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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Treasure Trove, 18 Nov 2009
Last summer I saw Ultravox on a festival over here. I didn't think Midge Ure was in particularly great vocal shape then, but the electronic landscapes he and his bandmates created, transported me back to the early 80's, when I was really young and smitten by that arty esoteric sound. Concertopener Astradyne set the atmosphere of the show and Ultravox's greatest hits set (with the occasional albumtrack) confirmed that they really have an impressive body of work, despite some critics comments that the music hasn't stood the test of time. From Lament, the setlist contained One Small Day and of course Dancing With Tears In My Eyes.I'd loved to hear some more tracks of this album, which I consider as their strongest next to Vienna. This more than welcome re-issue is well worth the wait. The album itself can be heard in pristine sound quality on disc 1. Ultravox had reached its highest peak here in sheer versatility and songcraft. I really don't think there is a weak track in this collection of songs. You will hear full bodied rock but also folk- and world-influenced songs. Disc 2 is a treasure trove of 12 inch mixes, work-in-progress-mixes and (instrumental) B-sides. You can indulge in and choose between 3 different epic versions of One Small Day. On the contrary, the 10 minutes plus version of Dancing doesn't really work and never climaxes. The real gem however is the extended, solemn, elegiac version of the title track Lament. I heard it for the first time more than 20 years ago and it still moves me. Lament isn't a classic album like Vienna, but one that certainly merits to be rediscovered.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Vienna quartet's last hurrah, 8 Jun 2005
Lyrically and musically, this is Ultravox at their peak, IMHO. Midge Ure & Chris Cross finally put down some lyrics that make you think 'that's what I'm feeling too'. White China looks forward to the return of Hong Kong to China, One Small Day celebrates the little victories we all have, Dancing with Tears in my Eyes describes the terror a nuclear war would bring, whilst Lament moves with simplicity. Man Of Two Worlds is inspired by the rugged Scottish heartlands and the battles fought with the English. Heart of the Country speaks of betrayal by the motherland. When the Time Comes is a defiant end of a love affair lyric, whilst A Friend I Call Desire accurately moves through the affect of desire on a relationship. Musically Ultravox are on top form too; Midge blasts guitars and warm vocals all over this; Chris Cross plays some rivetting bass on guitar and synth, whilst Warren Cann's robotic tendencies of previous releases are softened, Billy Currie ices the cake with brilliant and subtle shades of synths; the quartet also employ some of the best sampling of the era (remember this was 1984!). the bonus material does not match the original eight songs, but the extended remix of One Small Day shows just how you radically take apart and reassemble a song. Extra bonus points: the quality of repackaging and remastering, Extreme Voice do a fantastic overhaul of the original dramatic sleeve, add lyrics and give the disc an imaginative use of 2 colour inks to re-create the Standing Stones.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A last hurrah, 16 Feb 2005
A stonking album and the last decent one that Ultravox mk 3 produced. 1984 saw a lot of changes in British music: the synth revolution had started to wane, provoking a backlash of (usually American) guitar bands. It was also the year Ultravox reached their creative and commercial pinnicle. Lament spawned no less than four singles, the lead one being One Small Day, an all-out rock song with severe guitar from Ure and Cann's towering drums well to the fore. The video was shot on by the remote Callanish standing stones in the Hebrides (that's them in the cover pic) and boy was it a cold day! Currie plays with no gloves on and looks frozen stiff! The whole album is very tight and well produced with tracks like Man Of Two Worlds and A Friend I Call Desire outstanding. Unfortunately, tensions within the band - typified by Currie and Cann not being invited to the Band Aid session - began to surface. Ure took time out in 1985 to record and release his debut solo album, The Gift, Cann was shown the door after over ten years in the band and they went on as an ill-advised trio, recording the awful U-Vox album in 86. Lament represents the end of an era. Currie reformed Ultravox with others later, Ure having quit in 87 and bassist Chris Cross retired to return his former vocation of psychotherapy. This is a band at the height of their powers. They were stunning and I loved them.
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