Quartet (Ultravox album)
Occupation
- Vocals / Guitar / Keyboard: Midge Ure
- Bass / Keyboard / Vocals: Chris Cross
- Drums / Percussion: Warren Cann
- Keyboard / Violin: Billy Currie
Quartet (German quartet ) is the sixth studio album by British band Ultravox. The album was released on 15 October 1982 with Chrysalis Records and is the genre New Wave attributed.
An eponymous double album was released on 24 February 2009 Remastered Definitive Edition. In addition to a remastered version of the original album on the first CD, it contains a second CD with some B- sides of single releases, live recordings and previously unreleased songs.
Genesis
After working with Conny Plank at the production of the three previous albums, Ultravox sought a further development of the sound. After the interest was initially focused on Chris Thomas and Chris Hughes, the choice finally fell on George Martin. Martin produced along with Pete Townshend, the first of a series of concerts for the Prince's Trust rock gala at London's Dominion Theatre, which took place on 21 July 1982. In the all- star band Ure played alongside Townshend guitar and learned to know Martin. From the obligation of the former Beatles producer, the band promised after successes in Europe and Asia in addition to stylistic changes a commercial breakthrough in the United States. Unlike Plank, Martin took care together with his sound engineers Geoff Emerick and Jon Jacobs is not just about the technical aspects of sound production, but also to the arrangements of the songs. The album was recorded in June and July 1982 in about four weeks in London's AIR Studios and completed in July and August in the branch office on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, mixed and digitally mastered. Were used up to five multi-track tapes with 24 tracks, so that, a total of up to 120 tracks available for the mix. Technological advances allowed the preparation of several remix versions that were published, among other things as so-called Extended version on maxi - singles.
Cover design
The company of the British graphic designer Peter Saville took over the entire artistic design from the design of the album and single cover over the equipment of the music videos to the construction of the stage for the live performances of the band. The concept is based on a building in the style of old Italian architecture with postmodern elements. In keeping with the album title, the building of four juxtaposed perspectives can be seen: Floor plan, cross plan, elevation and axonometric. The drawing is from the Peter Saville Associates employed by graphic artist Ken Kennedy, who also drew the cover for the Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album Dazzle Ships. It was colored by the painter Bill Philpott. The back of the album cover with the title list shows in the background a complementary schematic representation. The lettering on the front Quartet is based on the font Perpetua Titling Light and emphasizes the classical architecture approach.
In the cases of the first two coupled- Singles Reap the Wild Wind Hymn and the concept in the form of building fragments will continue. On the cover of Hymn can be found also symbols of Freemasonry, including square, compass, sun, moon, and an implied aureole.
Known as the Monument guiding principle was later named after the world tour, the corresponding live album and a studio instrumental song on this album. The stone gray background of the album cover, first for the LP with a marbled effect, for later editions without this effect was reflected in the entire stage of the tour. Not only is the stage structure including the cover modeled building facade in the background were kept in gray, but almost all the instruments were dyed gray for the tour. By lighting with different colors the gray took on that color. This effect is documented on a recording of the concert at London's Hammersmith Odeon in early December 1982 the band 1983 published in parallel with the live album as a 31 -minute VHS release and 2009 along with the live album in DVD format as Remastered Definitive Edition.
Instrumentation
Ultravox first used instruments with digital sound synthesis for the album. The acquisitions included those manufactured in Germany from Palm Productions PPG Wave 2.2 with wavetables and integrated sequencer and the E -MU Emulator I of the U.S. company E-MU Systems, one of the first commercially available samplers. In addition, the working based on FM synthesis Yamaha GS1 came as a pioneer of the 1983 featured Yamaha DX7, the band began among others at live concerts of the two following albums.
Title list
The Definitive Remastered Edition contains on the second CD:
Publications and chart success
The album reached number six in the UK, in Germany and number 13 in the U.S., number 61 on the album charts. It was in the UK on December 6, 1982 Gold status for more than 100,000 sold.
A total of four singles were released from the album: Reap the Wild Wind on September 16, 1982 ( before the album's release ), Hymn on 19 November 1982 Visions in Blue on March 11, 1983 We Came to Dance on April 18 1983rd the religiously colored Hymn reached a total of successful coupling with position nine the second best chart position of all Ultravox singles in Germany. Reap the Wild Wind could be the only single of the band in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 position ( 71 ).
The music videos for the four singles released realized Midge Ure and Chris Cross for the first time on their own. Reap the Wild Wind ( " The Storm harvest " according to the Bible verse from Hosea 8:7) combines two storylines. Firstly, establish the four musicians with the help of construction plans a monument based on the album cover, while at the same time - are represented as flying ace - supplemented by documentary footage from the First and Second World Wars. The second single from the album Hymn ( " praise " ) is taking the final sequence of the first video shows the band members first and in different roles in the unsuccessful exercise of their respective professions. A dubious contractors, played by British actor Oliver Tobias -Swiss, promises after the signing of the agreement rapid rise. Superficially similar to the lyrics in word choice and ductus a creed. The use Faustian motifs in the film, however, suggests the interpretation of a devil pact that leads from glory to destruction. The video for Visions in Blue combines live recordings with partially permissive content and was therefore reduced by the BBC before broadcast. The uncensored version is included on the first VHS release of the compilation The Collection of 1984 and published in 2009 DVD The Very Best of. We Came to Dance tells a tragic love story ending in a fictitious communist country in the Far East.
Tour
Four weeks after the album's release, the Quartet World Tour, which initially led to the end of 1982 through Ireland and Great Britain began. Beginning of the following year were performances added in Germany and other European countries. Other concerts took place in the United States and Japan in April and May 1983. Danny Mitchell and Colin King supported as Messengers, the band with the instrumentation and backing vocals.
Because of the stage, the tour was also known as Monument Tour.
Reception
The press called Ultravox " the leaders of the electronically processed rock music ." Dave Thompson of Allmusic awards in its Rating 3 out of 5 points and certified the album a " gravitas " between " nostalgia " ( Reap the Wild Wind ), "Faith " ( Hymn ), " action " ( Visions in Blue ) and "fear" ( When the Scream subsides, Cut and Run ). In a " of fashion victims and superficiality " embossed movement Ultravox bulging from where " they created Frankenstein". The music scene possess the example of Serenade and We Came to Dance the " startling property of releasing both Dionysian dedication and militaristic conformity ". On the other hand, it is through " the foot switches inviting rhythms ", " swirling synthesizers " and " aufweckende melodies " inclined to forget the gloom in the theme of the band.
In the annual survey by the British music magazine Record Mirror for 1982, the album came in tenth place. The music video for Hymn and Reap the Wild Wind reached the third and fourth place, while Ultravox came in at number six as a band. In all three categories won each Duran Duran, whose published in May 1982 album Rio, as well as the music videos for Save a Prayer and Rio.