Ultravox - The Collection (1985)

"COLLECTION" WEEK (JUNE 4-10, 2012)

Over a 14 year span (1980-1993), this New Wave band reached the Top 40 seventeen times in their native UK. However, they never reached the Top 40 in the US, having only one single breaking the Hot 100 (Reap The Wild Wind peaked at #71 on April 30, 1983). So, while their presence in the US was nearly nonexistent, those of us that were on the periphery of the whole electronic scene in the early '80s eventually discovered this band.

This compilation only covers the years 1980-1985, focusing on the band's most recognizable incarnation, fronted by Midge Ure. However, since those are the years I was listening to this band, that's fine with me. The music is very synth-based and usually in moody minor keys with Ure's haunting voice or Billy Currie's electric violin taking center stage. Curiously, this electronic band used a drum machine only occasionally. While I enjoy Ultravox's music, I usually only like it in small doses - 6 or 7 songs and I'm ready to move on to something else.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: My favorite tracks come from the 1982 Quartet album (Hymn, Reap The Wild Wind, We Came To Dance) and the 1980 album, Vienna (the title track, Sleepwalk, and All Stood Still). Not coincidentally, those are the two Ultravox albums I owned as LPs back in high school. Also good is The Voice and One Small Day. Weaker cuts include Passing Strangers and Lament.

	Year	UK	US
Dancing With Tears In My Eyes	1984	3	108
Hymn	1982	11	-
The Thin Wall	1981	14	-
The Voice	1981	16	-
Vienna	1981	2	-
Passing Strangers	1980	57	-
Sleepwalk	1980	29	-
Reap The Wild Wind	1982	12	71
All Stood Still	1981	8	-
Visions In Blue	1983	15	-
We Came To Dance	1983	18	-
One Small Day	1984	27	-
Love's Great Adventure	1984	12	-
Lament	1984	22	-

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Even though it wasn't released as a single, I wish they had included Mr. X from the Vienna album. That creepy song fascinated me as a 16 year old wannabe Waver. Now it just amuses me.

In high school, I earned spending money by working at Burger King. As I was cleaning the kitchen one night after closing, Reap The Wild Wind came on the radio. Naturally, I sang along. After that, my co-workers called me "Punk Rock." I'm sure they still wouldn't get the difference between Ultravox and punk music, but I still enjoy that story because I remember them calling me that nickname without any sense of irony.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Extended: A Collection of 12" Remixes (1998)