Vienna (Remastered)

by

Ultravox

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This is a remastered and expanded version of what I think is the best Ultravox album ever. It includes the original album and an additional CD that includes different versions of two of the songs, two German language versions of songs, two songs not on the original album and four live versions (two of which are John Foxx-era songs done by the post-Foxx line-up). It's a great upgrade of this album with one exception: for some reason the record company flipped upside-down the order of the first four songs that were the first side of the vinyl version. This was a little disconcerting to me, who grew up with the original order of these songs. Despite this (hopefully unintentional) mistake, this is a package well worthy of purchase. P.S. A personal note: I'd like to say a public "Thank You" to Warren Cann, the band's drummer. I was working at a Licorice Pizza record store during a 1980 in-house visit the band made in San Diego to promote this album. After talking to me more than anyone else during that visit (mostly about drumming), the band was about to leave when he said to me "Goodbye, Tim. I'll see you tonight at the concert." When I told him "No, you won't", because I didn't have the money for a ticket, he put me on "the band's list" and I got in for free. It was one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Warren, if you ever read this, I just want to say "Thank You" for one of the nicest things anybody has ever done for me.

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.