Arguably the most influential album ever released. David Bowie was handed a test pressing of this album by his then manager Kenneth Pitt in December 1966 (Pitt had been to the US to see Andy Warhol in an attempt to book the VU for a UK tour and Warhol gave Pitt the record) and was performing a cover of “I'm Waiting For The Man” before this album was released in the UK. Almost every Punk band worth its salt in those early days covered that same song and expressed a love for the Velvet Underground. Brian Eno, after being told by Lou Reed that the album sold 30,000 copies in its first 5 years, said in an interview “I think everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band!”. Its influence can never be underestimated and can still be heard today. It also helps that it is a mind-meltingly wonderful record.

It opens with the greatest Sunday morning song I can think of outside of Kris Kristofferson’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down”. The VU’s “Sunday Morning” is a gentle, beautiful start to any Sunday morning. Chiming bells lead you in to Lou Reed breathily intoning “Sunday morning, brings the dawning, It's just a restless feeling by my side”. It’s gorgeous and, just to set some kind of record how many times can you say the phrase Sunday morning in one paragraph, we just said Sunday morning again.

Then…I’ve said many times in here that track 1, side 1 sets the tone for a whole album. On this record track 2, side 1, it could be argued, set the tone for the next 50 years, set David Bowie on an unstoppable path and invented Punk Rock, Indie Rock, Stoner Rock and any other kind of outsider Rock genre you can think of, because “I'm Waiting For The Man” may well be one of the most, if not THE most, important songs in the history of Rock & Roll music. It tells of a junkie going to meet his dealer at the corner of Lexington Avenue and 125th Street in Harlem, he scores and then has to wait to do the same thing tomorrow (“but that’s just another time”) to do that all over again. Bowie had it in his set before it was released here. It has been covered by Eater, Beck, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Tubes, Vanessa Paradis, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Bauhaus, The Wasps, Slaughter & The Dogs, Georgia Satellites, Tom Robinson Band, Cheap Trick, Belle & Sebastian, The Members, hell, I’ve done it in more than one band I was in…do you start to see what we’re saying ? This song travelled a long way…and here we are, only two songs into this record. 

Of the remaining four songs on side 1 three are absolute classics too and most bands in 1967 would have been happy to write something like the 4th ! Those 3 classics would be “Femme Fatale”, “Venus In Furs” and “All Tomorrow’s Parties”. “Femme Fatale” was written at Andy Warhol’s request about Warhol superstar Edie Sedgewick (also the subject of The Cult’s “Edie (Ciao Baby)” BTW) and is sung by Nico in that beautifully deadpan German accent (she was described in one review as being"half goddess, half icicle”) with the rest of the band droning the backing vocals on the chorus like petulant schoolboys. “Venus In Furs” is a song about sadomasochism and bondage written by Lou Reed after reading Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s book of the same name. John Cale’s Viola screech’s in the background as Reed delivers scenes like

“Taste the whip, in love not given lightly

Severin' taste the whip

Severin' taste the whip, now pleeeaaad for me”

from whence Steven Bailey found his alter-ego on becoming the Bass player in Siouxsie & The Banshees. “All Tomorrow’s Parties” comes in on a hammered 2 note piano motif with Nico once more droning Lou Reed’s lyric about the people who could be found at Andy Warhol’s Factory studio. The title has lent it’s name to a music festival, a novel by William Burroughs and a movie directed by Hong Kong director Yu Lik-wai. It has been covered by Japan, Jeff Buckley, Bauhaus, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Siouxsie & The Banshees and Bryan Ferry ! Oh and that other song on side 1…”Run, Run, Run” which ain’t half bad.

Side 2 opens with Lou Reed’s epic description of drug use, “Heroin”. It’s a fairly graphic description of the use and effect of taking Heroin (“Heroin will be the death of me, It’s my wife and it’s my life” and “Because when the smack begins to flow, I really don't care anymore”). Audience members would tell the band they shot up while the song was being played which troubled Reed and made him very reluctant to play it. I do remember in the ’80’s a huge argument about the song breaking out on the letters page of one of the music inkies (Sounds or NME) that went on for weeks and I’m sure involved Boy George. The whole subject of Heroin use is troubling but Reed doesn’t condemn or endorse it in the song, it’s one that definitely raises controversial questions.

“There She Goes Again” and “I’ll be Your Mirror” are in that vein of “Run, Run, Run” although the lyrics of “There She Goes Again” do contain some troubling imagery. The last two songs “The Black Angels Death Song” and “European Son” are in a more experimental vein. The former features more of Cale’s screeching Viola and as the latter is credited to all 4 members of the band I’m presuming it was a studio jam, cos that’s what it sounds like.

The album that launched a thousand bands is the only way to think about “The Velvet Underground And Nico”. It’s influence on rock and popular music through the latter part of the 20th century (Punk, Goth, Indie and Alternative Rock in general) is immeasurable. Another record I own more than 1 copy of, a 2012 35th anniversary facsimilie of the 1st issue with a peelable banana on the front (a genuine first issue will cost you four figures these days) and a yellow vinyl copy of suspect legality. It’s influence shows no sign of abating just yet.

I’m Waiting For The Man - https://youtu.be/99og_g7rXnA?si=uI60elZ1QHLcUQN-

With Ultravox appearing to be all done with, Billy Currie met Midge Ure while both were working on the album “Visage” (which we’ll get to soon) for New Romantic “face” Steve Strange. Ure had previously bounced around various bands including Slik, allegedly been auditioned for the Sex Pistols, thence the Rich Kids with Glen Matlock and played live for Thin Lizzy. He was an Ultravox fan and was asked by Currie to join a new lineup. This line up (Ure, Currie, Cross, and drummer Warren Cann) toured the US again in late 1979 and when they were picked up by Chrysalis Records most of this album had been written and road tested. I’d always thought this record sounded like it may have been written with John Foxx (in mind) but it turns out it wasn’t.

It was to Conny Plank they returned to make this new album, although it was this time recorded in London and Plank mixed it back in Germany at Conny’s Studio. Just to get us in the mood and to remind us this is still, in fact, Ultravox we kick off with an instrumental, the new singer can wait just one track. “Astradyne” is a belter too, 7 minutes long and with 3 of the four musicians credited with playing synths alongside their regular instruments (Billy Currie’s violin is still featured), while drummer Warren Cann handles drums and electronic percussion. There’s another (almost) instrumental later on, the VERY Kraftwerk sounding “Mr. X”.

And then in comes Midge and his singing. I’m not particularly a fan, his vocal style is a little histrionic for my liking, but hey, this album begat 3 hit singles, “Passing Strangers”, “All Stood Still” and of course the title track. Yes I’ve been ignoring thus far the fact that this album is home to what may be the UK’s most famous #2 single (you wanna know how bad the great British record buying publics taste is ? They thought Joe Dolce’s “Shaddap You Face” was more worthy of the #1 spot than “Vienna”). Having said that about Joe Dolce, “Vienna” isn’t a particular favourite of mine either. Compared to similar Ultravox(!) songs of the past, things like “My Sex”, “Hiroshima Mon Amour”, “Slow Motion” etc., it really pales in their shadow. Yes it launched this Ultravox on a chart bothering, extremely successful 80’s career but it’s not one I pay much mind.

“Vienna” is a record I own more as a tidy up to a period I liked, rather than because I really like it as an album. It’s not a bad album, it’s not great either and it really doesn’t get anywhere near the John Foxx fronted Ultravox(!) to my ears but hey, this version was waaaaay more successful so (again !) what do I know ?

Astradyne - https://youtu.be/_QfISgmIZSg?si=av_3w6Xd20kMUeQP

We’ve already ascertained that Ultravox (you may notice they have now dropped the !) were fans of Krautrock. Konrad “Conny” Plank had been an important sound engineer (he began his career as the sound engineer for Marlene Dietrich) and record producer in the early 70’s German music scene that came to be known as Krautrock. He had worked with Kraftwerk, Neu!,  Ash Ra Tempel, (K)Cluster, Harmonia and Guru Guru as well as being half of the duo Moebius & Plank (with Dieter Moebius of (K)Cluster and Harmonia). He set up his famed Conny’s Studio (the first album recorded there was Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn”) on the outskirts of Cologne in 1974 and in 1978 this is where Ultravox headed to record their new album.

Plank’s grounding in electronic music is vital to Ultravox’s album number 3, the synths are now much more important to the sound. “Systems Of Romance” is utterly superb, one of those albums I can play over and over again and never tire of hearing. Also remember that for a such an overtly electronic album that relies much more on the synthesizers than their previous two records this was released in 1978. Probably only Kraftwerk, in the mainstream, were working like this at that early date (yes I know the Human League released their 1st single before this but they were not yet on our radar).

The new electronic sound is immediately in your face with the long sustained notes that introduce “Slow Motion”. Analogue instruments have not been completely done away with, guitars and drums are still part of the mix, but the electronic keyboards definitely dominate “Slow Motion”. This is the sound that the band later tried to recreate with Midge Ure but this is so much better. “Slow Motion” is an absolute treasure, it sounds huge. 

Songs based around the guitar are still here, “I Can’t Stay Long”, “Someone Else’s Clothes” in particular, continue their Punk connection and “Some Of Them” is a sophisticated punk roar. “Blue Light” pushes the synths to the forefront once more.

On Side 2 things calm down but hearing “Quiet Men” (another song I’m sure the carried into the Midge years) felt like listening to music from the future. The guitar is still scratching away but the synths are bubbling and washing around and the electronic drums sounded like robots were playing them and clapping along at the end. “Dislocation” is full on electronic music. Outside “Slow Motion” my favourite song on this album is “Maximum Acceleration”, a massive song with so much movement in it when you hit the chorus. “When You Walk Through Me” winds up the guitars and eases back the electronics and finally “Just For A Moment” lead us out on a gentle bed of heartbeat bass drums and synth washes, it’s quite lovely.

Those years of 1978, 1979 and into 1980 were incredible years for music and I was so lucky to have lived through them. “Handsworth Revolution”, London Calling”, “All Mod Cons”, “Inflammable Material” all cae out in that time period. In our little world in 1978 “Systems Of Romance” was as big a deal as any of those albums. We all loved the singles that were more Punk Rock bangers, “Young Savage” and “ROckwrok” but this was something much more advanced. It likely gave me a nudge toward diving into Bowie, and songs like “Slow Motion” and “Quiet Men” were so important on those Futurist dancefloors we were to be found on in the early 80’s.

After the relative failure (sales wise) of “Systems Of Romance” Island Records dropped Ultravox on the last day of 1978. The band self financed a US tour in early 1979 and split after their final gig near San Francisco in March that year, with John Foxx declaring his plan to pursue a solo career. 

It’s undeniable what an effect this album must have had on Gary Numan. He would have been formulating “Replicas” at the time “Systems Of Romance” was released and the sound of those two records is eerily similar. Numan (a self confessed uber Ultravox! fan) recruited violinist Billy Currie for his band for the recording of “The Pleasure Principle” and its subsequent tour. The rest of the band scattered to the four winds…or so we thought.

Slow Motion - https://youtu.be/nIlD6XyX_uE?si=Yk_ikePGEheCHS7W