Lament (Ultravox album)
Occupation
- Vocals / Guitar / Keyboard: Midge Ure
- Bass / Keyboard: Chris Cross
- Drums / Percussion: Warren Cann
- Keyboard / Violin: Billy Currie
Lament (Ger. lament ) is the seventh studio album by British band Ultravox. The album was released on 19 April 1984 Chrysalis Records and is the genre New Wave attributed. It also marks the last collaboration of the four band members for a period of 25 years. The drummer Warren Cann was replaced prior to the start of the follow-up album U- Vox by Mark Brzezicki. As recently as 2009, the original cast for the comeback tour Return to Eden came together and later produced the album Brilliant.
An eponymous double album was released on September 4, 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 the cooperation with the British hit producer George Martin for the previous album Quartet, the band decided to produce Lament own. The album was recorded in London's Chiswick in Studio Midge Ure Music Festival and subsequently mixed in the Mayfair Studios. Through the use of its own private recording studio, the musicians had more freedom in the compositional work. Chris Cross and Ure also traveled by caravan on the Scottish island of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides to bring, among other inspiration for the lyrics.
Cover design
As with Quartet took over Peter Saville 's artistic style. Initially Ure and Cross insisted on an all-black shell, as for their album This Is Spinal Tap a few months published the rock group Spinal Tap thereafter, but were swayed by their manager Chris Morrison. The final design included a matt black base with small regularly arranged black shiny squares, which were visible only when appropriate lighting. In the upper right corner was the word Lament and including a photo of the Standing Stones of Callanish. The musicians had visited going back to the megalithic stone formation in its travel to the northern island region Lewis. Because of the high unit cost of more than one British pound, the band had initially make only a relatively small circulation of 10,000 copies. After these were due to the chart success quickly sold out, a lower-cost successor series was produced in less demanding version.
Instrumentation
Presented in the 1983 MIDI technology was first used in the production of an Ultravox album to use. The band replaced some of the previously used instruments by those with MIDI interface. Digital synthesizers were programmed with vocal samples that on the title track Lament ( Palm PPG Wave 2.2 ) and White China (Yamaha GS-1 ) can be heard. In Heart of the Country beyond a string quartet is represented. The solo in the middle of the song played Billy Currie on a Violectra the U.S. manufacturer Barcus -Berry.
Mae McKenna, the sister of the drummer Ted McKenna ( Rory Gallagher, Michael Schenker Group ) contributed, for Man of Two Worlds backing vocals in Gaelic language in. Debi Doss, formerly singer with The Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star in was next to Shirley Roden one of the two votes in addition to A Friend I Call Desire.
Title list
The Definitive Remastered Edition contains on the second CD:
In addition, four titles as digital downloads online sellers available:
Publications and chart success
The album peaked in the UK eight place in Germany and number 25 in the U.S. space 115 on the album charts. It was in the UK on June 8, 1984 Gold status for more than 100,000 sold.
A total of four singles were released from the album: One Small Day on January 26, 1984 ( before the album's release ), Dancing with Tears in My Eyes on May 4, 1984 Lament on 21 June 1984 ( in the UK, Australia and New Zealand ) and Heart of the Country in September 1984 ( in Germany and France). Dancing with Tears in My Eyes was by far the most successful extraction. It reached position with seven of the best chart position of all Ultravox singles in Germany and third place the second best result to Vienna in the UK Singles Chart. In Belgium, the song became a number -one hit.
In the music video for the three published in the UK Singles Midge Ure and Chris Cross led the Director, after she had already written the script. In Dancing With Tears in My Eyes of a disastrous accident at a nuclear power plant from the personal point of view of a couple is portrayed. The plant is one of the most popular videos of the 1980s. As a venue for One Small Day was the one shown on the album cover rock band The Standing Stones of Callanish. For Lament along with four female models a love story was staged. While filming on the Scottish island of Skye Ure met his first wife Annabel Giles know.
Tour
One week after the album's release the Set Movements World Tour began in Spain. Ten stations in Germany in May 1984, and further appearances in the UK and other European countries followed before the tour ended with a final concert in the United States. Danny Mitchell and Colin King supported as Messengers, the band again in the instrumentation and backing vocals. The sound check before each concert lasted several hours. A total of 26 individual input signals were handed over to the PA system.
Reception
Despite a stylistic improvement over the previous album, the press spoke of the well-known " English cathedrals sound " and " well-known phrases ". Dave Thompson of Allmusic rated the album 4 out of 5 points and certifies the band, a "perfect musical legacy, wasteful in musical and bleak in terms of subject matter ." The " gloomy state of mind " outer both human in "Sleepy melancholy " and " emotional pain " ( Lament, One Small Day, A Friend I Call Desire ) as politically colored or in the form texts that evoke the " global threats of the modern world " ( White China, Heart of the Country, Dancing with Tears in My Eyes).