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Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was their 1981 hit "
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
". From 1974 until 1979, singer John Foxx was frontman and the main driving force behind Ultravox. Foxx left the band in March 1979 to embark on a solo career. Midge Ure took over as lead singer, guitarist and frontman after he and keyboardist Billy Currie worked on the studio project Visage. Ure revitalised the band and steered it to commercial chart success lasting until 1987, at which time the group disbanded. A new line-up, led by Currie, was formed in 1992, but achieved limited success with two albums failing to chart and one solitary single reaching 90 in the UK Singles Chart. The band's best-known line-up of Currie, Ure, bassist Chris Cross and drummer Warren Cann re-formed in 2008 and performed a series of shows in 2009 and 2010 before releasing a new studio album, '' Brill!ant'', in May 2012 which reached 21 in the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
. In November 2013, Ultravox performed as special guests on a four-date UK arena tour with
Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977, becoming best known internationally for their song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 ...
. These shows proved to be Ultravox's last, as in 2017 both Currie and Ure indicated that Ultravox had run its course.


History


Early years – Tiger Lily: 1974–1976

The band was formed in April 1974 on the initiative of vocalist and songwriter Dennis Leigh, a then
Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...
student, and was originally known as Tiger Lily. An initial but incomplete line-up comprised Leigh plus Chris Allen who was then billed as Chris St. John (bass guitar) and
Stevie Shears Stevie Shears (born 1954/1955) is an English musician known for playing in the rock bands Tiger Lily and Ultravox! (later Ultravox), as well as being part of the bands Faith Global and Cowboys International. Biography Tiger Lily and Ultravox ...
(guitar), with Warren Cann (drums) and Billy Currie (violin) joining in May and October 1974 respectively. The group released one single in 1975, " Ain't Misbehavin'", a cover of the
Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz piano. A widely popular star ...
song, which featured in a soft porn film. Later, the band went through a series of name changes including The Zips, Fire of London, London Soundtrack, and The Damned, using this last name for a few weeks before discovering that the Damned had already taken it.


Experimental years: 1976–1979


''Ultravox!''

On the strength of their live act, the band signed to
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
in 1976. The group had still not finalised their band name, wanting to make a good and lasting choice. In October 1976, while working on the late stages of their debut album, the band conceived the name “Ultravox!” (the exclamation mark was a reference to
krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...
band
Neu! Neu! (; German for "New!"; styled in block capitals) were a West German krautrock band formed in Düsseldorf in 1971 by Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother following their departure from Kraftwerk. The group's albums were produced by Conny Plank, w ...
, produced by
Conny Plank Konrad "Conny" Plank (3 May 1940 – 5 December 1987) was a German record producer and musician. He is known for his innovative work as a sound engineer and producer in Germany's krautrock and kosmische music scene in the 1970s. Plank was involv ...
, who later produced three Ultravox albums). At the same time, Leigh chose John Foxx and Allen chose Chris Cross as their respective stage names. In February 1977, Island released their eponymous debut album, '' Ultravox!''. Like many other bands that formed Britain's
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
and new wave movements, Ultravox! drew inspiration from the art-school side of
glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...
. Musically, Ultravox! were heavily influenced by
Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry (lead vocals/keyboards/principal songwriter) and Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson (bass). By the time the band recorded their Roxy Music (album), first albu ...
, the
New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...
,
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
and
Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...
. Their debut was co-produced by
Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite (born 15 March 1955) is an English record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts The Alarm ...
and
Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...
(who next co-wrote and performed with Bowie on '' Low''). '' Ultravox!'''s sales were disappointing, and neither the album nor the associated single "Dangerous Rhythm" managed to enter the UK charts. Relations within the band were on an occasionally tenuous footing during this time as Foxx declared that he intended to live without emotions, a sentiment he wrote into the début album track "I Want to Be a Machine". Ultravox! returned later in 1977 with the punkier '' Ha! Ha! Ha!''. Sales of both the album and its lead single, " ROckWrok", were poor, both failing to register on the UK charts. "ROckWrok" had a punk-lyric chorus, with the words "Come on, let's tangle in the dark/Fuck like a dog, bite like a shark". (Despite this, it got airplay on
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
.) Although '' Ha! Ha! Ha!'' was dominated by guitars and
electric violin An electric violin is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound. The term most properly refers to an instrument intentionally made to be electrified with built-in pickups, usually with a solid body. It can also refer to a violin fi ...
, the final track, "Hiroshima Mon Amour", was a prototypical
synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...
song. One of the first tracks by a British band to feature a drum machine (a Roland Rhythm 77 (TR-77) with preset patterns) and a tenor
saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...
solo played by "c.c." of the band Gloria Mundi. “Hiroshima Mon Amour” signalled a new direction for Ultravox. The energy, anger and popular appeal of punk was fading in 1978, and the more creative UK punk genre talent sought new directions—calling themselves British new wave instead of
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
artists. "Hiroshima Mon Amour" remains a critics' and fans' favourite from the group's initial period. Ultravox! also performed it on ''
The Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music series broadcast by the BBC. It was devised by producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough, and aired on BBC2 from ...
'' later in 1978.


''Systems of Romance'' and split with John Foxx

In early March 1978, Stevie Shears, whose style of guitar playing was considered a limiting factor, was sacked from the band after they toured England and joined Cowboys International in 1980. He was replaced by Robert Simon (ex-member of Ian North's Neo), who during his first days with the band changed his performance-name to Robin Simon. Some time in 1978, the group also dropped the exclamation mark, becoming simply "Ultravox". The new line-up performed live at the
Reading Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading, Berkshire, Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend ...
along with
Radio Stars Radio Stars are an English punk rock band formed in early 1977. They released two albums and had one UK Singles Chart, UK Top 40 single. Career Radio Stars were formed by Sparks (band), Sparks exile Martin Gordon (bass, songwriter) and also i ...
, Penetration,
Sham 69 Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They changed their musical direction after seeing the Sex Pistols play live in early 1976. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, ac ...
, the Pirates and
the Jam The Jam were an English rock band formed in 1972 in Woking, Surrey, consisting of Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler. They released 18 consecutive top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in ...
, playing early versions of "Slow Motion" and "Quiet Men" on 27 August 1978. Their third album, 1978's '' Systems of Romance'', was recorded with producer
Conny Plank Konrad "Conny" Plank (3 May 1940 – 5 December 1987) was a German record producer and musician. He is known for his innovative work as a sound engineer and producer in Germany's krautrock and kosmische music scene in the 1970s. Plank was involv ...
(the producer of the first four albums by German electronic outfit
Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...
) and engineer Dave Hutchins at Plank's Studio in rural Germany. Musically, the album was markedly different from Ultravox's earlier work, bringing synthesisers to the forefront of the group's sound. Frustrated by too many opinions of how the band should sound, Foxx decided to leave the band and pursue a purer electronic style already at the initial rehearsals for ''Systems of Romance'', but had to await the band's commitments for that album. Despite some positive reviews and initial sales of over 25 000 copies, Island dropped the band on 31 December 1978. Ultravox embarked on a self-financed US tour in early 1979 and, to their amazement, received an enthusiastic response by the American audience at several sold out venues. But after their final gig near San Francisco in March 1979, Foxx declared his intention to leave the band and pursue a solo career. He gave the remaining members the band name and returned to London. According to Warren Cann it was a mutual decision between the band and Foxx to part ways after repeated quarrels. Simon remained in the US and briefly joined The Futants, a punk band from New York. He later returned to England and teamed up with
Howard Devoto Howard Devoto (born Howard Andrew Trafford, 15 March 1952) is an English singer and songwriter, who began his career as the frontman for punk rock band Buzzcocks, but then left to form Magazine, an early post-punk band. After Magazine, he went ...
to replace guitarist John McGeoch in the band
Magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
. The remaining members made their way back to a Britain in the midst of the
Winter of Discontent The Winter of Discontent was the period between late September 1978 and February 1979 in the United Kingdom characterised by widespread strikes by private, and later public sector trade unions demanding pay rises greater than the limits Prime ...
.
Island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
dropped the three Ultravox albums from its catalogue, and released a compilation of highlights from the group's first three albums in 1980, called '' Three into One''. Foxx subsequently signed to Virgin Records and released his album '' Metamatic'' in January 1980. By this time, Billy Currie had been recruited by the rising star
Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the New wave music, new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two st ...
in 1979 to do a performance at ''
The Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music series broadcast by the BBC. It was devised by producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough, and aired on BBC2 from ...
'' show with his band
Tubeway Army Tubeway Army were a London-based new wave music, new wave band led by lead singer Gary Numan. Formed at the height of punk rock in 1977, the band gradually changed to an electronic music, electronic sound. They were the first band of the elect ...
. Numan had been a fan of Ultravox and Currie was also asked to play on Numan's début solo album, '' The Pleasure Principle'', and its subsequent tour. Warren Cann went to work for Zaine Griff, while Chris Cross did some shows with
James Honeyman-Scott James Honeyman-Scott (4 November 1956 – 16 June 1982) was an English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band the Pretenders. Honeyman-Scott established a reputation, in the words of AllMusic, as "one of the most original a ...
(of
The Pretenders The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (ba ...
) and Barrie Masters (from Eddie and the Hot Rods).


Midge Ure years: 1979–1987

With the band seemingly over, Ultravox were then revitalised by Midge Ure, who joined the band as vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist. He had already achieved minor success with semi-glam outfit Slik and
Glen Matlock Glen Matlock (born 27 August 1956) is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only offic ...
's The Rich Kids, and in 1979, he was temporarily playing with hard rock band
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. The band initially consisted of bass guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon although Wr ...
on their American tour, replacing
Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career, he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, Heavy metal music, heavy ...
. Ure and Billy Currie had met while collaborating on Visage, a studio-based band fronted by
New Romantic New Romantic was an underground subculture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the nightclub scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy's and The Blitz. The New Romantic mo ...
icon and nightclub impresario Steve Strange. Ure and Currie were part of the Visage ensemble on a part-time basis while simultaneously being in Ultravox. During Ure and Currie's tenure, Visage had released two successful albums and had a string of hit singles (the most notable being " Fade to Grey"), but Ure decided to leave in 1982 to concentrate solely on Ultravox. Currie remained with Visage for a while longer, but he too had left them by 1984. Encouraged by Visage drummer and mutual friend Rusty Egan, Currie asked Ure to join Ultravox. The first material for a prospective new Ultravox record came together quickly and the group decided to tour the US again at the end of 1979. They did so in the hope of being picked up by an American label. Ure knew of Ultravox's past, being a fan of ''Systems'' to the point where the new four-piece outfit (Ultravox mk. III) played songs from that album with Ure singing Foxx's lyrics. Most of the album that would become ''Vienna'' was ready to record by the time Ultravox signed a new record deal with
Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British independent record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ell ...
. ''
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
'', heralded a major change of direction and would become their most successful to date, far surpassing any of the previous Ultravox (or Foxx) albums. As with ''Systems of Romance'', it was produced by Conny Plank. Released in July 1980, the ''Vienna'' album produced the band's first UK Top 40 hit with " Sleepwalk" reaching No. 29, while the album itself initially peaked at No. 14. A second single, " Passing Strangers", failed to reach the Top 40, only reaching No. 57, but the band achieved a substantial hit with the third single, the album's
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...
. Accompanied by a highly distinctive video (inspired by
Carol Reed Sir Carol Reed (30 December 1906 – 25 April 1976) was an English film director and producer, best known for '' Odd Man Out'' (1947), '' The Fallen Idol'' (1948), '' The Third Man'' (1949), and '' Oliver!'' (1968), for which he was awarded th ...
's 1949 film ''
The Third Man ''The Third Man'' is a 1949 film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and starring Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, Alida Valli as Anna Schmidt, Orson Welles as Harry Lime and Trevor Howard as Major Calloway. Set in post-Worl ...
''), the single became Ultravox's biggest ever hit, released in January 1981 and peaking at Number 2 (kept off the top spot by John Lennon's "Woman" and then Joe Dolce's " Shaddap You Face"). On the strength of the single, the album then re-entered the chart and reached No. 3 in early 1981. A fourth single from the album, " All Stood Still", peaked at No. 8. in 1981, and "
Slow Motion Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slow-mo or slo-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use ...
" from ''Systems of Romance'' was also re-issued, reaching No. 33 the same year. This was soon followed by '' Rage in Eden'' (1981), with the band returning to Plank's studio in Cologne for what turned out to be a difficult recording session. Whereas the ''Vienna'' material had been performed live a great deal prior to a three-week recording process, ''Rage in Eden'' took over three months. The album featured a long track in three parts on the second side. The album peaked at No. 4 in the UK, while two singles from the album, " The Thin Wall" and " The Voice", both made the UK Top 20, reaching No. 14 and No. 16 respectively. Ultravox teamed up with producer
George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...
for 1982's ''
Quartet In music, a quartet (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations of four instruments in chamber music is the string quartet. String quar ...
'', which peaked at No. 6 in the UK and contained four Top 20 hit singles; "
Reap the Wild Wind ''Reap the Wild Wind'' is a 1942 American adventure film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, and Paulette Goddard, with a supporting cast featuring Raymond Massey, Robert Preston (actor), Robert Pres ...
" reaching No. 12 and "
Hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...
" No. 11 both in 1982, and " Visions in Blue" and in 1983 " We Came to Dance" charting at No. 15 and No. 18 respectively. It was their most successful album in the US, peaking at No. 61. The band undertook a major world tour, the Monument Tour, which was recorded and released as a live LP and video in 1983, which also reached the UK top ten. Ultravox then decided to produce their next album themselves. 1984's ''
Lament A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about something ...
'' continued the band's run of top ten albums and produced three top 40 hit singles, including the international hit " Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" (UK No. 3), "
Lament A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about something ...
" (No. 22) and " One Small Day" peaking at No. 27. After the "Set Movements Tour" in 1984, a "greatest hits" compilation spanning the band's 1980s output was released entitled '' The Collection''. It was preceded by a new single, " Love's Great Adventure", which enjoyed radio airplay late that year and eventually peaked at No. 12 in the UK, accompanied by a popular
Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...
-style spoof video. ''The Collection'' went triple Platinum and reached No. 2 in the UK albums chart, the band's highest ever peak. In November 1984, Ure also co-wrote and produced the Band Aid single "
Do They Know It's Christmas? "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup assembled by Geldof and Ure consisting of pop ...
". The four Ultravox-members took a long break from each other, but appeared at
Live Aid Live Aid was a two-venue benefit concert and music-based fundraising initiative held on Saturday, 13 July 1985. The event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a m ...
the following year and played four of their hit singles ("Reap the Wild Wind", "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes", " One Small Day" and "Vienna"). Last time they were touring in 1984 they had twenty-two keyboards on stage, and the sound checks alone took five hours, so Ultravox actually chose the songs that they could perform with the least equipment, with no rehearsal and no sound check. With Ultravox being switched in the running order so that
Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...
could see the Boomtown Rats before leaving
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
, the start of the Ultravox set was lost to a poor hand-over from an over-running foreign link up. As the concert was never officially archived, this could not be restored to the partial record of the event available on the official DVD. Later in 1985, Ure scored a No. 1 solo hit with "If I Was" and his solo album '' The Gift'' reached No. 2 in the UK. During the time Midge was away working with his solo album and tour, Cann, Currie and Cross recorded demos to a forthcoming album. They recorded the track "Ukraine" which is available on Currie's 1991 solo album ''Stand up and Walk''. Ure later said that when he came back they were all working in different directions. In a band meeting before the new recording began in 1986, Warren Cann was dismissed from the band due to musical differences. Ure said 1986: "After the two year break the differences that might have been very small two years ago, had magnified during that time, we had grown apart. It seemed like we could not work with him." Ultravox recorded the '' U-Vox'' album with
Big Country Big Country are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although they have retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music inc ...
's Mark Brzezicki on drums in Plank's studio in Germany. The ''U-Vox'' album, released in October 1986, was later described by Ure as "unfocused". Although it continued their string of top ten albums in the UK, its singles showed declining chart results: " Same Old Story" peaking at No. 31, and " All Fall Down" at No. 30 in 1986, with " All in One Day" reaching only No. 88 in 1987. In 1987, Ultravox decided not to continue after the ''U-Vox'' tour and split up. Currie signed a deal with
IRS Records I.R.S. Records was a major American record label founded by Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave music, n ...
and recorded a solo album. Cross retired from the music business to become a psychotherapist. Cann later moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
to work in the movie business. Currie and Robin Simon reunited in 1989 as the short-lived Humania, performing live shows, but never making a release until 2006, the album ''Sinews of the Soul''.


Currie's own Ultravox: 1992–1996

Without any other original members, Currie reformed Ultravox again in 1992 with vocalist Tony Fenelle to record ''
Revelation Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religion, knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and t ...
'', and later Sam Blue replaced Fenelle in a new five-piece Ultravox line-up, lending his voice to another release, '' Ingenuity'' released November 1994. This line-up also released the live album ''Future Picture'' recorded in Italy 1993. These albums had little commercial success and the band dissolved again in 1996. In 2006, about the attempt to continue Ultravox, Currie said: "It wasn't a good idea but, in retrospect, it's always easy to say that."


Reunion: 2008–2013

In September 2008, both ''Vienna'' and ''Rage in Eden'' were released in digitally remastered two-disc format with the second disc containing previously unreleased material. On 2 October 2008 Midge Ure and Billy Currie met again and played an acoustic "Vienna" together, on Geoff Lloyd Show on
Absolute Radio Absolute Radio is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts nationally across the UK via digital audio broadcasting. The station focuses on alternative ...
in
Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...
. After this they got an offer from
Live Nation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American multinational Entertainment industry, entertainment company that was founded in 2010 following the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of Live Nation (events promoter), Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It ...
, who their former manager Chris O’Donnell was now working for. On 6 November 2008 the official announcement came: Warren Cann, Chris Cross, Billy Currie and Midge Ure reformed Ultravox again, for a 15-date UK tour in April 2009, entitled "Return to Eden". This would be the first time the classic line-up of the band had performed together since
Live Aid Live Aid was a two-venue benefit concert and music-based fundraising initiative held on Saturday, 13 July 1985. The event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a m ...
in 1985. The first show was played at Edinburgh Playhouse 10 April 2009. On Jonathan Ross's show on BBC's Radio 2 on 21 February 2009, Ure discussed the tour, with all four members of the most successful incarnation of the band on board. He mentioned that this reunion was not planned in light of the previously mentioned events, but rather was spontaneous and happened very quickly with the band members talking and communicating online (using email and Skype). The interview did not reveal whether or not new material would be recorded as a result of the reunion tour. Speaking to the ''Sunday Mail'', Ure stated that the reunion was only a one-off, and there would be no new material from the group. He said: "We're not trying to recapture our youth and won't be writing new songs or recording another album. This is about celebrating our music and our anniversary." ''Quartet'' and ''Monument'' were released in February 2009, also in two-disc editions. The second disc in the ''Monument'' package is a DVD containing the concert video that was previously only available on VHS tape. The other Chrysalis-era releases were planned for similar future releases. Since success from touring the UK they have extended the tour to Germany and Belgium. A live CD and DVD of Ultravox's sell-out Roundhouse show was released on 5 April 2010. The DVD features a documentary filmed on the build-up to and during the reunion tour, parts of it filmed by Midge Ure. Ultravox returned to performing live with their Return to Eden II tour in Europe during 2010. In August they played four shows in Sweden together with Howard Jones and Alphaville. It was on this tour the band members decided that they should record some new material again. On 20 January 2011, via their official website, Ultravox.org.uk, the band announced that a new studio album was nearing completion. In 2011 Ultravox released a fan store exclusive EP called ''Moments from Eden'', featured four new live tracks recorded 23 April 2010 at Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg, and 24 April 2010 at Admiralspalast, Berlin. Ultravox's 11th studio album, '' Brilliant'', was released on 28 May 2012. Following this release the band embarked on the 'Brilliant Tour' performing shows across the UK and Europe in late 2012. On 30 November 2013, Ultravox performed their last show at
The O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as The O2, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of The O2 entertainment district on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London, England. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the third-highest seat ...
in London, as special guests on a four date UK arena tour with
Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977, becoming best known internationally for their song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 ...
. On 4 January 2017, Billy Currie announced on his official website that he had decided that his time as a member of Ultravox had come to an end after 43 years. In December 2017, Midge Ure said in an interview with the ''
Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...
'' that a further reformation by the band was unlikely. Bassist Chris Cross died on 25 March 2024; his death was confirmed by Midge Ure on 1 April.


Legacy

Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the New wave music, new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two st ...
has stated that the original 1970s-era Ultravox was the most important influence on his music. Ultravox was also a major influence on early
Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977, becoming best known internationally for their song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 ...
and
Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...
. Along with acts like Visage and Gary Numan, Ultravox was one of the early influences on
techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...
. In his book ''Energy Flash'', Simon Reynolds quotes Adam Lee Miller of Adult (band), Adult: "I always get a kick when people say the first 'techno' record was Cybotron (American band), Cybotron's 'Alleys of Your Mind'... To me, it was just a new wave record. It sounds particularly close to 'Mr X' by Ultravox."


Band members

; Classic line-up * Chris Cross – bass, synthesisers, backing vocals (1974–1987, 2008–2013; died 2024) * Warren Cann – drums, electronic percussion, drum programming, synthesizers, backing and occasional lead vocals (1974–1986, 2008–2013) * Billy Currie – synthesisers, keyboards, violin, viola (1974–1987, 1992–1996, 2008–2013) * Midge Ure – lead vocals, guitars, synthesisers (1979–1987, 2008–2013) ; Former members * John Foxx – lead vocals (1974–1979) *
Stevie Shears Stevie Shears (born 1954/1955) is an English musician known for playing in the rock bands Tiger Lily and Ultravox! (later Ultravox), as well as being part of the bands Faith Global and Cowboys International. Biography Tiger Lily and Ultravox ...
– guitar (1974–1978) * Robin Simon – guitar, backing vocals (1978–1979) * Tony Fenelle – lead vocals, guitar (1992–1993) * Sam Blue – lead vocals (1994–1996) * Vinny Burns – guitar (1994–1996) * Tony Holmes – drums, percussion (1994–1996) * Gary Williams – bass (1994–1996)


Lineups


Timeline


Discography


Studio albums

* '' Ultravox!'' (1977) * '' Ha! Ha! Ha!'' (1977) * '' Systems of Romance'' (1978) * ''
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
'' (1980) * '' Rage in Eden'' (1981) * ''
Quartet In music, a quartet (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations of four instruments in chamber music is the string quartet. String quar ...
'' (1982) * ''
Lament A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about something ...
'' (1984) * '' U-Vox'' (1986) * ''
Revelation Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religion, knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and t ...
'' (1993) * '' Ingenuity'' (1994) * '' Brill!ant'' (2012)


References


External links

* *
The Story
" Warren Cann interviewed by Jonas Wårstad. Gives a detailed history of the band.

* * {{Authority control Ultravox, Musical groups established in 1973 Musical groups disestablished in 1988 Musical groups reestablished in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 1996 Musical groups reestablished in 2008 English art rock groups English electronic music groups English new wave musical groups English synth-pop groups Electronic music groups from London English synth-pop new wave groups Scottish Gaelic bands Second British Invasion artists Island Records artists Chrysalis Records artists Articles which contain graphical timelines 1973 establishments in England 2013 disestablishments in England