Customer Reviews

Lament

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this album on vinyl in 1985. The album is a work of pure art. Mid-eighties guitar-based electronic with complex weaved sub-melodies worked into the main themes of each song. I strongly recommend listening through headphones to truly capture the left and right channel isolation within each song. As with all Ultravox offerings, they were on the cutting edge of their time. The listening experience reflects a treat for the listener that I am sorry to say reflects a listener-based attention that has not been approached since the time period in which this album was released. Everything from the chord progression to the left/right diametrics lead to a fully satisfying listening experience. I can count on one hand the number of albums (or bands) that pay this much attention to their work. I liked this album when i bought it. After 4 or 5 listens I grew to love it. After 2 years of owning and listening to it, I grew to worship it. To this day, I find new stuff hidden that I never heard before.

THE Ultravox's album to have if you can only chose one . One of the best new wave records from the 80's . Dancing With Tears In My Eyes , White China , When The Time Comes are absolutely brilliant examples of what electronics can do combined with unique vocals by Midge Ure . The title track - Lament , which is my personal all time favorite will make you want to listen to it again and again and again . Man Of Two Worlds and The Heart Of The Country will show you that not all electropop is impersonal and cold . To make a long story short : don't miss out , get the album and enjoy this pearl from U-Vox !!!

This being the fourth from the amazing new wave band Ultravox is a great new wave/synth pop/pop album. They scored three hits with the tracks 'Lament', 'One Small Day' & 'Dancing With Tears In My Eyes'. I love the sounds selected on this album and this is quite important for electronic music as picking the wrong sound can ruin an otherwise excellent song. This is an album not to be missed. I highly recommend it and easily give it 5 out of 5 stars.

The only thing that prevents me from giving this one 5 stars is that the other 3 great Ultravox records prior to this deserve 5 stars due to their consistency and creativity. Other than that, I find this one nicely listenable and danceable. I really like "White China" and "Desire". The bonus tracks on the EMI Gold edition of "White China", "One Day" and "Lament" are perfect. With this clean & crisp Ultravox disk, the New Romantic era of pop music had offered its last tasty meal. As a matter of fact, this might have been that last great 80's record. I can count the number of decent 80's records after 1984 on my fingers. Overall, if you like danceable European travel music, you will enjoy this record.

Ultravox expand on their trademark distant European synthesizer song by absorbing elements of World and Celtic mythology. Frontman "Midge" Ure makes reference to the spirits and stone monuments of his Scottish heritage in "Man of Two Worlds", and bares a lovelorn soul in "A Friend I Call Desire" and "When the Time Comes". This release also features one of Ultravox's final hits, the apocalypse-themed "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes". You'll find a more personal, more human Ultravox here...a thoroughly enjoyable set for the U-Vox fan.

I do not know who tagged Gary Numan onto Ultravox but the person should be ashamed.

Midge Ure's vocalizations are nothing like Numan's. Allegedly Ure was pegged to become the Sex Pistol's lead singer but turned down the spot joining with Ultravox. Overnight Ultravox went from a punk rock band (led by their previous singer John Foxx) to a band built around Midge Ure's smooth superb vocalizations. Few males can achieve achieve Ure's vocal range, certainly not Gary Numan.

Do not expect to hear any type of punk music. Instead I would compare Ultravox to New Order's sound. The difference being a smoother mixture of classical music and modern sounds. Due to Ure's voice it was possible for Ultravox to explore rhythms and sounds other bands could never acheive. IMO, the finest male singer in our generation and not many people know of him.

You will hear rhythms coming onto the track and leaving only to return once again similar to Mike Oldfield's style. I strongly believe this was the future of music but was abandoned by american producers for the Mickey Mouse Club dancers. They didn't have anything else as grunge died away.

Where will music go? Stay with hip-hop? Not likely. It will seek out where it left off and continue onward. It will find Ultravox's sound just as the reader is doing. If you like New Order, or DePeche Mode you will like Ultravox. They are fingers on the same hand. Seperate and different yet coherently attached to one another. This band is a very strong recommend for true music lovers.

Another GREAT reissue supervised by their Fan Club.The packaging is simple, but clean & beautiful.This disc includes the classics "White China", "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes", "Lament" & more...Also includes 12"s & B-sides, you can't go wrong

1. White China 3.51
2. One Small Day 4.33
3. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes 4.40
4. Lament 4.40
5. Man of Two Worlds 4.28
6. Heart of the Country 5.06
7. When the Time Comes 4.56
8. A Friend I Call Desire 5.09

Love tracks 1,2,3,4 & 6 the best, White China could have been a single. A excellent collection of music. I highly recommend getting this one.

Bonus CD

1. One Small Day (Special Re-Mix) 7.48
2. Easterly 3.48 [B-side One Small Day]
3. Lament (Extended Mix) 8.01
4. One Small Day (Special Re-mix Extra) 8.31
5. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes (Special Re-Mix) 10.00
6. Building 3.11 [B-side Dancing with Tears in My Eyes]
7. White China (Special Mix) 8.22
8. Heart of the Country (instrumental) 4.24 [B-side Lament]
9. One Small Day (Final Mix) 7.35 [from bonus 12" with 'The Collection' LP]
10. A Friend I Call Desire (Work in progress mix) [previously unreleased]
11. Lament (Work in progress mix) [previously unreleased]

Really good but where is the US remix 12 inch versions of tracks 4 & 5. Oh well, I have them already in digital form but thought they might have put those on here and possibly eliminated tracks 10 & 11. Still a excellent bonus CD.
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While I was in the military in the 80's, I was drawn to this kind
of music. It is indeed different from my from of music, which is R&B and jazz. And when I heard the lyrics and different synth sounds, I was addicted. I've traveled around the world three times to listen to this extra-ordinary music. Ultravox is indeed one of the rare groups that have challenged the music world as being creative and unique.

Quite like this--back in the '80s, I had several Ultravox albums and 12" singles (remember those?) but not this one for some odd reason. When the remastered editions of their back catalog came out, I purchased "Lament" along with some albums I'd owned on vinyl or cassette and this one actually ended up being my favorite. Good songs, excellent use of synths and traditional instruments, plus some bonus tracks (the 2 instrumental versions aren't super necessary, but the extended mixes remind me of dance floors in my distant past, in a good way) "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes" indeed!