(2020) Ultravox – Vienna [Deluxe Edition]


Review:
…new 5-disc box has 66 tracks, 44 of which are previously unreleased recordings or mixes. CDs 1-5 present the original 1980 album production master, a new stereo mix by Steven Wilson, A-sides, B-sides, and live tracks, as well as previously unreleased cassette rehearsals and a newly mixed concert from St. Albans in 1980..
With the departure of vocalist John Foxx and guitarist Robin Simon behind them, Vienna kicked off Ultravox’s second phase with former Rich Kids vocalist Midge Ure at the helm. Trading Foxx’s glam rock stance for Ure’s aristocratic delivery, Vienna recasts the band as a melodramatic synth pop chamber ensemble with most of the group doubling on traditional string quartet instruments and the synthesizers often serving to emulate an orchestra. It was a bold move that took awhile to pay off (the first two singles, “Sleepwalk” and “Passing Strangers,” went unnoticed), but when the monolithic title track was released, the Ure lineup became the band’s most identifiable one almost overnight. The simple and instantly recognizable drumbeat of “Vienna” proved infectious, taking the single to the top of the charts in the U.K. and making an impression in a new wave-apprehensive America. Drummer Warren Cann’s monotone narration on “Mr X” and the frantic ride that is “Western Promise” give the album just enough diversity and showcase the rest of the group on an Ure-heavy album. There are plenty of pretentious and pompous moments at which Foxx-era purists cringe, but taken as a snooty rebellion against the guitar-heavy climate of the late ’70s, they’re ignorable. Returning producer Conny Plank’s style adapted well to the new group, pitting the stark and the lush against one another. Add Anton Corbijn’s photography and Peter Saville’s smart cover design and all the ingredients for an early-’80s classic are there. A few albums later, it would all seem like a fluke, but on Vienna, all the pieces come together.





Tracklist:

CD1: Vienna [Original 1980 Analog Master]
01. Astradyne
02. New Europeans
03. Private Lives
04. Passing Strangers
05. Sleepwalk
06. Mr. X
07. Western Promise
08. Vienna
09. All Stood Still

CD2: Vienna [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
01. Astradyne
02. New Europeans
03. Private Lives
04. Passing Strangers
05. Sleepwalk
06. Mr. X
07. Western Promise
08. Vienna
09. All Stood Still
10. Waiting
11. Passionate Reply
12. Alles Klar
13. Herr X

CD3: Rarities: Singles/B-Sides/Live
01. Sleepwalk [Early Version]
02. Waiting
03. Face To Face [Live in St Albans 16/8/1980]
04. King’s Lead Hat [Live at The Lyceum 17/8/1980]
05. Vienna [Single Version]
06. Passionate Reply
07. Herr X
08. All Stood Still [Single Version]
09. Alles Klar
10. Keep Talking [Cassette Recording During Rehearsals]
11. All Stood Still [12” Mix]
12. Sleepwalk [Soundcheck, The Lyceum 17/8/1980]
13. All Stood Still [Soundcheck, The Lyceum 17/8/1980]
14. Vienna [Live Video Version, St Albans City Hall 16/8/80]
15. Sleepwalk [Live Video Version, St Albans City Hall 16/8/80]

CD4: Cassette Recordings During Rehearsals 1979/80
01. Astradyne
02. New Europeans (Instrumental)
03. Private Lives (Instrumental)
04. Passing Strangers (Instrumental 1)
05. Sleepwalk (Version 1)
06. Mr. X
07. Western Promise
08. Vienna
09. All Stood Still (Instrumental 1)
10. Sound On Sound
11. Animal
12. Sleepwalk (Version 2)
13. Sound On Sound (Instrumental)
14. Passing Strangers (Instrumental 2)
15. All Stood Still (Instrumental 2)

CD5: Live in St. Albans 1980 (2020 Mix)
01. Astradyne
02. New Europeans
03. Passing Strangers
04. Quiet Men
05. Face To Face
06. Mr. X
07. Western Promise
08. Vienna
09. Slow Motion
10. Hiroshima Mon Amour
11. All Stood Still
12. Sleepwalk
13. Private Lives
14. King’s Lead Hat

Media Report:
Genre: new wave, synth-pop
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits