Customer Reviews

Monument the Soundtrack (Exp)

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The band may be long gone, the cumbersome set only a painful blur in the roadies' memory and the Odeon a shadow of its' former self, but the thumping sound of the '82 tour lives on. It is fair to say that, whilst good, the clarity of the recordings does not quite match that produced on stage. That said, it is rather better than the numerous bootlegs circulating in London in the early '80s courtesy of 'Big Al'! Sadly, the chumpy chap failed to make the leap into the digital age and seems to have shut up shop for good. As befits a tour promoting the 'Quartet' album this live compilation boasts mainly tracks from that LP. It derives its' name, naturally enough, from the instrumental 'Monument' (the flip side of the single release of 'Hymn') which opened each show in the tour. Thankfully, the remainder of the tracks are rather more upbeat and still retain enough of the original verve and vigour of the stage show to transport old devotees back to the reassuringly drab surroundings of the Odeon. It hardly needs saying that 'Vienna' is included, it remains the defining moment in the bands' history (and many fans'associations with them). The finest moment in the live act, however, was none of the above. Virtually everyone who followed 'Ultravox' in concert got their greatest buzz from the thunderingly powerful rendition of 'The Voice'- nothing seemed to get the blood rushing quite like the onslaught of 'four-man percussion' which brought this awesome song crashing to its' conclusion!! If you are not already a fan then the inclusion of 'Visions in Blue' is probably not a big woo-factor, though 'Passing Strangers' (the other track not originally included on the 6 track EP) still comes across as a strong live piece. Essentially this disc works best as an exercise in nostalgia, but for new converts it provides a small insight into the happy days many of us experienced at the Odeon (et al) in our slick-haired youth!

I sure do wish I could have seen these guys live. Monument is a great example of how exciting a band Ultravox was onstage.

The opening title track 'Monument' is an eerie instrumental which sounds ok but it seems to be missing something. It's also the only studio track included.

The song 'The Voice' features an incredible drum solo by all four members - Chris Cross, Midge Ure, and Billy Currie on an elecronic drum pad each, and of course Warren Cann on his drum kit. Listen to it and I guarantee you'll find your body moving to the irresistable rythm.
All the songs shine live. There is some great guitar work by Midge Ure on 'Passing Strangers'(an extra track) and 'Mine For Life', the latter opening up with some screaming feedback.
Also included is another extra track, the haunting 'Visions In Blue' and of course the hit 'Vienna'.

My only complaint about this cd is that it's all too brief. It would have been nice to hear the whole show!

This was originally released in 1983 and at that time Ultravox was at the head of the synthrock movement
One big difference between Ultravox and other synth bands was that these guys could actually rock out unlike most of their contemporaries. The only other person who came close that I know of is Gary Numan.

Note:
There is a video of the original Monument album. It's out of print here in the States but there are bootleg copies floating around. It features interviews with George Martin, who produced the Quartet album, and studio footage of the band.
Again that drum solo is not to be missed!!

This is a stupendous live album and one does wish that one was a bit older when it was released so that one could have seen the show. Songs like Vienna, Hymn, Visions in Blue and Reap the Wild Wind and many other awesome tracks are included on this great live album. The cover is not that great but simple serves its purpose when it could have been oh so much nicer. I wish I could have been there, but alas I was to young. However, listening to the cd I can Imagine how good they truly were as a live band.