Systems of Romance
Encyclopedia
Systems of Romance, released on 8 September 1978, is the third album by British band Ultravox
(an exclamation mark having been dropped from the moniker earlier in the year). It was the final recording for the group with original lead singer, lyricist and co-composer John Foxx
, and their first album without guitarist Stevie Shears
, who had been sacked from the band (in 1980 he joined Cowboys International
). Shears was replaced by Robin Simon
, making his first and only appearance on an Ultravox album. Though not a commercial success, Systems of Romance had a significant influence on the electropop music that came after it.
and Dave Hutchins, Systems of Romance featured the band's heaviest use of electronics
to date. More New Wave
orientated than the glam
- and punk
-influenced tunes that characterised their first two albums, Ultravox! and Ha!-Ha!-Ha!
, its style was partly inspired by German band Kraftwerk
, whose first four albums were produced by Plank. Among Ultravox's own repertoire, antecedents included Billy Currie
's distinctive synthesizer
work on "The Man Who Dies Every Day" and the romantic balladry of "Hiroshima Mon Amour
", both from Ha!-Ha!-Ha!.
The opening song, "Slow Motion", was indicative of the band's direction on the new album. Though based around conventional rock guitar
, bass
and percussion
instrumentation, it featured a number of rich synthesizer parts throughout the piece rather than simply a discreet solo or special effect. For drummer Warren Cann
, "it perfectly represented our amalgamation of rock and synthesizer, many of the ideas and aspirations we had for our music gelled in that song".
The subject matter of "Quiet Men
" grew out of an alternate persona developed by John Foxx, 'The Quiet Man', who embodied detachment and observation. Musically, like the earlier "Hiroshima Mon Amour", the track dispensed with conventional drums in favour of a Roland
TR-77 rhythm box
. "Dislocation" and "Just for a Moment" eschewed all acoustic and synthetic drums, relying on treated ARP Odyssey
sounds for their percussive effects. The former song was imbued with a heavy proto-industrial
flavour; the latter featured church-like vocal and keyboard effects that would be echoed on Foxx's second solo album, The Garden
. "When You Walk Through Me" displayed psychedelic
touches that Foxx also developed in his solo career; Cann later admitted to lifting its beat from The Beatles
' "Tomorrow Never Knows
". "Some of Them" was one of the few tracks that harked back to the band's previous hard rock sound.
just prior to a 1979 tour of the US. During the tour Foxx, tired of rows with other members, and of being in a group, announced his intention to leave Ultravox when he returned to England. Guitarist Robin Simon also left, electing to stay in New York
. Chris Cross
, Billy Currie and Warren Cann worked on other projects while recruiting a new lead singer/guitarist (Midge Ure
, in the event). This line-up of Ultravox played their final concert together in Los Angeles in March 1979.
movement of the 1980s. It was the sonic prototype for the re-formed Ultravox featuring Midge Ure who, in his own words, "loved that album". John Foxx's first record as a solo artist was the almost fully electronic Metamatic
; however his next release, The Garden, took Systems of Romance as its starting point, to the extent of re-recording the earlier album's previously unpublished title song, utilising Robin Simon on guitar, and displaying a similar sense of European romanticism. Gary Numan
, himself often called the "godfather of electropop", described the record as his single biggest musical inspiration; he invited Billy Currie to tour with him in 1979 and contribute to his album The Pleasure Principle
, prior to Ultravox's second incarnation.
Chris Cross's writing credits are under his real surname of Allen.
The 'Full Version' of "Quiet Men" is not longer than the original but features a different mix with more instruments.
Ultravox
Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....
(an exclamation mark having been dropped from the moniker earlier in the year). It was the final recording for the group with original lead singer, lyricist and co-composer John Foxx
John Foxx
John Foxx is an English singer, artist, photographer and teacher. He was the original lead singer of the band Ultravox before being replaced by Midge Ure, when he left to embark on a solo career in 1979...
, and their first album without guitarist Stevie Shears
Stevie Shears
Stevie Shears is a musician known for playing in english rock bands Tiger Lily and Ultravox! , alongside electronic musician John Foxx.-Tiger Lily and Ultravox!:...
, who had been sacked from the band (in 1980 he joined Cowboys International
Cowboys International
Cowboys International were a New Wave and synthpop band formed by vocalist and songwriter Ken Lockie that put out one album in 1979, the influential The Original Sin, and a handful of 45s before dissolving in 1980...
). Shears was replaced by Robin Simon
Robin Simon
For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon (born Robert Simon 12 July 1956,...
, making his first and only appearance on an Ultravox album. Though not a commercial success, Systems of Romance had a significant influence on the electropop music that came after it.
Production and style
Co-produced by Conny PlankConny Plank
Konrad "Conny" Plank was a German record producer and musician. He was born in Hütschenhausen. His creativity as a sound engineer and producer helped to shape some of the most important and innovative recordings of postwar European popular music, covering a wide range of genres including...
and Dave Hutchins, Systems of Romance featured the band's heaviest use of electronics
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
to date. More New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
orientated than the glam
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
- and punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
-influenced tunes that characterised their first two albums, Ultravox! and Ha!-Ha!-Ha!
Ha!-Ha!-Ha!
Ha!-Ha!-Ha! was the second album by British pop group Ultravox, at that time formally known as "Ultravox!", with an exclamation mark, as a nod to Neu!...
, its style was partly inspired by German band Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, whose first four albums were produced by Plank. Among Ultravox's own repertoire, antecedents included Billy Currie
Billy Currie
Billy Currie is an English violist, violinist, pianist, keyboardist, and songwriter...
's distinctive synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
work on "The Man Who Dies Every Day" and the romantic balladry of "Hiroshima Mon Amour
Hiroshima Mon Amour
Hiroshima mon amour is an acclaimed 1959 drama film directed by French film director Alain Resnais, with a screenplay by Marguerite Duras. It is the documentation of an intensely personal conversation between a French-Japanese couple about memory and forgetfulness...
", both from Ha!-Ha!-Ha!.
The opening song, "Slow Motion", was indicative of the band's direction on the new album. Though based around conventional rock guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
instrumentation, it featured a number of rich synthesizer parts throughout the piece rather than simply a discreet solo or special effect. For drummer Warren Cann
Warren Cann
Warren Reginald Cann is a drummer and drum machine programmer, best known as a member of the British New Wave band Ultravox.-Early life:...
, "it perfectly represented our amalgamation of rock and synthesizer, many of the ideas and aspirations we had for our music gelled in that song".
The subject matter of "Quiet Men
Quiet Men
"Quiet Men" is the fifth single from New Wave and synthpop band Ultravox. It was released in 1978 and was their last single on Island Records before the band signed to Chrysalis Records...
" grew out of an alternate persona developed by John Foxx, 'The Quiet Man', who embodied detachment and observation. Musically, like the earlier "Hiroshima Mon Amour", the track dispensed with conventional drums in favour of a Roland
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
TR-77 rhythm box
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
. "Dislocation" and "Just for a Moment" eschewed all acoustic and synthetic drums, relying on treated ARP Odyssey
ARP Odyssey
The ARP Odyssey was an analog synthesizer introduced in 1972. Responding to pressure from Moog Music to create a portable, affordable "performance" synthesizer, ARP scaled down its popular 2600 synthesizer and created the Odyssey, which became the best-selling synthesizer they made.The Odyssey is...
sounds for their percussive effects. The former song was imbued with a heavy proto-industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
flavour; the latter featured church-like vocal and keyboard effects that would be echoed on Foxx's second solo album, The Garden
The Garden (John Foxx album)
The Garden is a 1981 album by John Foxx, the follow-up to his debut solo album Metamatic, released the previous year. However its instrumentation and highly romantic style is more comparable to Systems of Romance, his last album with former band Ultravox, released in 1978.-Production and style:The...
. "When You Walk Through Me" displayed psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
touches that Foxx also developed in his solo career; Cann later admitted to lifting its beat from The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Tomorrow Never Knows
Tomorrow Never Knows
"Tomorrow Never Knows" is the final track of The Beatles' 1966 studio album Revolver but the first to be recorded. Credited as a Lennon–McCartney song, it was written primarily by John Lennon...
". "Some of Them" was one of the few tracks that harked back to the band's previous hard rock sound.
Release and aftermath
The album's September 1978 release was book-ended by two singles, "Slow Motion" in August and "Quiet Men" in October. Like Ultravox's previous albums, Systems of Romance received mixed reviews at the time and failed to chart. The band was dropped by their label Island RecordsIsland Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
just prior to a 1979 tour of the US. During the tour Foxx, tired of rows with other members, and of being in a group, announced his intention to leave Ultravox when he returned to England. Guitarist Robin Simon also left, electing to stay in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Chris Cross
Chris Cross
Chris Cross is the bass guitarist in the band Ultravox.-Early years:Cross went to Belmont Secondary Modern School, William Forster Comprehensive...
, Billy Currie and Warren Cann worked on other projects while recruiting a new lead singer/guitarist (Midge Ure
Midge Ure
James "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter...
, in the event). This line-up of Ultravox played their final concert together in Los Angeles in March 1979.
Influence
Systems of Romance has been cited as a major influence on electropop and on the New RomanticNew Romantic
New Romanticism , was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music...
movement of the 1980s. It was the sonic prototype for the re-formed Ultravox featuring Midge Ure who, in his own words, "loved that album". John Foxx's first record as a solo artist was the almost fully electronic Metamatic
Metamatic
Metamatic is an album by John Foxx, released in 1980. It was his first solo album following his split with Ultravox the previous year. A departure from the textured mix of synthesizers and conventional instruments on Systems of Romance, his last album with the band, Metamatics hard-edged...
; however his next release, The Garden, took Systems of Romance as its starting point, to the extent of re-recording the earlier album's previously unpublished title song, utilising Robin Simon on guitar, and displaying a similar sense of European romanticism. Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
, himself often called the "godfather of electropop", described the record as his single biggest musical inspiration; he invited Billy Currie to tour with him in 1979 and contribute to his album The Pleasure Principle
The Pleasure Principle (Gary Numan album)
The Pleasure Principle is the third studio album, and debut album under his own name, by electronic music pioneer Gary Numan, released in 1979...
, prior to Ultravox's second incarnation.
Track listing
- "Slow Motion" (Chris AllenChris CrossChris Cross is the bass guitarist in the band Ultravox.-Early years:Cross went to Belmont Secondary Modern School, William Forster Comprehensive...
, Billy CurrieBilly CurrieBilly Currie is an English violist, violinist, pianist, keyboardist, and songwriter...
, John FoxxJohn FoxxJohn Foxx is an English singer, artist, photographer and teacher. He was the original lead singer of the band Ultravox before being replaced by Midge Ure, when he left to embark on a solo career in 1979...
, Robin SimonRobin SimonFor the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon (born Robert Simon 12 July 1956,...
, Warren CannWarren CannWarren Reginald Cann is a drummer and drum machine programmer, best known as a member of the British New Wave band Ultravox.-Early life:...
) – 3:29 - "I Can't Stay Long" (Currie, Simon, Allen, Cann, Foxx) – 4:16
- "Someone Else's Clothes" (Foxx, Currie) – 4:25
- "Blue Light" (Allen, Currie, Foxx, Simon, Cann) – 3:09
- "Some of Them" (Foxx, Currie) – 2:29
- "Quiet MenQuiet Men"Quiet Men" is the fifth single from New Wave and synthpop band Ultravox. It was released in 1978 and was their last single on Island Records before the band signed to Chrysalis Records...
" (Foxx, Currie, Allen) – 4:08 - "Dislocation" (Currie, Foxx) – 2:55
- "Maximum Acceleration" (Foxx) – 3:53
- "When You Walk Through Me" (Foxx, Simon, Currie) – 4:15
- "Just for a Moment" (Currie, Foxx) – 3:10
Chris Cross's writing credits are under his real surname of Allen.
Bonus tracks on 2006 CD re-release
- "Cross Fade" (Cann, Allen, Currie, Foxx) – 2:53
- "Quiet Men (Full Version)" (Foxx, Currie, Allen) – 3:55
The 'Full Version' of "Quiet Men" is not longer than the original but features a different mix with more instruments.
Personnel
- John FoxxJohn FoxxJohn Foxx is an English singer, artist, photographer and teacher. He was the original lead singer of the band Ultravox before being replaced by Midge Ure, when he left to embark on a solo career in 1979...
– vocals - Billy CurrieBilly CurrieBilly Currie is an English violist, violinist, pianist, keyboardist, and songwriter...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello.... - Warren CannWarren CannWarren Reginald Cann is a drummer and drum machine programmer, best known as a member of the British New Wave band Ultravox.-Early life:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, rhythm machineDrum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
, vocals - Chris CrossChris CrossChris Cross is the bass guitarist in the band Ultravox.-Early years:Cross went to Belmont Secondary Modern School, William Forster Comprehensive...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, vocals - Robin SimonRobin SimonFor the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon (born Robert Simon 12 July 1956,...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals