In this post, Tad and Brad are joined by Kevin, as we assess the brilliance of Ultravox’s 1981 masterpiece, Rage in Eden.  By the way, Tad usually does these intros, so forgive me (Brad!) for making a mess of it.

Brad: Tad and Kevin, so very glad to be doing this review with you.  I have a feeling this will be a long one.  It was, I must admit, Kevin who really introduced me to Ultravox in the fall of 1986, our freshmen year at Notre Dame. I had, of course, heard of “Vienna” as a single, but I knew very little about the band.  

After telling him how much I loved progressive rock (especially Genesis, Kansas, and Yes), Kevin introduced me to Vienna (the album), Rage in Eden, Quartet, and Lament.  I must reveal–I feel deeply in love with all of them, but especially with Rage in Eden and Lament.  

At the time, Kevin mentioned to me that he loved the lyrics so much he hoped, one day, to write an entire book about “The Thin Wall.”  This notion, of course, caught my attention.

But, I must also admit that my love of Ultravox has been deeply personal, too.  I was a huge fan of Quartet, and I was listening to it when my wife and I drove to the hospital to deliver our fifth child way back in 2007.  She (our baby) died in childbirth, and I still can’t listen to that album.  I tried again, recently, and it only brought up terrible memories.  In a weird way, I say this as a compliment to Ultravox, as the music means everything to me.

Relatively recently, though, Steven Wilson has remixed and remastered Midge Ure-era Ultravox: Vienna; Rage in Eden; and Quartet.

Tad and Kevin, what do you guys think of Rage in Eden? 

Tad: Brad, I am looking forward to discussing this classic album with you and Kevin! I had just begun my junior year in college when it was released, and I still remember my jaw dropping when I first heard the urgent synth beat to “The Voice” fading in to full volume. 

By fall of 1981, I was totally immersed in British new wave music, and I loved artists like Thomas Dolby, Gary Numan, The Human League, Depeche Mode, ABC, Howard Jones… well, I could go on forever! Anyway, to my ears there was something that immediately set Ultravox apart, and Rage In Eden became an album that transcended its moment in pop history. I think what struck me the most was the warmth of their music, which arose from three elements: Midge Ure’s powerful baritone vocals, Warren Cann’s excellent drums, and Billy Currie’s violin. 

Other synthpop artists, like Gary Numan or Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, could come up with killer hooks, but they also sounded cold and brittle. Ultravox had awesome synth lines that cracked and boomed, but underneath them was a human presence that lent their music accessibility.

Okay, I’ll stop for now and give Kevin a chance to jump in!

Kevin: Thanks Tad.  So glad to be a part of this discussion. I came a bit later to this Ultravox album.  I was intrigued by the Ultravox when I first caught the video for “Vienna” probably around 1982 or so. Not long after seeing it I found a copy of the album at Hogwild Records in San Antonio.  I was completely taken with the sound.  And shortly after that a musician friend suggested Rage in Eden.  Upon hearing Rage In Eden again today I had the same uncanny sense about it that I was so drawn to so many years ago. 

On the one hand, they are unmistakably a part of the early 1980’s oeuvre.  The synth sounds by themselves place them among the artists you mention, Tad. And I would agree that unlike Numan and OMD, Ultravox had a warmth and a power that was much more appealing. And Midge Ure’s theatrical way of writing really sets their music apart. The textures and the lyrics are very much about establishing a sense of place and story. It’s as if you’ve stepped into the pages of a novel and UV is providing the soundtrack. And his stories and vocal delivery are so compelling that even after so many years the music is remarkably fresh and engaging.

Another thing that struck me when listening to Rage in Eden again, was the guitar work.  The synths are clearly present throughout the mix, but it’s Ure’s guitar that really sets them apart from the schtick of the typical keyboard band. It’s the great blending of his angular phrasing and the sharp tone that shape the overall sonic impression. No doubt he and Edge (U2) were listening to each other, but Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee of Rush were too. Ultravox was breaking new ground.

Brad: I’m in full agreement with you both.  I love the music on Rage in Eden and I also think it’s angular, but I must admit, it’s the lyrics that do the most for me.  Take the lyrics to the title track:

We sit and watch these lifeless forms
Stark and petrified
The high suspense of an empty stage drawing in clutching to its breast
With murmured words we sigh and focus on the main facade

Beyond the hard reluctant windows
News from magazines
We wrote their names on books we’d borrowed as if to bring us closer still
And threw it all away to focus on the main facade
Rage in Eden jigsaw sequence
But no-one could see the end

And they were the new gods
And they shone on high
Their heavy perfume on the night sucked them down in red tide
All is through the looking glass focus on the main facade
Rage in Eden jigsaw sequence
But no-one could see the end

Disciples of the new way
Portraits in the new sand
See when they run their longest mile holding caps in wet hands
Eyes upon them try to focus on the main facade
Rage in Eden jigsaw sequence
But no-one could see the end

These lyrics are simply astounding.  As many times as I’ve listened to this album since 1986, they continue to grab me, wrestle with me, and turn me into something pathetically receptive.

Or, even better, the lyrics for “The Thin Wall,” here with Bovine Grace!

The sound is on the visions move
The image dance starts once again
They shuffle with a bovine grace and glide in syncopation
Just living lines from books we’ve read
With atmospheres of days gone by
With paper smiles
The screenplay calls a message for the nation

And those who sneer will fade and die
And those who laugh will surely fall
And those who know will always feel their backs against the thin wall
The thin wall
Thin wall

Grey men who speak of victory
Shed light upon their stolen life
They drive by night and act as if they’re moved by unheard music
To step in time and play the part
With velvet voices smooth and cold
Their power games a game no more
And long the chance to use it

And those who dance will spin and turn
And those who wait will wait no more
And those talk will hear the word
And those who sneer will fade and die
And those who laugh will surely fall
And those who know will always feel their backs against the thin wall
The thin wall
Thin wall
The thin wall 

And those who dance
The thin wall
And those who talk
The thin wall
And those who sneer
The thin wall
And those who laugh
The thin wall
And those who know
The thin wall
And those who dance
The thin wall
And those who wait
The thin wall
And those who talk

Again, simply astounding.  Words that actually mean something.  Or, again, “Accent on Youth”:

What is this phase that I am going through
O these precious years
Please take my hand and let me breathe again
Young depressive tears

We stumble blindly chasing something new and something sinful
You take my time you live my life for me
What have I done to rate this penalty
You suck me dry
My body cries
We stumble blindly chasing instant thrills and lasting memories

Accent on youth
Attention 
Ascends on you

I scream with frustration and lost control
Open for the blows
My hands fall limp and hang down by my side
Take my soul and go
We stumble blindly chasing dancing lights and others’ wishes

Just let me close my eyes and slip away
Dream a dream alone
You give me just enough rope for the task
Let this man alone
We stumble blindly chasing silhouettes and vacant faces
So well rehearsed our moves once so graceful turn against us

We stalk dark passages, we’re looking for that sweet surrender
Just let me close my eyes and slip away
Dream a dream alone
You give me just enough rope for the task

Let this man alone
We stumble blindly chasing silhouettes and vacant faces
So well rehearsed our moves once so graceful turn against us
We stalk dark passages, we’re looking for that sweet surrender

After thirty-plus years of listening to these words, they still mean everything to me.  If I had to find a comparison, I would say that, at the time, only The Fixx were writing lyrics as beautifully wrought and perfectly written for the angular music they were producing.

Tad: Kevin, now that you point it out, of course Ure must have been influenced by The Edge in his guitar style! His choppy, rhythmic lines are very similar to The Edge’s, yet still original. And his solos are so good – flowing and ascending inexorably to a satisfying conclusion. His solo on “Death in the Afternoon” is breathtaking.

Brad, thank you for sharing the lyrics to these songs. As many times as I’ve listened to this album, I’ve never delved into them very far. To me, they always conjured an overall atmosphere of drive and energy, while sounding somewhat claustrophobic (and I mean that in a good way).

I love the way Rage In Eden is sequenced – for example, after the slow dirge of the title track, “Death in the Afternoon” bursts out with incredible energy. The music of that track is paradoxically life-affirming, given its title. And how about the transition from the album’s longest song, “The Stranger Within” to “Accent on Youth”? The former song is one long, relentless groove with subtle synth accents in the background that hypnotically lulls the listener into a relaxed state, until the rapid beat of “Accent on Youth” ups the energy again with a beautiful melody sung with pure joy by Ure. That transition might be my favorite moment of the album. 

However, I can’t pick a favorite song, because each one hinges on the next to create an organic whole. I think Conny Plank deserves a lot of credit for the frankly beautiful sound of this album. There is a depth to the soundstage that reveals new and delightful details in the mix. At times it is a massive wall of sound (“The Voice”), and at other times it is a wide-open space, (“Your Name Has Slipped My Mind Again”).

One last point I’d like to make – the album art is some of my all-time favorite. Peter Saville, who also worked with New Order and Factory records, came up with a gorgeous art deco style for Rage In Eden that complements the music perfectly. (See above) It looks sleek, modern, ancient, and classical all at the same time. Due to legal issues, his artwork that graced the 1981 vinyl version wasn’t used on a couple of reissues, but Chrysalis has recently reissued a 5 CD/DVD version that has the original art. 

Brad: Tad, you’re most welcome!  Good lyrics mean everything to me.  So glad to know there are good writers out there.  Ultravox is definitely among the best when it comes to words and lyrics.  If, as Kevin said, the guitar is angular, so are the words and images the band presents.

And,Tad,  I agree with you regarding the organic whole.  Every song relies on every other song.  A definite completeness to Rage in Eden.

Kevin, I hadn’t thought about The Edge getting his sound, in part, from Ultravox.  But, as you pointed out, we do know that Rush was influenced by Ultravox.  You can really hear it on “Vital Signs” on Moving Pictures and really all of Signals.

Kevin: I don’t doubt their influence on other bands and songwriters of the time. Ure didn’t invent the chopped chord technique—reggae and ska were everywhere in the English scene—but he brought into it his own colors within the context of the atmospheric keyboard parts.  That blend IS the UV sound.  And he was also working more with minor chords and almost jazzy voicings.  That along with the mostly dry engineering, creates a sort of cubist tapestry.

Which is what makes the final track so striking.  “Your Name Has Slipped My Mind Again” is drenched in reverb, echo, and sustain.  It’s like a freeze frame at the end of an intense film but the credits don’t flow.  Instead, it continues for four-and-a-half  minutes frozen in time. None of the parts are synced until the refrain is sung. And then all you can recall of the lyric is the title line and the passionate “oh ohs.”  

Which brings me back to the dramatic nature of the writing. He places you in a narrative that leaves you wondering, yet there is a clarity to the storyline.  It’s not all smoke and mirrors—or Duran Duran-y drama for drama’s sake.  As it concludes you have the distinct feeling that you’ve arrived somewhere with the narrator: somewhere quite mysterious, yet beautiful.

And this cinematic sensibility (which begins with the arrival of Midge Ure on Vienna (1980)) has Ultravox creating great art and continuing the development of progressive rock.  They pick up where Yes’s Drama (1980) leaves off and take the genre somewhere utterly new.  Though at the time of the release of Rage in Eden Chris Squire and the boys were working on their own new band, Cinema, (which eventually drew in Jon Anderson and morphed into Yes’s 90125) theirs was more of radio-friendly rock. Concurrently Genesis was heading into similar territory with Abacab and Genesis (1983). Ultravox, along with a handful of other like-minded groups, were much more the avant garde creativists and the real inheritors of the progressive rock aesthetic. Less than five years after the release of Ultravox’s Lament, Talk Talk would release their post-rock masterpiece Spirit of Eden.

Which reminds me—I’m glad that you focused in on the lyrics, Brad.  Because there is something so compelling about Ure’s writing and the way he brings his sensibilities to each subject. There is a unique sense of place for each individual track on Rage in Eden. If you examine the tracks carefully in sequence you’ll notice that each one has either a slightly or sometimes greatly differing cadence.  Which leads to another striking element on the album—the variety in the groove.  Even though three of the tracks share a close tempo it’s never in sequence and the other six tunes are quite varied.  

It’s interesting, Tad, that you mentioned the transition between “The Stranger Within” and “Accent on Youth.” Rage in Eden really shines in those transitions—like scene changes. 

And remarkably, despite it being a classic New Wave album, it’s clear that at least the final track was recorded without a click track. The tempo imperceptibly varies a great deal—as much as 7bpm faster and slower and in that ethereal space. Yet Ure’s vocal, the drum, and the keyboard are pretty tightly in sync after the intro. Which makes it likely that at least these main parts were recorded live in the studio and not overdubbed. Coming on the heels of the incredible ascending key modulations at the end of “Accent on Youth” (one of my favorite musical moments on the whole album), into the great violin solo called “The Ascent”, then the cascading piano and the revved-up glissando at its culmination and suddenly…it cuts off into an echoing gunshot.  The variability in the final track’s tempo along with the removal of the rhythmic pulse casts the listener into space—adrift—off a cliff and in descent.  It’s one of the most powerfully visual moments on the whole record. A riveting  conclusion to the whole album.

Tad: Beautiful insights, Kevin! Midge Ure himself would agree with you; he is quoted as saying, “I think ‘Rage in Eden’ was always one of my favourite albums. There’s a starkness about it, an austere, mystical distance, a coldness to it but a coldness that kind of works.”

I think with that, we can bring our celebration of Rage In Eden to a close. Even though it didn’t chart above 144 in the US, it had a huge influence on the New Wave music scene internationally. I hope our conversation has given Spirit of Cecilia readers some incentives to check out this classic work from the early 80s! 

Here is the official video for “The Thin Wall”: