Review of Vienna by Ultravox

So this was the transitional album for Ultravox. 1980 & John Foxx had gone on to pursue his solo career giving over the position to Midge Ure (previously of the Rich Kids). Thankfully the new line-up didn't rest on the laurels of the old lead singer & his very personal & esoteric lyrics. When I saw Ultravox in Concert back 1980 at the Camden Palace in London they were canny enough to split their set pretty much in 1/2. Half of the old 70's fave's and then introduced the new stuff off this album. Vienna being more symphonic and richer sounding than the simpler robotic synth lines and beats of their previous effort 'Systems of Romance' this album took a huge leap forward for the group.

Neither distancing themselves from their original sound, the Violins of Billy Currie were still up front and centre in many of the arrangements and given free reign on tracks like Vienna the highly emotive title track which went on to become a Classic. Elsewhere you have the Instrumental lead in 'Astradyne' which shows how to make the most of a Synthesizer back in the 80's, when knob twiddling was how you played Synths rather than too actual key work. However it works very well here while the group intelligently veers back to solid song-structure & the great brave vocals of Midge Ure pushing the songs like 'Passing Stranger's' & 'Sleepwalk' along wonderfully. I say brave because this was an obvious transiton for the group from Underdog Synth Punkers to the New Age scene that was fast hitting the U.K. and they straddled it with confidence and panache. Highly emotional songs like 'Vienna' & 'New Europeans' sharing space with beat driven Electro ditties like 'All Stood Still' & 'Sleepwalk' which I believe was their 1st single off the album. The stark white cover with the group in rather awkward stances I think works quite well & even their Logo changed. Certainly one of the top 10 albums in the U.K. of 1980 it jump-started a highly prolific Ultravox for another good few years but they never again achieved the height of sophistication they achieved here.

A must buy for any fan of old-school New Wave. Highly recommended.