ULTRAVOX – QUARTET LP – Nr MINT/EXC+ UK 1982 INDIE ELECTRONICA

Ultravox – Quartet
(Chrysalis Records  1982  CDL1394)
Matrix No’s: A5/B5 – UK Pressing

Sleeve in Very Good+ condition
– small split in top edge and tear in bottom right corner – some rubbing
Inner Sleeve has discolouration/foxing spots but no splits

Vinyl in Nr MINT/Excellent+ condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality apart from some light pops/crackles)

Ultravox (formerly known as Ultravox!) are a British new wave band, formed in London in 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980–86, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was their 1981 hit “Vienna”.

The band has been led by two different frontmen who never played together in the band at the same time. From 1974 until 1979, singer John Foxx was frontman and the main driving force behind Ultravox. Foxx left the band to embark on a solo career and, following his departure, Midge Ure took over as lead singer, guitarist and frontman in 1980 after he and keyboardist Billy Currie worked in the studio project Visage. Ure revitalised the band and steered it to commercial chart success lasting until 1987. Ure left the band in 1987 after establishing his own solo career and the group disbanded for a while.

A new line-up, led by Currie, was formed in 1992, but achieved limited success, with two albums failing to chart and one solitary single reaching 90 in the UK Singles Chart.

The band’s best-known line-up of Currie, Ure, bassist Chris Cross and drummer Warren Cann reformed in 2008 and performed a series of reunion shows in 2009 and 2010 before releasing a new studio album, Brill!ant, in May 2012 which reached 21 in the British Album Charts. In November 2013, Ultravox performed as special guests on a four date UK arena tour with Simple Minds.

Quartet is the sixth studio album by the British new wave band Ultravox. The album peaked at no.6 on the UK album chart and was certified Gold by the BPI in December 1982 for 100,000 copies sold. It also peaked at #13 in Germany, and at #61 in the United States.

The album was produced by George Martin, most notable for his work with The Beatles.

Four singles were released from the album, all of which reached the UK Top 20. The band promoted the album with their “Monument Tour” in late 1982, one of the shows from which was recorded and released as an album and video in 1983.

Track listing

All songs written by Warren Cann, Chris Cross, Billy Currie, and Midge Ure.

Original release (CDL 1394)

Side A

1. “Reap the Wild Wind” – 3:49
2. “Serenade” – 5:05
3. “Mine for Life” – 4:44
4. “Hymn” – 5:46

Side B

1. “Visions in Blue” – 4:38
2. “When the Scream Subsides” – 4:17
3. “We Came to Dance” – 4:14
4. “Cut and Run” – 4:18
5. “The Song” (We Go) – 3:56

Personnel

Ultravox

• Warren Cann – drums, backing vocals
• Chris Cross – bass, synthesizer, backing vocals
• Billy Currie – keyboards, violin
• Midge Ure – guitar, lead vocals

Additional personnel

• George Martin – production
• Geoff Emerick – engineering
• Jon Jacobs – assistance
• Peter Saville – cover design