Customer Reviews

In Mysterious Ways

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

 

 

As a huge fan of the Midge Ure Ultravox era, I was slow to discover the John Foxx solo catalog. I purchased one of the excellent compilations available and was hooked. "In Mysterious Ways" seems to get the most negative attention of all his releases. I thought that the CD was one of the best of the early to mid 80s releases by the artist. I particularly like his vocal presentation on this CD. Gone is the "Gary Numan/John Foxx" vocal presentation of earlier recordings. Instead is a strong melodic presence. The amazing thing about John Foxx is that each of his releases capture a different John Foxx. You could play one of the ealry 80s CD's by Foxx to someone and they wouldn't know it was the same artist. If you like mid 80s music/vocals this is a good introduction to John Foxx. If you are a fan of John Foxx early 80s stuff (The Metamatic sound), although sounding different on this CD you shouldn't be shocked as all his albums are unique in their own way.

I must agree that this is definitely representative of 1985 syndrome. Some of the best new wave artists of the early 80s began stepping away from their synths more often and leaving those wonderful sounds in the background or making them blend in to the arrangements of the song. But even so, this CD is one of the strongest entrees from that year (I can't talk about how the sound of Tears for Fears was commercialized into "Songs from the Big Chair" that same year). Foxx's voice and synths still hold their own, capturing the essence of new wave, with melodies, riffs, and basslines that are more accessible than ever to pop ears. This album could have spawned several big new wave club hits in 85 had the alternative radio stations bothered to mix him into sets with Depeche Mode and Alphaville. The earlier tracks on this CD are the best--it turns a little too ambient for my tastes later on. And personally, I would have liked to have seen the 12" versions of the singles as bonus tracks instead of some of the bland B-side bonus tracks that were included here.

If you love synthdance from the early to mid-80s, I highly recommend picking up this CD, making it second only to Foxx's perfect 1983 synthdance CD "The Golden Section".

It is better than what some reviewers are saying. Enter the Angel is worth the high price Amazon and others are asking for it.

This is not a strong outing, it lacks the fit and finish of first three.
Many of the people who worked on the two previous albums are absent. (I think they became level 42.) No tight core band is not compensated by stripped in Multi-tracking. A solid working band to record the basic tracks is ground work that makes for a more sure footed set of performances.

While not without merit, it simply sounds like a set of home demos too much of the time that got released prematurely to satisfy a deadline set by Virgin and or he needed time to recharge and regroup.

I have an early issue of this which doesn't include the last three songs.

It is not the album to introduce the music of John Foxx to anyone, that distinction belongs to "The Garden".

I was disappointed when I bought this album. I really enjoyed the innovative Metamatic and I have a few Ultravox albums during the Foxx era which are brilliant. I had high expectations for In Mysterious Ways which is the second Foxx album I've bought. The first three tracks (my copy has a different song order than this version as "Shine On" is the third track), in fact, made me confident this will be another favorite of mine but it just crashed and burned after that. The songs just lack inventiveness. It's not that Foxx was moving to a more pop type of sound here and less experimentation. "Stars on Fire" is very accessible, but also very fun. It has a spark. But, after "Shine On," the album sounds stale. It's unfortunate because it had potential to be another Foxx masterpiece.

"Stars on Fire"--I love this song from the first time I heard it. It's fun, spirited, and just makes you feel good. It's very charming with cute lyrics like "And all the leaves go tumbling down, there's a big yellow moon shining all over town, and we walk by the river as you smile and you pull me around."
"Lose All Sense of Time"--Another track I really like. It is has the same upbeat, fun quality as "Stars on Fire." I really like the edgy guitar solo.
"Shine On"--This track has a cool saxophone riff (albeit repetitive). I really like Foxx's dreamy vocals here. One negative is that the ending goes on and on and on.
"Enter the Angel"--Things go horribly wrong on this track. At first, it doesn't seem so bad but then these female vocalists come in at the chorus "Enter, enter the angel" over and over. It sounds really bad and not what I expected from a Foxx album. It reminds me a little of what Gary Numan was doing at around that time, bringing in female backup singers and developing a more Janet Jackson dance sound. Foxx doesn't go that far thankfully but, as far as he does go with this song, it's evident it is not an area of music he should enter. Numan was actually much better making that transition.
"In Mysterious Ways"--Slow, quiet track that matches its title. I would have expected an earlier Foxx track with such a title to offer a lot of experimentation and innovation. This track is pretty straight-forward.

"What Kind of Girl"--Upbeat track but, again, there's nothing creative here. It's rather bland.
"This Side of Paradise"--Wailing vocals. I like the simple piano notes here which give it more character than the other songs on the second side.
"Stepping Softly"--Another slow track as the title suggests. Actually rather sappy with a Howard Jones feel to it.
"Enter the Angel II"--Well, fortunately, this doesn't parrot the previous track with the annoying female backup singers. The background vocals here are almost gospel. It's short with an organ-like background.
"Morning Glory"--Like an extension of the previous track with the religious-sounding keyboards and vocals. Overall, besides the first three tracks, the album just fizzles out with a similar sound and feel in the tracks.

People seem really divided on their opinion of this album. Like the liner notes in the CD mention, many artist from the early 80s had a difficult time coming up with new ideas in the mid to late 80s. The album is more pop oriented than the gloomy "Metamatic" and the psychedelic, Beatles-inspired "Golden Section", but the album is still very good. I would describe this album as mid 80s pop music for adults. The lyrics are very well written and the album has a sort of mature feeling that is hard to describe. If you want the best John Foxx album, I would suggest "The Golden Section". If you enjoy late 80s adult pop groups such as "Johnny Hates Jazz", "Double", and "The Blue Nile", then you will probably like this album as well. There are lots of memorable Yamaha DX7 bell sounds on the album that really make it sparkle. If you are curious, the album is worth the high asking price. I was hesitant at first to buy the album after reading some of the negative reviews, but I'm glad that I eventually did.

Every John Foxx's record is such a surprise, as open a rich casket of treasures. I soon say that "in Mysterious Ways" is a total art work, almost mystic. Reading the lyrics to understand that we are near to a pure poetry lyrics. The music is eterea, sweet, always inspired. The path is completed now, from technology (his first solo records) to spirit. The whole record is to listen to it with the heart in hand, as it was only one song. The song of a soul more cheerful, but always deep. You have don't miss this record!!

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big John Foxx / Ultravox! fan, but this album was a real mistake in my opinion.
The songs are just pathetic and Foxx's energy is not there, I think he was quite borred with music in the mid 80's.
So, unless you're a John Foxx completist, just forget this album, it's really forgettable

It's a shame John had this 4 record deal with Virgin. 3 would've been exactly right. This album was clearly made because John had to and it lacks all the things which made the other 3 virgin albums so great. Avoid!