Best of Ultravox: Sight and Sound

RELEASE
April 21, 2009
LABEL
EMI Music Distribution
GENRES
Pop/Rock, Contemporary Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Synth Pop, Post-Punk, New Romantic, New Wave, Alternative/Indie Rock, Dance-Rock, Punk/New Wave

Album Review

With the departure of John Foxx and the arrival of his replacement Midge Ure, Ultravox underwent a seismic shift in emphasis, signaled by more than the mere loss of their moniker's exclamation point. Having flirted with lush and lavish synthesized sounds on their third album, Systems of Romance, the band threw itself whole-heartedly into the burgeoning New Romantic movement. Beginning in June 1980, Ultravox began releasing a series of seminal singles pooling around alienation and dislocation, taking them into the U.K. singles chart for the first time and keeping them there until their dissolution in 1987. The group's themes became ever more grandiose -- "Vienna"'s crumbling Hapsburg empire, "Reap the Wild Wind"'s horrors and heroism of war, "The Voice" examining the fearsome pull of fascism, "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" spreading terror of nuclear annihilation. All are packed with images so vivid they remain engraved in the minds of anyone old enough to remember the '80s. But that's because one can't hear the songs today without their fabulous videos swirling into view. Best of Ultravox: Sight and Sound pairs a CD featuring all the Ure-led band's singles (along with a sole B-side, "White China") with a DVD of 14 of their hits and accompanying videos: "Vienna" defining the New Romantic genre and look, "Wild Wind" paying tribute to the RAF who saved Britain from the Nazi onslaught, and "Dancing" turning a three-minute warning into an epic homage of the life that mankind's leaders seemed set to destroy. A pair of live performances and a Top of the Pops appearance give potent reminders of the band at their early height. For those still drawn to the past and those curious to experience it for themselves, this two-disc set is unbeatable.
Dave Thompson, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. Sleepwalk
  2. Passing Strangers
  3. Vienna [Single Version]
  4. All Stood Still
  5. The Thin Wall [Single Version]
  6. The Voice [Single Version]
  7. Reap the Wild Wind
  8. Hymn [Single Version]
  9. Visions in Blue [Single Version]
  10. We Came to Dance [Single Version]
  11. One Small Day [Single Version]
  12. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [Single Version]
  13. Lament [Single Version]
  14. White China
  15. Love's Great Adventure
  16. Same Old Story [Single Version]
  17. All Fall Down
  18. All in One Day [Single Version]
  19. Sleepwalk [DVD][Live]
  20. Vienna [DVD][Live]
  21. Passing Strangers [DVD]
  22. Vienna [DVD][Version]
  23. All Stood Still [DVD][Version]
  24. The Thin Wall [DVD]
  25. The Voice [DVD]
  26. Reap the Wild Wind [DVD]
  27. Hymn [DVD]
  28. Visions in Blue [DVD][Version]
  29. We Came to Dance [DVD]
  30. One Small Day [DVD]
  31. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [DVD]
  32. Lament [DVD]
  33. Love's Great Adventure [DVD]
  34. Same Old Story [DVD]
  35. All Fall Down [DVD]