Lament

by

Ultravox

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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.

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!