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Rating: In a synthesis of grand systems, few bands like Ultravox have thoroughly embodied the idea—already vast in itself—of new wave. A band that started with many guitars, leather jackets, a name with an exclamation mark from old school tradition, soon transformed into white new romantic attire, makeup, decadent symbols, a desire to experiment, and, above all, embrace the endless possibilities of the alluring synthetic territories. The clock started ticking back in 1976, and we cannot forget the talent of the defector John Foxx, a fragile and aesthetic singer who seemed as if he stepped out of another era, the visionary mind behind the early themes dear to the project, above all, the ambiguous and unsettling relationship between man and machine. But it is with the arrival of the new vocalist Midge Ure that Ultravox found their definitive consecration, smoothing the rougher edges of their sound in favor of engaging and never banal melodic solutions, almost always marking the charts. "Vienna" is the first example of this shift, a commercially successful album thanks to its blend of synthetic textures and classical harmonies highlighted by the powerful and modulated voice of the new leader.
Just a season later, here comes "Rage in Eden," a work that, continuing in the footsteps of its predecessor, immediately presents itself as more mature and refined, owing to a better amalgam of electronics and traditional sounds, this time of a more rock origin. The typical Ultravox melody is unleashed in all its power in compelling tracks such as the incipit "The Voice," worthy of the annals of new wave, and the robotic "The Thin Wall," warmed by the skillful strokes of synth and Ure's warm voice. But "Rage in Eden" also reveals a more introverted orientation, particularly when the rhythms slow down, and the atmospheres become hypnotic, if not downright dark. The title track, for example, progresses like a slow funeral procession from a post-atomic civilization, while "I Remember" alternates smooth and delicate harmonies with a refrain made of threatening dusk choruses. It is also important to emphasize the role of the guitars, now solely in Ure's hands, which, although intermittent, know how to carve out epic moments of great impact when called upon: see the "Fender-like" arpeggios and the excellent solo in "We Stand Alone," one of the best tracks on the album, or the polychrome touches over the futuristic boogie of "Accent Of Youth". The work closes with "Your Name," again with something sinister but actually devoted to the most hermetic experimentation.
After the good signs of "Vienna," with "Rage in Eden," the new Ultravox of Midge Ure realize they can go far, riding an art rock that, in essence, pleases everyone: neither fans of chart-friendly melodies nor aficionados of a certain colder and more refined new wave. And if, in the future, the group's commercial inclination will become all too apparent, this album episode fits best between the two poles of thought, thus representing an excellent summary of different moods and colors of the "new wave". For those who love those years, an unmissable testament; for newcomers and the curious, it will never be money wasted.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 The Voice (06:01)
Native these words seem to me
All speech directed to me
I've heard them once before
I know that feeling
Stranger emotions in mind
Changing the contours I find
I've seen them once before
Someone cries to me
Oh, the look and the sound of the voice
They try, they try
Oh, the shape and the power of the voice
In strong low tones
Forceful and twisting again
Wasting the perfect remains
I've felt it once before
Slipping over me
Oh, the look and the sound of the voice
They try, they try
Oh, the shape and the power of the voice
In strong low tones
Sweetly the voices decay
Draw on the lines that they say
I'd lost it once before
Now it cries to me
Oh, the look and the sound of the voice
They try, they try
Oh, the shape and the power of the voice
In strong low tones
Oh, the look and the power of the voice
they try
Oh, the shape and the sound of the voice
In strong low tones
03 Rage in Eden (04:12)
We sit and watch these lifeless forms
Stark and petrified
The high suspense of an empty stage
Drawing in clutching to its breast
With murmured words we sigh and focus on the main facade
Beyond the hard reluctant windows
News from magazines
We wrote their names on books we'd borrowed
As if to bring us closer still
And threw it all away to focus on the main facade
Rage in Eden jigsaw sequence
But no one could see the end
And they were the new gods
And they shone on high
Their heavy perfume of the night
Sucked them down in red tide
All is through the looking glass focus on the main facade
Rage in Eden jigsaw sequence
But no one could see the end
Disciples of the new way
Portraits in the sand
See when they run their longest mile
Holding caps in wet hand
Eyes upon them try to focus on the main facade
Rage In Eden jigsaw sequence
But no one could see the end
04 I Remember (Death in the Afternoon) (04:59)
We turned the dial, we heard the news and laughed, we don't know why
We drank the wine and spoke of times we knew of days gone by
We flicked through photographs we had, somehow they made us sad
Remembering the times we used to have, it made us cry
Oh I remember death in the afternoon
A silence fell about the room with harsh and heavy calm
The lovers and the friends all felt the same, it kept us warm
We raised our glass and drank to times we had, but'd see no more
The pictures of the past would haunt us still, and there remains
Oh I remember death in the afternoon
(Repeat chorus 2 times)
05 The Thin Wall (05:41)
The sound is on the visions move
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
Chorus:
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)
07 Accent on Youth (04:44)
What is this phase that I am going through
O these precious years
Please take my hand and let me breathe again
Young depressive tears
We stumble blindly chasing something new and something sinful
You take my time you live my life for me
What have I done to rate this penalty
You suck me dry
My body cries
We stumble blindly chasing instant thrills and lasting memories
Accent on youth
Attention O
Ascends on you
O O
I scream with frustration and lost control
Open for the blows
My hands fall limp and hang down at my side
Take my soul and go
We stumble blindly chasing dancing lights and others' wishes
(Chorus)
Just let me close my eyes and slip away
Dream a dream alone
You give me just enough rope for the task
Let this man alone
We stumble blindly chasing silhouettes and vacant faces
So well rehearsed our moves once so grateful turn against us
We stalk dark passages, we're looking for that sweet surrender
(Chorus)
08 The Ascent (02:19)
There dosent seem to be any lyrics for The Ascent, unless those lyrics are
slowed or sped up greatly. The Ascent seems to be entirely music. I have the Rage In Eden CD, and I've listened to the Ascent a dozen times, and still nothing
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