The Golden Section Tour/The Omnidelic Exotour

The Quiet Men also pops up on CD 2, which is a 'live' (no evidence of an audience) recording from the Subterranean Omnidelic Exotour in 1997. I believe this was released as a limited edition vinyl, but us poor mortals can now enjoy it on CD! It starts with some lovely reworks of 4 tracks from the Metamatic days, slightly less stark than the originals (I prefer the new versions). Then we get Hiroshima Mon Amour from Ha Ha Ha (Ultravox 2nd album). Lovely but alas missing the haunting sax from the original. As well as The Quiet Men (quite different from the version on CD 1) come Just For A Moment and Dislocation from Ultravox 3 - not the best tracks but then we already heard those on CD 1.

The cd continues with 4 of the best tracks from The Shifting City, including the fabulous An Ocean We Can Breathe - this is as good as anything he has ever done - before closing with Endlessly (from the Golden Section). Although this is a gorgeous track in its own right I felt its boppy disco feel didn't really fit with what had gone before.

But that's a tiny gripe about a fabulous album. Buy it if you're serious about this man's music. If you've never heard him before then this is a pretty good place to start given that you get 2 cds for the price.

I had a fantastic time. The place was not packed (this was Hitchin after all, do you know where that is?), but some real Foxx die hards had turned up including me, looking especially uncool thanks to wooly vest to keep out the cold on the cycle ride. I was down at the front/centre for this, armed with my camera (how did they allow me in??)

I can recall the atmosphere of the place vividly. It was a fantastic session. I also went to the Dominion gig, and was at the front again at the Lyceum! This CD is truly etched in my memory, and is a true representation of this very important (for me) gig series. I'm surprised at the track selection though, as two really good tracks on the playlist those nights are missing in my view. One was Twighlights Last Gleaming - haunting and atmospheric; and also Like a Miracle. Your Dress was the encore if I remember correcty, but it is right not to make it here.

On this CD you will find some technically good recordings of the Gigs. I suspect, though, that you will gain nothing from them unless you were there! They sound more dated than their album counterparts thanks to the use of some cliche'd '80's bass lines. It is how I remember the gigs, but not how I cherish the originals. If John Foxx were to do the same tour now it would be different (he'd use drum'n'bass lines), I'd enjoy it as much, but it still wouldn't be the original.

No other concert series sticks in my memory as much as this concert series, with the possible exception of Fields of the Nephilim (chalk and cheese!). If you were there, buy this, I know you will want to and you won't be disappointed (save the reduced track listing). If you weren't there, GBP13 is not so expensive to get a taste of John Foxx's prime period, but be warned that it doesn't come close to the album material!