The band was formed in 1973 in London, United Kingdom on the initiative of vocalist, songwriter and keyboardist John Foxx (born Dennis Leigh). Originally known as Tiger Lily, the first lineup included Foxx plus Chris Cross (bass guitar), Billy Currie (keyboards/violins), Stevie Shears (guitar) and Warren Cann (percussion). The group released one single in 1974, a cover of "Ain't Misbehaving," before changing their name to Ultravox!, the exclamation point being a reference to the krautrock band Neu! that was produced by Conny Plank (who later produced some Ultravox albums). On the strength of their live act, they signed to Island Records in 1976, releasing their eponymous debut album in February 1977.
In common with many other bands which would go on to form Britain's punk and New Wave movements, Ultravox drew inspiration from the art-school side of glam rock, from bands such as Roxy Music and the New York Dolls, as well as from David Bowie and Brian Eno's early pop-fueled albums. Their eponymous debut album was self-produced by the band, yet Brian Eno (whose next job after these sessions was working with Bowie on 'Low') co-produced two songs and Steve Lillywhite also contributed. Sales were disappointing, and neither 'Ultravox!' nor the associated single "Dangerous Rhythm" managed to enter the U.K. charts.
Ultravox returned later in 1977 with the punkier 'Ha!-Ha!-Ha!'. Although sales of both the album and its lead single "ROckwrok" (which, despite a chorus featuring the lines "Come on, let's tangle in the dark/Fuck like a dog, bite like a shark", was played on BBC Radio 1) were still unimpressive, they had a growing fan-base. Steve Shears was sacked, later deciding to form the new band Faith Global. Although most of 'Ha!-Ha!-Ha!' was dominated by guitars and electric violin, the final track, "Hiroshima Mon Amour," was a prototypical synth pop song which gave a hint to the band's new direction. It remains a critical and fan favourite of the group's early incarnation, and it was even performed by the group on the 'Old Grey Whistle Test'. In 1978, the group quietly dropped the exclamation mark, becoming simply "Ultravox".
Their third album, 1978's Systems of Romance, was recorded under the ear of Conny Plank at his studio in rural Germany and featured new guitarist Robin Simon. It also failed commercially and Island dropped the band. After a US tour in 1979, John Foxx left to pursue a solo career whilst Robin Simon left to join the band Magazine. Musically, the album was a distinct development from the band's previous work and provided a blueprint for Ultravox's subsequent work, bringing synthesisers to the forefront of the group's sound. Island released a compilation of highlights from the group's first three albums in 1979, Three Into One, which was until the mid-1990s the most widespread of Ultravox's early releases.
Midge Ure, an already accomplished musician, was asked to join the band. He had achieved minor success with semi-glam outfit Slik and Glen Matlock's more punk-inspired The Rich Kids, although in 1979 he was temporarily playing with hard rock band Thin Lizzy. Midge Ure and Billy Currie had met in the Visage project, a studio project fronted by Steve Strange. Midge therefore replaced John Foxx for their next album, which would become their most successful to date, taking the already influential Ultravox sound and giving it a commercial appeal it had previously lacked.
Recorded in London and mixed by Conny Plank and the band once more in Germany,
Vienna was released on the new label Chrysalis Records in 1980, achieving a substantial hit with the title track (inspired by Carol Reed's The Third Man), which was accompanied with a distinctive video. It topped out at number two (Joe Dolce's "Shaddap You Face" infamously kept it from the top spot) on the UK Top 40 in 1981. The album reached number five, and was soon followed by Rage in Eden (1981), the band returning to Conny Plank's studio for what turned out to be a difficult recording session.
Ultravox teamed up with legendary producer George Martin for 1982's Quartet, which became their most successful album in the USA.
After touring with their 1984 Lament, and appearing at Live Aid, Warren Cann was fired and pursued a career in acting in the USA. The remaining members, along with Big Country's Mark Brzezicki, resurfaced with U-Vox in 1986 before going their separate ways the following year. Billy Currie and singer/guitarist Tony Fenelle reformed the band in 1992 to record Revelation, and Sam Blue lent his voice to their final release, Ingenuity (1996).
The band's international legion of followers yearned for some sort of reconcilliation. Both Billy Currie and Midge Ure pursued solo careers after the band were put officially on ice by Currie in 1996, Ure continuing to peform solo versions of Ultravox hits live.
Fans were therefore delighted when an announcement came in November 2008 that the 'classic' Cann/Cross/Currie/Ure line-up were to reform and play a fourteen-date UK tour entitled Return To Eden in April 2009. With Vienna and Rage In Eden being remastered and re-released and plans for a greatest hits compilation to accompany the tour, Ultravox are now set for a return to prominence.
After their successful 'Return to Eden Tour', Ultravox signed a deal with Universal Records and talk of new studio albums heated up. On February 21st 2011, a new EP, Moments from Eden, came out.
The band's latest album is 2012's 'Brilliant', featuring the 80s line-up of Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Chris Cross, and Warren Cann. Picking up a strong fan response, their recent touring has brought them to big crowds alongside rockers Simple Minds.
Website: http://www.ultravox.org.uk
The Thin Wall
Ultravox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The image dance starts once again
They shuffle with a bovine grace and glide in syncopation
Just living lines from books we've read
With atmospheres of days gone by
With paper smiles
The screenplay calls a message for the nation
And those who sneer will fade and die
And those who laugh will surely fall
And those who know will always feel their backs against the thin wall
The thin wall
Thin wall
Grey men who speak of victory
Shed light upon their stolen life
They drive by night and act as if they're moved by unheard music
To step in time and play the part
With velvet voices smooth and cold
Their power games a game no more
And long the chance to use it
(Chorus)
And those who dance will spin and turn
And those who wait will wait no more
And those talk will hear the word
And those who sneer will fade and die
And those who laugh will surely fall
And those who know will always feel their backs against the thin wall
The thin wall
Thin wall
The thin wall (Repeat 3 times)
And those who dance
The thin wall
And those who talk
The thin wall
And those who sneer
The thin wall
And those who laugh
The thin wall
And those who know
The thin wall
And those who dance
The thin wall
And those who wait
The thin wall
And those who talk
(Fade)
"The Thin Wall" by Ultravox contains lyrics that are poetic and somewhat cryptic in meaning. The song speaks of the power of music and images and how they can shape our lives and perceptions. The first verse sets the scene with "The sound is on the visions move, The image dance starts once again" which could be a reference to the power of media in our lives. The second line mentions "They shuffle with a bovine grace" which could be interpreted as the herd mentality of the masses who are influenced by media, advertisements, and other forms of propaganda. The third line mentions "Just living lines from books we've read" which could suggest that our perceptions are shaped by our experiences and what we have learned from books and other sources. The next line mentions "With atmospheres of days gone by, With paper smiles" which could be a reference to nostalgia and the way that we often idealize the past.
The chorus mentions that those who sneer will fade and die, those who laugh will surely fall, and those who know will always feel their backs against the thin wall. This could be interpreted as a warning against those who are dismissive or skeptical of the power of music and images. The thin wall could represent the thin line between reality and perception, or the barrier between the conscious and the subconscious mind.
The second verse of the song speaks of "Grey men who speak of victory" who are "moved by unheard music". This could be interpreted as a reference to politicians or other figures of authority who use media and other forms of propaganda to manipulate the masses. The lyrics mention that these men "step in time and play the part, With velvet voices smooth and cold, Their power games a game no more, And long the chance to use it." This could suggest that the power of propaganda is losing its effectiveness and those who seek to control others are losing their grip.
Overall, "The Thin Wall" is a song that speaks of the power of music and images in shaping our perceptions and how we interact with the world. It warns against blindly accepting the messages we are presented with and encourages a critical examination of the media we consume.
Line by Line Meaning
The sound is on the visions move
The music is playing and the mental pictures start to shift and change
The image dance starts once again
The mental images are playing out a dance again
They shuffle with a bovine grace and glide in syncopation
The images move slowly and effortlessly in a rhythmic motion
Just living lines from books we've read
These images are like those written descriptions that we have read before
With atmospheres of days gone by
They contain the feelings and emotions of a time long past
With paper smiles
The images feel fake and not genuine
The screenplay calls a message for the nation
The story is trying to convey a message to the public
And those who sneer will fade and die
People who mock and belittle will eventually be forgotten
And those who laugh will surely fall
Those who laugh at others will experience their own downfall
And those who know will always feel their backs against the thin wall
Those who are aware of what's going on will always feel vulnerable and at risk
Grey men who speak of victory
Bland, unemotional men who speak of winning
Shed light upon their stolen life
They reveal how their life is unfulfilled and unsatisfying
They drive by night and act as if they're moved by unheard music
They move through life aimlessly, like they're following an invisible force
To step in time and play the part
They fall in line and conform to society's expectations
With velvet voices smooth and cold
They speak with charm and eloquence, but lack sincerity
Their power games a game no more
Their manipulations and strategies are no longer effective
And long the chance to use it
They've missed their opportunity to take control
And those who dance will spin and turn
People who celebrate and embrace life will experience joy
And those who wait will wait no more
Those who hesitate and delay will miss out
And those talk will hear the word
Those who speak their minds will be heard
And those who dance
People who celebrate and embrace life
And those who talk
People who speak their minds
And those who sneer
People who mock and belittle
And those who laugh
People who laugh at others
And those who know
People who are aware of what's going on
And those who wait
People who hesitate and delay
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER THOMAS ALLEN, MIDGE URE, WARREN REGINALD CANN, WILLIAM CURRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sandelec
Ultravox are the best..!
This genre are unic.
Only a few group in the 80's was able to do this.
Alphaville..
A flock of seagulls..
Talking heads..
Simple minds..
and others that now I don't remember..
Retro Brothers
That rapid, staccato bass mixed with the synths and guitar riffs.... perfection.
A truly underrated track.
Simon Roberts
I love Ultravox,all that early eighties synth was so good!
Simon Roberts
Never get fed up of the Vox!🎹
happentodie
A lot of U-Vox stuff had a hard edged beat ..then and intelligent melody with thoughtful lyrics ...super Underrated..I think midge use was extraordinarily talented like his bandmates breaking new ground particularly with Videos as everyone in music knows that Vienna video was the blueprint of modern music videos ...this band at the top of their game were waaaay ahead of their competitors..
Alexander Graf von Rothenstein
For me Ultravox and Depeche Mode are the best synthbands of the 80's
freddyboombatz
I agree on Ultravox. If it wasnt for me having been stationed on Scotland with the USN, I never would have heard of Ultravox.
Neil Bentley
I think you,d also have to chuck Japan in there as well.
m j
@Neil Bentley
🤣 um NO.
thisIDsUnavailable
@Neil Bentley agreed, but all are topped by New Order. Deny that
Alexander Graf von Rothenstein
@thisIDsUnavailable New Order ist great, but i liked Joy Division more than New Order.