Ultravox! - The Island Years (2016)

Not so much, ‘Oh, Vienna’ as pre-Vienna… in May, Caroline International release a deluxe four-CD box set with newly remastered versions of Ultravox’s first three albums (and a bonus disc of rarities) originally recorded for Island Records in 1977 and 1978. The Island Years 2016-style represents a significant advance on previous collections, like the band’s 1999 The Island Years compilation which featured just 16 songs harvested from their first three albums. Here, Ultravox!, ha!-ha!-ha! and Systems of Romance are reproduced in full. The set kicks off with the band’s eponymous debut album from 1977. The original Ultravox! (they spelt their name with an exclamation mark in homage to krautrock band Neu! back then…) line-up was fronted by singer John Foxx and the album which included the single Dangerous Rhythm was produced by Brian Eno and Steve Lillywhite.

Tracklist:

CD1 - Ultravox!:

01. Ultravox! - Saturday Night In The City Of The Dead (2:36)
02. Ultravox! - Life At Rainbow's End (For All The Tax Exiles On Main Street) (3:44)
03. Ultravox! - Slip Away (4:19)
04. Ultravox! - I Want To Be A Machine (7:22)
05. Ultravox! - Wide Boys (3:16)
06. Ultravox! - Dangerous Rhythm (4:18)
07. Ultravox! - The Lonely Hunter (3:43)
08. Ultravox! - The Wild, The Beautiful & The Damned (5:49)
09. Ultravox! - My Sex (3:03)


CD2 - Ha! Ha Ha!:

01. Ultravox! - ROckwrok (3:34)
02. Ultravox! - The Frozen Ones (4:07)
03. Ultravox! - Fear In The Western World (4:01)
04. Ultravox! - Distant Smile (5:21)
05. Ultravox! - The Man Who Dies Every Day (4:12)
06. Ultravox! - Artificial Life (4:59)
07. Ultravox! - While I'm Still Alive (3:16)
08. Ultravox! - Hiroshima Mon Amour (5:14)


CD3 - Systems Of Romance:

01. Ultravox - Slow Motion (3:28)
02. Ultravox - I Can't Stay Long (4:17)
03. Ultravox - Someone Else's Clothes (4:27)
04. Ultravox - Blue Light (3:09)
05. Ultravox - Some Of Them (2:29)
06. Ultravox - Quiet Men (4:11)
07. Ultravox - Dislocation (2:56)
08. Ultravox - Maximum Acceleration (3:53)
09. Ultravox - When You Walk Through Me (4:16)
10. Ultravox - Just For A Moment (3:12)


CD4 - Rare Retro:

01. Ultravox! - Young Savage (3:00)
02. Ultravox! - Slip Away (Live) (4:05)
03. Ultravox! - The Man Who Dies Every Day (Live At Huddersfield Polytechnic) (3:54)
04. Ultravox! - Young Savage (Live At The Marquee, London) (3:18)
05. Ultravox! - The Wild, The Beautiful & The Damned (Live At The Rainbow, London) (5:18)
06. Ultravox! - My Sex (Live At Huddersfield Polytechnic) (3:05)
07. Ultravox! - Young Savage (John Peel Session 28/11/77) (2:55)
08. Ultravox! - The Man Who Dies Every Day (John Peel Session 28/11/77) (4:16)
09. Ultravox! - My Sex (John Peel Session 28/11/77) (2:49)
10. Ultravox! - Artificial Life (John Peel Session 28/11/77) (4:54)
11. Ultravox! - ROckwrok (7'' Version) (3:20)
12. Ultravox! - Hiroshima Mon Amour (Alternate Version) (4:59)
13. Ultravox! - Quirks (1:40)
14. Ultravox! - Modern Love (Live) (2:32)
15. Ultravox! - The Man Who Dies Every Day (Remix) (4:19)
16. Ultravox! - Slow Motion (Old Grey Whistle Test 05/12/78) (3:23)
17. Ultravox! - Hiroshima Mon Amour (Old Grey Whistle Test 05/12/78) (3:36)
18. Ultravox! - Quiet Men (7'' Version) (3:18)
19. Ultravox! - Cross Fade (2:58)
20. Ultravox! - Quiet Men (12'' Version) (3:55)