and the third of the bands most-recognizable incarnation, fronted by Midge Ure. ... Lament is an album by Ultravox, released in 1984. ... U-Vox is an album by Ultravox, released in 1986. ...

Live albums

• Live In Concert 1981 (1981)
• Monument (1983) [#9 UK]
• Future Picture (1995)

Monument, released in 1983, is the soundtrack to the live video of the British band Ultravox from their 1983 tour, recorded in Hammersmith Odeon. ...

Compilations

• Three Into One (1979)
• The Collection (1984) [#2 UK]
• Slow Motion (1993)
• Rare Volume 1 (1993)
• Rare Volume 2 (1994)
• The Voice: The Best of Ultravox (1997)
• Dancing With Tears in My Eyes (1997)
• Extended Ultravox (1998)
• The Island Years (1999)
• The Very Best of Midge Ure & Ultravox (2001)
• Ultravox & Midge Ure - Finest (2004)

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Dancing With Tears In My Eyes is a 1997 Ultravox compilation covering their output with Midge Ure, from 1980 to 1987. ... Extended Ultravox is an Ultravox compilation comprised of 12 extended versions of various Ultravox singles from the years 1980-1986 (the period with Midge Ure as frontman). ...

EPs

• Retro Live EP (1978)

Singles

• "Dangerous Rhythm" (1977)
• "Young Savage" (1977)
• "ROckwrok" (1977)
• "Slow Motion" (1978)
• "Quiet Men" (1978)
• "Sleepwalk" (1980) [#29 UK]
• "Passing Strangers" (1980) [#57 UK]
• "Vienna" (1981) [#2 UK / #11 AUS]
• "Slow Motion/Quiet Men/Dislocation/Hiroshima Mon Amour" (1981, Double Single Re-issue)
• "All Stood Still" (1981) [#8 UK]
• "The Thin Wall" (1981) [#14 UK / #95 AUS]
• "The Voice" (1981) [#16 UK]
• "Reap The Wild Wind" (1982) [#12 UK] [#69 AUS in 1983]
• "Hymn" (1982) [#11 UK]
• "Visions in Blue" (1983) [#15 UK]
• "We Came To Dance" (1983) [#18 UK]
• "One Small Day" (1984) [#27 UK]
• "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" (1984) [#3 UK / #58 AUS]
• "Lament" (1984) [#22 UK]
• "Heart Of The Country" (1984)
• "Love's Great Adventure" (1984) [#12 UK]
• "Same Old Story" (1986) [#31 UK / #93 AUS]
• "All Fall Down" (1986) [#30 UK]
• "All In One Day" (1987) [#88 UK]
• "Vienna 92" (1992)
• "I Am Alive" (1992)
• "Vienna" (1993, Re-issue) [#13 UK]

Sleepwalk is Ultravoxs first single from the bands fourth album and the first with Midge Ure as frontman, released on Chrysalis Records on June 16, 1980. ... Passing Strangers is Ultravoxs second single from the bands first album with Midge Ure, released on Chrysalis Records on October 15, 1980. ... Vienna was Ultravoxs third single, coming from their fourth album of the same name (and the first under Midge Ures leadership). ... All Stood Still is Ultravoxs fourth and final single from Vienna, the bands first album with Midge Ure, released on Chrysalis Records on May 26, 1981. ... The Thin Wall is Ultravoxs first single from the Rage in Eden album, recorded in Conny Plank’s Studio in Cologne, Germany and released on Chrysalis Records on August 14, 1981. ... The Voice is Ultravoxs second single from the Rage in Eden album, recorded in Conny Plank’s Studio in Cologne, Germany and released on October 29, 1981. ... Reap the Wild Wind is a serialized story written by Thelma Strabel in 1940 for The Saturday Evening Post. ... Hymn was a 1982 monster hit single from Ultravoxs 6th studio album Quartet (4th studio album recorded with singer Midge Ure) that reached #11 on the UK Top 40 singles chart. ... Visions in Blue is Ultravoxs third single from the Quartet album, recorded in Air Studios, London and released on Chrysalis Records on March 11, 1983. ... We Came To Dance is the final single from Ultravoxs sixth studio album Quartet (the fourth studio album recorded with singer Midge Ure), recorded in Air Studios, London and released on Chrysalis Records on April 18, 1983. ... One Small Day is the first single from Ultravoxs fourth studio album with Midge Ure, Lament, released on the 26th of January 1984. ... Dancing With Tears In My Eyes is the second single from Lament, Ultravoxs fourth studio album with Midge Ure, peaking at #3 in the UK charts in 1984. ... Lament is the third single from Ultravoxs fourth studio album with Midge Ure, also titled Lament, released on the 21st of June 1984. ... Heart Of The Country is the fourth and final single from Ultravoxs 1984 studio album Lament, released only in Germany in September 1984. ... Loves Great Adventure is a stand-alone single released by Ultravox on the 12th October 1984, peaking at #12 in the UK charts. ... Same Old Story is the first single from Ultravoxs 1986 album U-Vox, released on September 26th, 1986. ... All Fall Down is the second single from Ultravoxs 1986 album U-Vox, released on November 19th, 1986. ... All In One Day is the final single from Ultravoxs 1986 album U-Vox, released on June 8th, 1987. ...

External links

• Ultravox's website
• Torque Point - An Ultravox Forum And Fan Site
• Listings of all Ultravox songs