Learned so much as always. I was only familiar with Ultravox’s more commercially successful tracks bit I hadn’t heard Sleepwalk or any of the other songs. They were all great!
The two most exciting opening tracks on rock albums in 1978 were Definitive Gaze from Magazine's Real Life and Sleepwalk from Systems of Romance - synths mixed with guitars, guitars that sounded like synths; it felt as though something new was coming. Hard to believe so few copies of Systems were sold; ahead of its time I guess. Stange there was no 12" of Sleepwalk as there definitely was for the follow-up Passing Strangers. It suggests Chrysalis were certainly hedging their bets after the failures on Island, but once Sleepwalk cracked the UK Top 30 they felt confident enough to stretch the marketing budget! Unfortunately, when I finally got to see Ultravox in December 1980, it was a disappointment - too little spontaneity for my taste. The machines had taken over and I don't mean the synthesisers!
“Sleepwalk” was actually the first single by Ultravox with Midge Ure (from the Vienna album), not from Systems of Romance. It’s an easy mistake to make though — I was reminded of that myself while researching this. The difference in sound between those two albums is much smaller than people often assume. Connie Plank produced both, after all.
I used to be responsible for the catalogue at Universal for several years, and as a lifelong, slightly obsessive Ultravox fan, I remember ordering the three Island albums — and honestly, I was a bit disappointed at first. Even now, I still find them a bit harder to get into compared to the Chrysalis albums. That said, over time I’ve come to appreciate them a lot more. They were definitely ahead of their time, which explains why someone like Gary Numan was such a fan.
“Sleepwalk” did get a twelve-inch release, but it was just the single version — same goes for “Passing Strangers.” As far as I know, there’s no extended version of either. The only track from Vienna that got proper twelve-inch treatment was the fourth single, “All Stood Still.”
My personal favorite from Vienna — and the one I played a lot in my DJ sets back then — was “Mr. X.” They even recorded a German version, “Herr X.”
It actually wasn’t until 2012 that I finally saw them live, and it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever experienced. The technology by then allowed them to perfectly recreate their sound on stage. Plus, they had just released the Brilliant album, which really lived up to its name 😁.
That said, even with the incredible sound, they always came across as a bit “machine-like” on stage — very little emotion and not much interest in connecting with the audience. So I completely understand your point there.
Thanks for reading and for your reaction, Paul! Wishing you a great weekend!
Learned so much as always. I was only familiar with Ultravox’s more commercially successful tracks bit I hadn’t heard Sleepwalk or any of the other songs. They were all great!
Indeed Mark. Thanks for reading & reacting. Enjoy your Sunday!
The stuff you know and the level of research are out of this world 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🪩🪩🕺
Writing is always a joy, and even more so with such kind words. Thank you, Andy! Hope you and your husband have a fantastic weekend!
Thank you, Pe! It is a pleasure to read your work. Thank you and have a great weekend too! 😘
The two most exciting opening tracks on rock albums in 1978 were Definitive Gaze from Magazine's Real Life and Sleepwalk from Systems of Romance - synths mixed with guitars, guitars that sounded like synths; it felt as though something new was coming. Hard to believe so few copies of Systems were sold; ahead of its time I guess. Stange there was no 12" of Sleepwalk as there definitely was for the follow-up Passing Strangers. It suggests Chrysalis were certainly hedging their bets after the failures on Island, but once Sleepwalk cracked the UK Top 30 they felt confident enough to stretch the marketing budget! Unfortunately, when I finally got to see Ultravox in December 1980, it was a disappointment - too little spontaneity for my taste. The machines had taken over and I don't mean the synthesisers!
“Sleepwalk” was actually the first single by Ultravox with Midge Ure (from the Vienna album), not from Systems of Romance. It’s an easy mistake to make though — I was reminded of that myself while researching this. The difference in sound between those two albums is much smaller than people often assume. Connie Plank produced both, after all.
I used to be responsible for the catalogue at Universal for several years, and as a lifelong, slightly obsessive Ultravox fan, I remember ordering the three Island albums — and honestly, I was a bit disappointed at first. Even now, I still find them a bit harder to get into compared to the Chrysalis albums. That said, over time I’ve come to appreciate them a lot more. They were definitely ahead of their time, which explains why someone like Gary Numan was such a fan.
“Sleepwalk” did get a twelve-inch release, but it was just the single version — same goes for “Passing Strangers.” As far as I know, there’s no extended version of either. The only track from Vienna that got proper twelve-inch treatment was the fourth single, “All Stood Still.”
My personal favorite from Vienna — and the one I played a lot in my DJ sets back then — was “Mr. X.” They even recorded a German version, “Herr X.”
It actually wasn’t until 2012 that I finally saw them live, and it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever experienced. The technology by then allowed them to perfectly recreate their sound on stage. Plus, they had just released the Brilliant album, which really lived up to its name 😁.
That said, even with the incredible sound, they always came across as a bit “machine-like” on stage — very little emotion and not much interest in connecting with the audience. So I completely understand your point there.
Thanks for reading and for your reaction, Paul! Wishing you a great weekend!
I never really got into Magazine, but I think it’s time I give their catalogue another look.
Superb standout track.
We are in complete agreement Mark ! Thanks for reading & reacting. Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Nice! Upbeat! Ultravox!
👍 Thanks for reading & reacting. Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
I like the Gary Numan quote about filling the void between the shifting music.
Same here — the perfect way to kick off this week’s episode. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, Vince. Wishing you a fantastic weekend!