Just an enthusiastic rant!

The random selection of John Foxx songs my MP3 player threw at me this morning was an inspiration. "She Robot" stood out. Combined with reading the John Foxx interview in EV16 at the same time.

What a great way to start the day.

I feel really lucky to have discovered John's music back in 2001 at what turned out to be a significant point in his career. I couldn't be without it.

You're even luckier that you weren't a fan during the "Forgotten Years" between 1985 and 1997.
All those fruitless searches in record shops, on the internet, in magazines - the only sighting being a "Where are they now?" feature in Q sometime in the early 90s.

Then in 1997 a wander into HMV in Sheffield revealed that not only had a "John Foxx" rack appeared but there were 2 new CDs in it!

Actually Alex it's probably best you weren't a fan at the time as they only had one copy of each CD in the whole of Sheffield and I bought them both!

I remember seeing THE copy of Shifting City in HMV on Pinsteone Street in 1997.

Picked it up, looked at the titles, put it back down again. What a fool I was!

It's nice to read an enthuiastic rant.

Having been a fan since 1979 I had the forgotten years to contend with. I remember the fruitless searches in record shops. I found by accident Metamatic (1st issue)and then The Garden on CD with bonus tracks I thought the gods had smiled on me big time that day Than came along Modern art and with the internet then things really took off. For the first time I could talk (via this forum) to others with a passion for John and Ultravox

Seeing new members on here from a younger generation than myself, makes me realise that John and Ultravox still have the ability to find new fans which must be good news.

At the moment I'm playing POE a nice way to spend a morning :p

Peter

Well, I have been searching all of New York and I cannot find ANYTHING by Mr Foxx!

I think there's always room for an enthusiastic rant. Why not?

I heard 'Underpass' back in the day and loved it from the first. My favourite single is 'Burning Car' - still unlike anything else I've ever heard. It infuriated me at the time that John Foxx seemed to be denied the kind of success enjoyed by lesser artists, but found 'In Mysterious Ways' to be a great disappointment.

As the years passed, it seemed we'd never hear from John again, but like the poster above, it didn't stop me rifling through my local HMV for perhaps a compilation. And one day, without notice, there was 'Cathedral Oceans!' The man was back, and with his own record label too.

I saw him live in Birmingham in 1998 and was completely blown away (marred by the fact I had to leave before the end to catch the last bus).
Strangely, I was due to go the concert with a friend, who was then unable to make it.
And yet somehow, seeing John on my own seemed right - he always seemed a solitary figure himself.

To have regular albums from this brilliant man is a dream come true, even better now he's free to produce what he wants, without the constraints of a major label.

Sorry to go on - but lets hope John never stops either!

NA

I surely don't envy those of you who had to wait through his ten year silence.

I can relate though - ten years waiting for Peter Gabriel to record the follow-up to "Us" was quite an ordeal. But at least I knew what he was doing and was still in the limelight.

Must be rewarding to know your patience paid off - well, we have been rewarded I guess, with about 7 new albums and all the reissues since 1997!

In 1980 i already had "Underpass" single; but luckily "Metamatic" was on a markdown in my local store - so i quickly claimed my prize and rushed home delighted. LOL

Grant

This is exactly how I felt when I first saw John at the Mean Fiddler in 2001. Since then I've been lucky enough to see him with other members of this site.

Regards Peter

I haven't been there recently, but I have seen some Foxx CDs in the Virgin Megastore in Times Square. However, you're better off buying them online -- the prices and selection are better.

With John the "loner" thing that i got with him is that he is his own man and would rather risk isolation than have to conform to others' expectations - perhaps this is just projection as those are my own personality traits. LOL. But i do see it in him; and it's part of the attraction.

Grant

There does seem to be a 'loner' kind of feeling to john's music and this helps to make it so unlike other music around.
But i think John himself is not lonely or unhappy, just quietly happy about life in genaral. That also comes across in he music.
The 'loner' theme was there from the first ultravox! album to present day foxx.
Its good to see even though John did want more commercial appeal, he never sacrificed the music content for it. Once again being happy to play the part of the quiet man. I think thats how ever album from John has been total quality.

Pleasures of Electricity was always a very solitary feeling album for me, but not in a cold or isolated way. It's a very reflective album with a feeling of content in solitude. The music and lyrics are very warm in places.

Metamatic is also very lonesome but in contrast, I do find it stark and cold. But that's what's so great about it!!

You're right Alex. POE and Metamatic certainly have a solitary sound if there is such a thing. I can imagine John walking around on his own whilst listening to the lyrics especially on POE.

Peter

…which is part of the reason Metamatic was so big when it first came out. All that 'electronic' stuff was just taking off and is very much the sound of the North. Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester -Cabaret Voltaire, Human League, OMD, Joy Division.
John helped plant this seed into London.
Punk was very much music for the crowds, stuff to leap around to with your mates, and was essentially the sound of London I think.
With synths, there was an opportunity for detached individuals to make their own sound. "Isolation" if you like (pun intended!) became fashionable. Shoegazing and long greyovercoats took over from gangs and image - it was music 'loners' could not only relate to, but make themselves.

And long live people that do their own thing regardless.
I can certainly relate to that. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="cool.gif" />

Martin

i agree with most of what u say - but Gary Numan was an alienated suburban southern boy; i don't think it was necessarily geographic. Punk just burnt itself out and became the very dull Oi / Skinhead movement; and the only folks doing interesting stuff were the folks in overcoats u mention. LOL

Grant