Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Riding Intercity trains dressed in European Grey, 26 Jun 2006
The previous reviewer stated his favourite albums as Kraftwerk's TEE, Reproduction and Thomas Leer/Robert Rental's The Bridge. What a star! I thought I was alone. Ha Ha Ha is not as polished as Systems of Romance but it has its moments. You will find parts of it extremely harsh on the ears and maybe the production could have been a little smoother. However there are some fantastic futurist minutes here, listen to the intro to Artificial Life, it sums up the mood in three repeated notes, a little like Interferon with guitars. Lyrically, Dennis Leigh aka John Foxx is a genius. Futurism came no better, and good as Replicas was, Foxx added romance to the decay, alienation and fear that was the subject of much brilliant music from 1977-1980. This period in music could never be repeated and Ha Ha Ha! is very much part of it. Buy it!
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a masterpiece released in a topnotch edition, 18 Aug 2006
I was 16 in 77 , never heard of Ultravox! then but I was about to discover them! (donot forget the !) with "Systems of Romance" the following year. Hooked by the originality and the commercial aspect of "Quiet men", I looked then for the predecessors "HA!HA!HA!" and the self named album.
Listening to "HA!(3x)"was at this time a strange experience: hearing a distorted violin,screaaaming guitars from hell,strange keyboard noises all this on punky rythmns.Jumping from hypnotic "we are the robots" beats, to atmospheric peaceful waves, immediately after perverted by the stongest guitaristic distortion ever heard then ,untill the top of the album the orgasmic "Hiroshima Mon amour",all that was a thrilling experience.This CD is a not only one of the foundation stones of the new wave, but of the whole alternative music since 30 years. If you want originality, there you have to go...and above this Island managed to include some undiscovered jewels like young savage studio and live, quirks,another version of Hiroshima Mon Amour,everything with a remastered crystal sound ...a mesmerizing experience. What do you wait for: BUY!!!!!!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AT LONG LAST!!!, 23 May 2006
I'm not one to usually inflict my views on others but I couldn't help it this time. It's not every day that my favourite album gets dusted down and reissued. This along with a few choice others ( Human League's "Reproduction" , Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express" and Thomas Leer/Robert Rental's "The Bridge" to name just a few) was the blueprint for the electronic wave of artists that bridged Punk and what would now be referred to as Electronica.This is perfect hybrid stuff- wailing electronic violin /state of the art 1977 synthesisers/ jagged punk guitars and topped off with electronic music's most ethereal front man , John Foxx The ingredients shared here would, some 18 months later,be popularised by Gary Numan adding his own well crafted twist to proceedings.Buy it and be educated and while you're at it buy "Systems of Romance" and "Ultravox!"
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