Ultravox - Rage in Eden

Genere: New Wave, New Romantics, Post Punk

Similar Artists: Yazoo, Japan, OMD

Recording Year: Disky, 1981.

Rejecting the abrasive guitars of their punk-era contemporaries in favor of lushly romantic synthesizers, Ultravox emerged as one of the primary influences on the British electro-pop movement of the early '80s. Formed in London in 1974, the group -- originally dubbed Ultravox! -- was led by vocalist and keyboardist John Foxx (born Dennis Leigh), whose interest in synths and cutting-edge technology began during his school years. With an initial lineup consisting of bassist Chris Cross, keyboardist/violinist Billy Currie, guitarist Steve Shears, and drummer Warren Cann, their obvious affection for the glam rock sound of David Bowie and Roxy Music brought them little respect from audiences caught up in the growing fervor of punk, but in 1977 Island Records signed the quintet anyway, with Brian Eno agreeing to produce the band's self-titled debut LP.

After scoring a minor U.K. hit with the single "My Sex," Ultravox returned later that year with Ha! Ha! Ha!; sales were minimal, however, and Shears soon exited, replaced by guitarist Robin Simon. A third LP, 1978's Systems of Romance, was recorded in Germany with renowned producer Conrad Plank, but it too failed commercially. Island soon dropped the band, at which time both Foxx and Simon quit, the former mounting a solo career and the latter joining Magazine. At that point the remaining members of Ultravox tapped singer/guitarist Midge Ure, an alumnus of Silk as well as Glen Matlock's Rich Kids; upon signing to Chrysalis, the new lineup recorded Vienna, scoring a surprise smash hit with the single "Sleepwalk," which reached the number two spot on the U.K. pop charts in 1981 and pushed the LP into the Top Five. The album's title track also fared well, peaking at number two on the charts and remaining there for several weeks.


After 1981's Rage in Eden, Ultravox teamed with legendary producer George Martin for 1983's Quartet; their most successful LP in the otherwise impenetrable American market, it launched the minor hit "Reap the Wild Wind." Upon completing 1984's Lament, Warren Cann left Ultravox to forge a solo career. The remaining members, after adding Big Country's Mark Brzezicki, resurfaced with U-Vox in 1986 before going their separate ways. Currie and Simon re-formed the band in 1993, adding vocalist Marcus O'Higgins; three years later, they released the lackluster Ingenuity with Sam Blue on lead vocals. The album marked the group's final studio release.

Following on from the success of Vienna, Ultravox cemented their position as a New Romantic phenomenon with their follow-up, 1981's Rage in Eden. The martial beats and political undertones of "The Thin Wall" single acted as a potent taster for the album, to be joined in the U.K. Top 20 by the even more powerful message of "The Voice." The latter song opened the album, but nothing that followed equaled its strength, its sequencing a flaw in an otherwise excellent set. That said, propulsive numbers like "We Stand Alone" and "I Remember (Death in the Afternoon)," the rebellious angst of "Accent on Youth," the exotic strains of "Stranger Within," and the haunting "Your Name Has Slipped My Mind Again" all contained their own power. And even if the instrumental "The Ascent" harkened back to "Vienna," it was obvious that with Eden, Ultravox was climbing to grand new heights.

Fields Of Haze.

Gary Numan - Replicas

Género /Gender: Synth pop, New wave, New romantic

Artistas similares / Similar Artist: Tubeway army, Ultravox, Dramatis

Año de grabación / Recording year: Beggars Banquet, 1979.



Gary Numan (Gary Anthony James Webb) es un cantante y compositor británico, pionero del synth pop y el electropop.

La carrera musical de Gary Numan empieza a mediados de la década de los 70 cuando forma una banda punk llamada Mean Street, con quien toca en diversas giras (parte de una de ellas se puede hallar en el compilado en vivo Live At The Vortex, cuyo espectáculo se llevó a cabo en un lugar de presentaciones llamado Vortex). Luego ingresa a la también banda punk The Lasers (de Londres), donde se desampeñaba como guitarrista y donde conoce al bajista Paul Gardiner.

Después de dejar The Lasers, forma junto con Gardiner su propio grupo: Tubeway Army. Después de grabar un primer álbum más próximo al punk, fueron contratados por el sello discográfico independiente Beggars Banquet Records en 1978 y rápidamente lanzó dos sencillos, ninguno de los cuales entró en las listas de éxitos. Ese mismo año, el que es considerado álbum de debut, del mismo nombre que la banda y en esencia de estilo New Wave, agota su primera tirada limitada e introduce la fascinación de Numan por la ciencia ficción distópica y, lo que sería más importante, los sintetizadores. Hasta ese momento desconocidos, Tubeway Army se colocan lo más alto en las listas de éxitos inglesas en 1979 con el sencillo Are friends Electric?, y el álbum que lo contiene, Replicas, sube simultáneamente al número uno.

Con la realización del segundo álbum, 'Replicas' Newman fue el punto focal y lider del grupo electro punk. El nuevo género se vió ampliamente respaldado en Inglaterra. El grupo hizo un gran esfuerzo por permanecer con la misma linea y sonido que se escuchó en su primera producción de 1978, el sonido de guitarras distorsionadas producido por sintetizadores Moog así como un look de Newman muy cercano a la era espacial, fueron sus cartas de presentación.



Gary Numan (Gary Anthony James Webb) is a British singer and pioneering composer of synth Pop and Electropop.

His musical career begins in the middle of the 70's when forms a punk band called -Mean Street-, with they he made several tours (part of them can be found in the compilation -Live at The Vortex-). Soon enters into the punk band called The Lasers (of London), where played the guitar and meet the bassist Paul Gardiner.

After leaving The Lasers, it forms with Gardiner his own group -Tubeway Army-. After recording their first album next to the punk, they were contracted by the independent seal Beggars Banquet Records in 1978 and quickly take out two singles, none of which entered into the lists. That same year, the one that is considered their debut album, the same name of the band and in essence in a New Wave style, exhausts his first limited distance and introduces the fascination of Numan by distopic science fiction and, which would be more important, the synthetizers. Until that moment the unknown, Tubeway Army reach the highest positions in the lists of England in 1979 with the single -Are friends Electric?- , and the album that contains it, -Replicas-, reach at the same time the number one.

By the release of their second album, Replicas, Gary Numan was the undisputed focal point and leader of icy electro-punkers Tubeway Army. And the move proved to be massively successful back home in the U.K., where both the album and the single "Are 'Friends' Electric?" topped the charts. The band had made a conscious effort to streamline the sound heard on its 1978 self-titled debut -- the distorted guitar riffs were played on Moog synthesizers instead, and Numan had perfected his faux-space-age persona.