Vienna [ENHANCED]

Ultravox

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 27, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 1980
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Caroline
• ASIN: B0000074OC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #94,778 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
2008 digitally remastered and expanded two CD edition of the trendsetting Electronic/Art Rock band's 1980 release, the first of their albums to feature Midge Ure on lead vocals and guitar. Includes a bonus CD featuring relevant B-sides, live tracks, rarities and previously unreleased tracks. Replacing original frontman John Foxx with Midge was a bold and brilliant move made even sweeter by Ure's emotional vocal performances and his knack for a good tune. It didn't hurt that the band finally achieved their deserved success with this release. Includes the singles 'Passing Strangers', 'Sleepwalk', 'Vienna' and more. EMI. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Music, Disappointing Package, May 29, 2009

By	Coincidence Vs Fate (Warwickshire, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vienna: Remastered Definitive Edition (Audio CD)

This will be the fifth time I've bought Vienna; vinyl and cassette way back in the Summer of 1980 (yes, I am that old), the original CD release in the 90's, the recent(ish) expanded version and now this, the "Remastered Definitive Edition".

Well, there's not a lot to say about Disc One apart from: it's the best post-Foxx album by miles. Not only do you get the classic (and that term really is apt here) single "Vienna", you get a couple of `should have beens' in "Sleepwalk" and "Passing Strangers" and one `why choose this as a single?' in "All Stood Still" . The album starts off in fine fettle with the absolutely fantastic instrumental "Astradyne", an immense seven-minute synth extravaganza. Apart from the throwaway "Mr X" there really isn't a bad track on here, with "New Europeans" being a particular highlight. So, if you've never heard this album before you'll in for a real treat.

If, like me, you bought this CD purely for the bonus disc then, as I was, you maybe a tad disappointed. Why? Well, we've been here before haven't we? The b-sides have already appeared on the excellent but long-deleted "Rare" CDs AND on the previous expanded incarnation of this album. In fact, the only unreleased material you get is a couple of rehearsal recordings of "Sleepwalk and "All Stood Still". Historically interesting perhaps, but hardly essential and certainly not worth the price of buying this CD.

Another disappointment is the booklet; some nice photos maybe, but extremely thin with no insight or comment from any of the band. Compared to other remastered releases (particularly the excellent Thompson Twins releases on Edsel) this is a real let-down. OK, so if material doesn't exist in the archives then you can't add it to anything, but this smacks of a cash-in, rather than being a truly essential release. It's nice to have the b-sides on one CD, but still...

Now, before you have a pop, I'm certainly NOT having a go at the music, Ultravox were truly magnificent on this album, it's just that the overall package smacks of bandwagoning, which is a real shame - Ultravox deserve better.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars QUALITY NEW WAVE, NOT THAT BOW-WOW-WOW CRAP!, August 20, 1999

By	Roscoe C. Pernwickle "Charlatan" (Morgan Hill, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vienna (Audio CD)

After frequenting many so-called eighties clubs in the bay area, it is disconcerting to realize all the quality music of the new-wave genre has largley gone unnoticed in the dance floors. This album is a prime example of such an overlooking. They prefer to spin vaucous nonsense like "You Spin Me Right Round, Baby" and Bananarama and the like at clubs these days, when they forget the grandeur of music such as this. Ultravox's Vienna is a masterpiece of the new wave era, so completley utilizing the sterile yet emotively haunting atmosphere of early synth pop. I am a big fan of the John Foxx era output, but this album is somehow much stronger than "Rage in Eden" and "Quartet" combined. I would equal this album with the previous three in quality. "Astradyne" has an elegant kraut-rock/prog feel to it, while Mr. X is eerie, forboding pop that makes Gary Numan seem docile. If you are lucky enough to find the Ultravox! albums: (self titled), Ha! Ha! Ha! and Systems of Romance, get them immediatley, then buy this album. Other comparable new wave albums that are equal in scope and beauty to those are Japan's "Gentlemen take Polaroids" and Tuxedomoon's "Desire".

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Original!!!, October 19, 1999

By	Roxana Jauregui (San Francisco, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vienna (Audio CD)

With the debut of Midge Ure, Ultravox goes to a different style. Midge's voice sounds more pop than the original lead singer John Foxx. The instruments are more refined that the previous albums. You can play this CD over and over and not get tired of it. John Foxx's solo works are amazingly wonderfull, not to be missed!!!