#100692 - Sun, 25 Sep 2016 15:01:49
Is this the end?
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Registered: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:00:00
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Loc: UK
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Interesting note on Billy's revamped website. A long way down in the biography there is the note......
2016 - It is the 40th anniversary of the release of Ultravox! the first album by the band. Ultravox! Ha! Ha! Ha! & Systems of Romance are re released as a boxset. After 43 loyal years I decide to draw a line under it. A sad statement to read....
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#100693 - Sun, 25 Sep 2016 20:38:50
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Chopper]
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Registered: Sat, 07 Aug 2010 19:00:00
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Loc: Stockholm
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Very sad indeed. I wonder what happened ....
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#100695 - Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:06:16
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Björn]
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Loc: oxfordshire
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#100696 - Wed, 28 Sep 2016 19:00:16
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Chopper]
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Pass level: Press
Registered: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:00:00
Posts: 54
Loc: Leigh-on sea, Essex
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That was an interesting article with Midge, thanks for posting
Fingers crossed Ultravox do return again one day, I managed to see them on the Return to eden part 2 and Brilliant tours and I absolutely loved the Brilliant album
I Also managed to find a good number of live recordings from the reunion tours which is great as I feel I have too few live recordings of the "Classic" years
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#100698 - Thu, 29 Sep 2016 08:22:44
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: david L.]
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Registered: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:00:00
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Loc: UK
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A bit more of a positive note, thanks for sharing
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#100699 - Thu, 29 Sep 2016 11:26:44
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Chopper]
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Loc: oxfordshire
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A bit more of a positive note, thanks for sharing In my opinion , Midge has always been the one wanting to do more and trying to stay positive, and Billy holding back. Whatever he may say I dont think that Billy has got over the feud between the two of them in the 90s. The statement on the BC website is pretty definitive. I think we have seen the last of any 'vox reunion activity
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#100701 - Fri, 30 Sep 2016 00:21:47
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Chopper]
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Registered: Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:00:00
Posts: 13
Loc: USA
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They had an official Facebook page, but it's gone now... https://www.facebook.com/ultravoxWas Billy in charge of that?
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#100702 - Fri, 30 Sep 2016 12:40:53
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Larynx]
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Registered: Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:00:00
Posts: 60
Loc: Frankfurt, Germany
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#100703 - Fri, 30 Sep 2016 20:28:07
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Maniac Cop]
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Registered: Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:00:00
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Loc: USA
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Oh, thank you. The link I posted worked for a long time, and then suddenly it didn't.
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#100706 - Sun, 02 Oct 2016 22:54:53
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Larynx]
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Registered: Sat, 13 Aug 2016 16:16:54
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Hopefully we will see them together again.
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#100711 - Sun, 09 Oct 2016 13:21:08
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: davox]
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Pass level: Green Room
Registered: Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:00:00
Posts: 168
Loc: Here
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1988 wasn't putting the band on ice - Midge and Chris both left and encouraged Billy to carry on with a new band.
Midge's comments on the current situation are pretty clear that, while they haven't discussed further activity, he's open to it, but he doesn't understand the comment on Billy's website.
Maybe the fact Midge said they haven't spoken for two years is a factor. That might lead Billy to think the others aren't interested. Although there's a suggestion Midge has tried to keep in touch and got nothing back, but I may be reading that the wrong way.
But it's all speculation. We can't know what Billy means unless he chooses to elaborate.
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#100715 - Thu, 13 Oct 2016 19:59:26
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Flip Martian]
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Registered: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:00:00
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Loc: Leigh-on sea, Essex
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I would love to see the band tour again, considering how absolutely fantastic they were when I saw them in 2010 and 2012 it would be a shame to finish it there, but if that is the case I am still happy with what they gave us when they did return
Personally I would like some more of the live shows to get a release or a 2 disc definitive edition of Brilliant
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#100716 - Fri, 14 Oct 2016 18:55:55
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Unique designs in crome]
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Personally I would like some more of the live shows to get a release or a 2 disc definitive edition of Brilliant
what would you put on the 2nd disc? From memory there is only 1 relevant non-album track - "7/8"
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#100717 - Fri, 14 Oct 2016 20:26:52
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: david L.]
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Pass level: Press
Registered: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:00:00
Posts: 54
Loc: Leigh-on sea, Essex
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In the build up to the album there were interviews with the band, I think in the videos they played some demo tracks so those could be included with the B side "7/8" and then fill out the disc with live tracks
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#100718 - Mon, 17 Oct 2016 11:18:56
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Chopper]
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Registered: Wed, 01 Dec 2004 20:00:00
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Loc: sussex
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I rarely voice my opinions but here goes and no doubt I will get some stick... With the greatest respect for Billy, for 24 of the 43 years Billy talks about the band did not exist. It is a great shame that he views Ultravox in such a way. I have seen both Midge and Billy doing their solo tours and whist it’s all good stuff it does not compare to the collective that is Ultravox. Why draw a line under something that brilliant? If you can still do it then do it! They all seemed to enjoy the last tours. The new album (unlike some reunion stuff) was as excellent as anything they have done before. Now the unintentionally sounding soppy bit but, speaking as someone who has lost all their family but one (most before I was 19!), you learn life only happens once. Why bicker and hold grudges. Do something fantastic with whatever time you have don’t waste it! That said if the boys have had a guts full of it then of course we all respect that, just such a massive sadness.
Edited by The airman (Mon, 17 Oct 2016 11:19:36)
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#100719 - Tue, 18 Oct 2016 16:32:20
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: The airman]
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you learn life only happens once. Why bicker and hold grudges. Do something fantastic with whatever time you have don’t waste it! Agree with that, 1 million %. Life's too short for negativity. But perhaps the guys also think life's too short and they have other things they would rather be doing, too.
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#100977 - Tue, 13 Mar 2018 20:05:50
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: angrymoose]
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Registered: Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:00:00
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Loc: Herts
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I think the reappearance of those albums has more to do with how the rights seem to be easily available to third party labels, although it is, in a way, a sort of compliment in that the band's reputation still means that labels want to release something on CD... even if it's nothing new. As for new Vox, well, my personal feeling is that its unlikely for many of the reasons others have cited in this thread. If the Brilliant tour is the last, then those marathon two-in-one shows were a heck of a crescendo to go out on! I'm certainly glad I managed to see them on that memorable Hammersmith evening, for which I will always hold fond memories - both of the night and people met there.
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#101032 - Tue, 28 Aug 2018 07:09:34
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Unique designs in crome]
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In the build up to the album there were interviews with the band, I think in the videos they played some demo tracks so those could be included with the B side "7/8" and then fill out the disc with live tracks This is something I've always been keen for. Those video clips included snippets of some of the tracks "in progress", including Hello, which to me sounded far more instrumentally impressive. Then there are the later studio clips of Billy recording an extended piano section for Remembering, and Midge's awesome guitar part for the end of Rise, which ended up somewhat buried in the mix ... it would have been great just to have this as a coda to the track, as would Billy's ARP Odyssey solo at the end of Flow. To me, all of these were examples of the distinctive Ultravox musicality missing from the album, so I'd certainly love the opportunity to hear as much of this material as possible.
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#101040 - Sun, 23 Sep 2018 01:40:29
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Rodney]
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSv9u96caQoThe earlier(?) version/mix of Hello is the first 31 seconds of this clip, referred to within my previous posting, above.
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#101042 - Sun, 23 Sep 2018 22:22:27
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Alone With Strangers]
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Registered: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 19:00:00
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Thanks very much for your comments.
For me, it was more that it appears to be a completely different piano melody, which doesn't seem to appear within the album version/mix (although, I may be wrong). The album version/mix just seems to plod along and Warren's drum track is quite uninteresting as well (and I never thought I'd admit to something like that!).
But, there are other instrumental moments that may have been edited ... Billy's Odyssey solo at the end of Flow, for example, and it would've been nice to hear an extension to Rise of just Midge's guitar with the electronic rhythm tracks ... quite sensational. Then there are the various versions of Remembering as well. So, it would be nice to hear a bonus disc of this material, but I doubt it will ever happen now.
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#101043 - Tue, 13 Nov 2018 21:26:11
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Alone With Strangers]
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Pass level: Green Room
Registered: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 20:00:00
Posts: 123
Loc: Germany
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it would be great to hear a pre-Lipson version of at least some tracks and a CD copy that has not been brickwalled to within an inch of its life in the mastering process With the greated respect for Mr. Lipson, in my opinion he was the wrong person to produce "Brilliant". Ultravox should have done it on their own. Although eagerly awaited, "Brilliant" is the one album which I hardly play, despite owning several copies. The production does not feel like Ultravox, there was so much more potential in these songs ...
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#101063 - Fri, 30 Nov 2018 21:56:18
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: BlueVision]
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Pass level: Press
Registered: Tue, 04 Jul 2017 20:05:14
Posts: 50
Loc: Northern Europe
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I can only agree with you guys that getting an extended version of Brilliant with early versions would be great. Had Conny Plank lived, yes surely the right man to co-produce. Wasn't it the case that they wanted to do it themselves, but the record company insisted they bring in an outside producer? I seem to remember Midge saying that somewhere.
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#101103 - Sat, 06 Apr 2019 21:01:33
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Malpaso Man]
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Pass level: Green Room
Registered: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 20:00:00
Posts: 123
Loc: Germany
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Today I was getting back to this thread and in parallel revisted an interview on electricityclub.co.uk. Mr. Lipson was quoted in regards to why "Brilliant" did not do so well:
"Not a clue. Maybe it was a lack of money to promote it? Maybe a lack of interest in the band? It’s hard to say."
While I am usually trying not to say negative things, my take on this is simple: If Ultravox had produced the album by themselves they would have sounded much better.
Mr. Lipson produced "Man On The Rocks" with Mike Oldfield and that´s one of the albums which received various bad ratings. The next album (produced by Oldfield himself) was much better received. It is a simple fact that not every producer is made for every genre and with the utmost respect, Mr. Lipson was not the ideal choice for producing our beloved Ultravox.
Edited by Tom27 (Sat, 06 Apr 2019 21:02:07)
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#101104 - Sun, 07 Apr 2019 07:44:37
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Tom27]
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Pass level: Press
Registered: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:00:00
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Loc: Leigh-on sea, Essex
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The Return to Ommadawn album from Mike Oldfield also went back to the structure of the first few albums, long tracks round an album theme rather than regular structured songs, I love Mike Oldfield and I consider the latest album a real return to form after alot of middling to lower quality albums in my opinion.
I really love the Brilliant album but I just don't think it was ever going to appeal to the masses, it was always more of a fan album in my eyes
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#101117 - Wed, 03 Jul 2019 21:04:22
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Alone With Strangers]
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Pass level: Press
Registered: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:00:00
Posts: 60
Loc: Sussex
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Haven't been on for a while as all things Ultravox have gone quiet but read with interest some of the comments re the Brilliant Album. To be honest I wasn't a great lover of the album although there are some good tracks on it and it's certainly not a bad album and far better than U-Vox for instance. However it just to me didn't sound like Ultravox, the power wasn't there with Midges whispering vocals and, a bit like U-Vox, in some ways it sounded like an album with a bit of Midge, bit of Billy, bit of Chris with Warren filling in the gaps "rather" than an album as a collective between the four. Possibly a bit too experimental in some ways for certain ears a bit like when Midge moved away from the light stuff from The Gift to the experiment that was Answers.
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#101149 - Wed, 28 Aug 2019 15:12:53
Re: Is this the end?
[Re: Nisei]
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Pass level: Green Room
Registered: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 20:00:00
Posts: 123
Loc: Germany
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To me that really sounds like he's very disappointed in the other band members and he would have wanted to continue if the others had put more effort into it. I had a similar feeling. It sounded bitter and maybe one of the issues is that Midge is still seen by the press as kind of being Ultravox alone. It is easy to understand that - after all the years - it is something you cannot always swallow. Having re-watched the Return To Eden DVD, I was hoping so much that the members had found a way to circumvent all their previous disagreements and could start over with good feelings. Sadly, it seems that old wounds have emerged again. Given the age of everyone, I wished they could have coped better with it and have fun together again. If there was one wish left, it would be for a final real Ultravox album produced by themselves.
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