Amazon are very slow, you will notice that all payments are sent to Switzerland this will be a tax dodge, maybe the CD comes from Zurich? I ordered from Townsend it arrived on 26th 2 days before launch Brilliant service!

Well, what a great album! To have come back after such a long time with material like this is quite an achievement- I like Rise especially but enjoyed all the new tracks.

Two things I would have to say:-

1. In my opinion they should have released Live to the radio stations instead of Brilliant. I think it's a stronger candidate and the more likely to get new people interested in the band.

2. As is the case with the Vienna album (in my opinion) these excellent songs deserved to be packaged in a more colourful and vibrant sleeve to complement and reflect them.

No. Amazon seem to be registered in Luxembourg - in itself, presumably, more beneficial for tax reasons, but the main distribution centre, I think, is in the Befordshire area for the UK. Returns go back to Dunfermline.

I share your views completely, and the CD suffers from the same shortcomings I'm sad to say. The production itself seems like quality work to me, although I would have preferred it a bit less polished, and backing off on the compressor on the drum bus would have given the drums more punch (and would have made the cymbals less seasickness-inducing). The main fault seems to lie in the mastering stage as you say. Oh well, just another victim of the loudness war, I suppose. Too bad.

Any chance of a "full dynamics" release of the CD, as some bands have done?

+1. There does appear to be some heavy-handed compression going on, and those "tsissing" hi-hats would make a dog cover its ears at fifty paces.

Pretty much brickwalled, unfortunately, with the exception of three tracks (the quiet ones).

Indeed. It shows quite clearly when you look at the tracks in a sound editor; zoomed out each track forms an almost solid rectangle (except for the quiet ones as you said).

Yes its is luxembourg, but does the CD not come from offshore I think Jersey and if you have every ordered from Play.com (jersey) it takes an absolute age to arrive.
Townsend hard to beat them for deliver!

On the first point (Delivery), I can't speak for Play, but reading up on it this morning it's clear Amazon have a number of distribution centres in each territory. As it was, my UK delivery came on the Monday of release (the day it was supposed to be). Maybe it would have been nice to have had it early, but I wasn't actually too fussed. I don't think the Townsend exclusive prints for the Ultravox related releases have been that great to be honest (I thought the RTE one was in the 'shocking' category actually), and given that I'm not fourteen any more and have enough prints and art around the house, I'm happy to settle on a service I know that delivers competitively both on reliability and price. By and large I find Amazon pretty hard to beat on most things I buy that are music related and this was no exception.

As for the Jersey question, if it's about tax going to the Government rather than shipping, I don't think it's entirely clear. I'm sure there are people out there who know way more about where it stands with HMRC than me, so I'll leave that to them to answer. However, certainly on the receipt that was snuck in with the CDs I received had a VAT amount apportioned. But taxes due to HMG and delivery are definitely separate issues I think.

Hope this adds to the debate. Apologies in advance if anyone disagrees.

My review: After hearing the album Brilliant Ultravox often. I want to get to the essence of why Ultravox has been part of the soundtrack of my life, and its main chapter. Besides its wonderful execution, his great skill melodic confused with pretentiousness that some of the wonderful voice of midge, the good musicians they are. Everything is relegated to the background when it comes to finding the truth, the sense of my choice. After hearing wonderful songs, and no little reflection I concluded that Ultravox are like a mirror that magnifies the beauty of things, me one step closer to perfection, and of course gets the most important goal, to watch and see my soul reflected in them. Symbiosis that produces the greatest joys. Describing them as we want to analyze is immaterial, but if you could illustrate in a word, it would be fulfilled. Thanks for a great album, hope many more people get to achieve that joy, for they will be happy even if alone for 50 minutes 42 seconds, the duration of an album. As ephemeral as life itself.

And now I have it at last, and my fears that it would be a complete disappointment have not been realized. Likewise my concern about being the lone voice of dissent.

If I hadn't been into Ultravox 30 years ago I don't know that I'd like this pompous, overproduced, melodramatic stuff now. But I was into Ultravox back then, and by and large Brilliant sounds pretty darn good. Better than anything after Lament, certainly. And sometimes there are moments that are pure classic Ultravox.

I'd be listening to it again now, but I also just got the Human League's new Dare/Fascination reissue box and Drokk: Music Inspired by Mega-City One, by Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury. It's a good evening by the stereo so far. I just need to find a Judge Dredd connection somewhere on Brilliant...

My 'pre-order' from Townsend Records finally arrived today, reaching what will probably be the most southern destination the album will get to (unless there's an Ultravox fan working at Scott Bass or McMurdo Sound?).

Anyway, the print has been buckled/bent (although, unfortunately [thankfully?], not one of the 50 copies signed by the band) and the jewel case is damaged. Still, at least I've finally got the CD, which currently isn't available in the couple of stores in town that might eventually have a couple of copies.

So, now to a further scrutiny of the contents ... the packaging is good, although not what I initially imagined it would be like before the cover image was revealed (although I still can't get to grips with that front cover image).

Cheers ...

Hi Steve and Rodney. Glad you've finally got your CDs. I love the album but definately felt underwhelmed by the cover. I guess it's not the most important thing but I always thought presentation mattered to Ultravox.

I've just received my copies of The Human League's Dare/Fascination reissue and Propaganda's Wishful Thinking reissue. So I will be giving them a listen....just after I've listened to Brilliant again!

So have you peeled yourself off the ceiling yet, Lavaocean?

Wait till you listen a few more times and you start to pick out the little pieces of genius in each track, as well as working out which are your favourites and not-so-favourites.

It's good being an Ultravox fan right now!

Fine albums, one and all. I remember listening to A Secret Wish back in the day - completely blew me away with its brilliance. Excellent vast production, superb words and music, and a funky clear cassette that looked like a reel-to-reel tape! Really was a bit of an eye-opener musically.

As for Dare, that was one of my Christmas presents in 1981. I remember at the time my dad having a meeting at the Ipswich Post House (now Holiday Inn), and came home banging on about some long-haired herberts who were in the bar, "the something League"! Bearing in mind this was about the time when 'Don't You Want Me' was No.1...... "Did you get an autograph, Dad?" "No, son". Dear oh dear, talk about missed opportunities. Thing is, I could probably walk past some chart-topping star in the streets nowadays and not recognise them! Professor Green........wasn't he in ER?

After having listened to Brilliant another time, I just can say: it grows with each time, although already at the first listen it has been so great.

I'm about to say it's better than all the classic albums to me...

So jealous of you all as Amazon still haven't delivered mine!!! Standard post ok but two weeks, jeez!!! They have told me to wait till the 9th and then contact them again. So tempted to just hit HMV and send the Amazon one back when/if it arrives!! Hoping this long wait will be worth it¬!!

My pre-order arrived today! Left Dunfermline on 26th May and arrived here on 7th June. "Here" is Glasgow. Well done Royal Mail. The Olympic torch is moving quicker than that.

Anyway, is that a film projector whirring away in the background of Remembering? A progression of the camera lens shutter on Mr X?

Nope, hahahahahaha!!!! Tonight I am listening to the second half, I really couldn't yesterday, it was tooooo much emotional and I wanted to dosify it accordinglt and leave some for today, LOL!!!

Someone posted here somewhere that there are 3 tracks they don't like, amongst which "Hello". Now that I have the album and know what people are talking about, I must say that HELLO is one of the strongest tracks so far for my taste. It's the 21st century adaptation of "Passing Strangers" and "We Stand Alone". It has this romantic element to it - bad tongues would call it slimey but I love it!! Although I was born/bred in Germany I have 100% Spanish blood in my veins, and we like it when it drips romantically like this.

This track would definitely get me dancing during a gig. I wish!!!! Wonderful!!!

I have always much more preferred the strong, dynamic tracks to the slow ones. In comparison, I'll go for cinema anytime whereas the museums with their static art tend to see me from the back. I need movement, I am young and I've got no time to lose!!! IN MY OPINION, ULTRAVOX ARE MADE TO PRODUCE NOISE!!! For slow, introverted tracks there are other bands. So let's see how much of a dancing potential and percentage the next gigs offer...

Your patience will definitely be rewarded, you'll see!!! What's two weeks more or less after 28 years???

Hello one and all. I finally have the new album.....so played it for 4 times in a row haha. The best tracks are Live and Lie as there very much the ultravox sound. So pleased there back and its sure been worth it.

Hello WF and welcome!

Glad you, too, love the album. It's really impressive and goes far beyond my expectations! I got mine on 6 June and it is amazing who the favourite songs change every couple of days... I have even started to get hooked in the slow ones, which normally is not the case. So enjoy!!

Thank you lavaocean. Yes it is a great album even the slower tracks. I can hear all the band members influence on the tracks but i think its a safer sound to there classic sound, but still very nice.

I've been immersed in the cd since it arrived.
Playing it to death in the car and driving into traffic-jams on purpose so i can complete my listening.
Billy's piano playing is exquisite throughout,and he seems to be kept quite busy on the whole project.There is for me an overall good feel about the music and tempo and i have been pleasantly surprised by how good it is.