Showing posts with label Ultravox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ultravox. Show all posts

Sunday, October 6, 2024

Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #94


Albums: Ultravox - Vienna (Chrysalis, 1980), Warren Zevon - Stand in the Fire (Asylum, 1980)
Episode: Season 3, Episode 16, "I Am Woman"
Original air date: Sunday, February 21, 1981


Click here for more WKRP posters!

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #57


Album: Ultravox - Vienna (Chrysalis, 1980), Eric Clapton - Just One Night (RSO, 1980), The Charlie Daniels Band. Best guess for the poster below Clapton: Joe Jackson - Beat Crazy (A&M, 1980).
Episode:  Season 3, Episode 9, "The Painting"
Original air date: Saturday, January 10, 1981




Dr. Fever is holding the August 23, 1980 issue of Billboard, with an ad for the album How to Beat the High Cost of Living on the back cover.


Thursday, February 6, 2020

Ultravox - Mr. X (1980)

Mr. X
Ultravox

Written by: Warren Cann, Chris Cross, Billy Currie, & Midge Ure.
Produced by: Conny Plank & Ultravox
Album: Vienna (Chrysalis, 1980)



When this piece was recorded, the band had been through some personnel changes; this was the first release with Midge Ure and without John Foxx. The album contained four UK singles: "Vienna" (#2)*, "All Stood Still" (#8)."Sleepwalk" (#29) and "Passing Strangers" (#57). But the lead track on side two of the LP is "Mr. X," a haunting noir piece with definite Neu!/Kraftwerk influences.

Lots of drum machine and synths with the occasional spoken word, provided by the group's drummer/drum machine programmer, Warren Cann:
I found the perfect picture, of a perfect stranger.
It looked as if, it were taken in the forties sometime,
Judging by the style.
He could be a killer or a blind man with a cane,
Perhaps he died in a car crash, years ago.
Right now, it's impossible to tell.
I almost thought I saw him, standing, whistling on a bridge.
I asked him the time, but when he turned around,
I saw it wasn't him at all.
I'm still searching.
I'm still searching.
I saw him in an airport, while he was sitting on a wing.
And I waved to him, but I don't think he noticed me.
I've got a funny feeling I know who he is.
Mr. X
There's also a disjunct solo on electric violin from Billie Currie. It's all very strange, especially to a 16 year-old boy growing up in rural Texas (i.e., one of my general height, weight and build). The silliness of the text was overshadowed by the serious, minor key synth pads. I'm not sure I've ever liked this thing but I can't stop listening to it.

*The title track was denied the top spot by the novelty hit "Shaddap You Face."






Saturday, December 15, 2018

Smash Hits Album Ratings - 1981 [part 2 of 2]


Smash Hits was a British teen music magazine that was issued fortnightly. On a scale of 1-10, here's how the magazine's reviewers rated albums released in the second half of 1981. Hope you find something new that you missed back in '81.



July 9 issue
The Models Alphabravocharliedeltaechofoxtrotgolf 6
Pointer Sisters Black & White 7
Joe Jackson Jumpin' Jive 6
Wah! Nah = Poo - The Art of Bluff 8
Kiki Dee Perfect Timing 6
Polecats Polecats Are Go
Henry Badowski Life is a Grand... 8



July 23 issue
Jon and Vangelis The Friends of Mr. Cairo 8
The Equators Hot 6
Odyssey I Got the Melody 5
Angelic Upstarts 2,000,000 Voices 5
The Brothers Johnson Winners 7
Was (Not Was) Was (Not Was) 7
The Ramones Pleasant Dreams 5
Kim Wilde Kim Wilde



August 6 issue
Icehouse Icehouse 8
Pat Benatar Precious Time 4
Evelyn King I'm in Love 7
Delta 5 See the Whirl 8
Stevie Nicks Bella Donna 6
Foreigner 4 8
Kirsty MacColl Desperate Character 4
The Pretenders II 7



August 20 issue
ELO Time 5
The Go-Go's Beauty and the Beat 5
Philip Rambow Jungle Law
Dennis Bovell Brain Damage 9
Rickie Lee Jones Pirates
Any Trouble Wheels in Motion 8
Ian Hunter Short Back N' Sides 5
David Johansen Here Comes the Night 3



September 3 issue
The Korgis Sticky George 3
Blank Slate Sirens in the City 5
Hazel O'Connor Cover Plus 3
Simple Minds Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call 8
Desmond Dekker Compass Point 8
Cabaret Voltaire Red Mecca
Funkadelic The Electric Spanking of War Babies
Devo New Traditionalists 7



September 17 issue
Heaven 17 Penthouse and Pavement 8
Ian Dury Lord Upminster 8
Gary Numan Dance 9
Shakin' Stevens Shaky 8
Ultravox Rage in Eden 5
Crusaders Standing Tall 8
Altered Images Happy Birthday 6
The Comsat Angels Sleep No More 8
Meat Loaf Dead Ringer 9



October 1 issue
The Police Ghost in the Machine 6
Cliff Richard Wired for Sound 7
Bette Bright Rhythm Breaks the Ice
Tom Tom Club Tom Tom Club
Saxon Denim & Leather 4
Pete Shelley Homosapien 7
Genesis Abacab
Godley & Creme Ismism 4
Sheena Easton You Could Have Been With Me 5
Madness 7 8
The Passions Thirty Thousand Feet Over China
John Foxx The Garden 5



October 15 issue
The Human League Dare 8
U2 October 9
The Slits Return of the Giant Slits
Bow Wow Wow See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!
Eurythmics In the Garden
Rose Royce Jump Street 7
The Cuban Heels Work Our Way to Heaven 6
Bob Marley Chances Are 5
Fingerprintz Beat Noir
Blondie The Best of Blondie
Carlene Carter Blue Nun 5
UB40 Present Arms in Dub 8



October 29 issue
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Architecture and Morality 9
Linx Go Ahead 6
Gillan Double Trouble
Elvis Costello Almost Blue 9
Martha and The Muffins This is the Ice Age
Vice Squad No Cause for Concern
0
Bauhaus Mask 4
Rex Smith Everlasting Love 2
Rachel Sweet And Then He Kissed Me 5
Imagination Body Talk 8
Joy Division Still 9
The Meteors In Heaven 7
Bad Manners Gosh Its's... 8



November 12 issue
Adam and The Ants Prince Charming 5
The Bee Gees Living Eyes 5
Japan Tin Drum 8
Prince Controversy 4
Depeche Mode Speak and Spell 7
RushExit...Stage Left 2
Diana Ross Why Do Fools Fall in Love
TV21 A Thin Red Line 5
Earth, Wind & Fire Raise! 7
Fad Gadget Incontinent 9
The Sound From the Lion's Mouth 5
Stray Cats Gonna Ball 7



November 26 issue
Soft Cell Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Ian Dury & The Blockheads Jukebox Dury 9
The Teardrop Explodes Wilder
The Four Seasons Tonight! 8
Rainbow The Best of Rainbow 5
Skids Joy 5
David Bowie Changestwobowie 10
The Stranglers La Folie 8
Kool & The Gang Something Special 6
New Order Movement 8
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft Gold und Liebe 
Jacksons Live 8



December 10 issue
AC/DC For Those About to Rock 3
Modern Romance Adventures in Clubland 6
Durutti Column LC 8
Boney M Boonoonoonoos 4
10cc 10 Out Of 10 4
Chas Jankel Chasanova 7
Various Artists A Christmas Record 8
Jools Holland Jools Holland And His Millionaires 3
David Byrne Catherine Wheel
Tenpole Tudor Let the Four Winds Blow 6
Jerry Harrison The Red and the Black
Poison Girls Total Exposure 4



December 24 issue
No Album Reviews



h/t to Brian McCloskey over at Like Punk Never Happened

Monday, June 26, 2017

Vintage Music Pinbacks #10


Tenth in a series.

Buttons, badges, pinbacks - whatever you call 'em, I've got a shoebox full. Here's a few of my vintage music pinbacks from the '70s and '80s:


  1.  1.5" Billy Idol, 1984
  2.  1" Joy Division, ca. 1979
  3.  1" Adam and the Ants, ca. 1981
  4.  1.25" Big Country, The Crossing, 1983
  5.  1.25" The Jam, The Gift, 1982
  6.  1.25" Ultravox, Quartet, 1982
  7.  1.25" Roxy Music, Stranded, 1973*
  8.  1.25" The Noise, ca. 1979

*1973 isn't in My Favorite Decade, but I wore this pinback plenty in the early '80s for obvious reasons. I believe it was a gift from my buddy Jim.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Vintage Music Pinbacks #6


Sixth in a series.

Buttons, badges, pinbacks - whatever you call 'em, I've got a shoebox full. Here's a few of my vintage music pinbacks from the '70s and '80s:

  1.  1" KTSA "Gold & Silver Button" 1981
  2.  1.25" Police, Ghost in the Machine, 1981
  3.  1.25" Rockpile, Seconds of Pleasure, 1980
  4.  1" Shooting Star, ca. 1979
  5.  1.75" Chuck Mangione, Feels So Good, 1977
  6.  1.25" Ric Ocasek, Beatitude, 1982
  7.  1" U2, War, 1983
  8.  1" AC/DC, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, 1981
  9.  1" Ultravox, ca. 1980
  10.  1.25" Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense, 1984

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Classic album cover art #22

Ultravox - Quartet (1982)


Cover design by Peter Saville Associates
Drawing by Ken Kennedy