Ultravox/Aichi,Japan 1982

This CD was released directly from the original audience cassette, and features the band’s first visit to Japan in 1982, and their memorable debut performance at the Nagoya Koseinenkin Hall on February 21st. First of all, the quality of the cassette recordings is top-level for the time, with almost no sense of distance from the stage, and clear synth sounds, capturing the entire 80-minute performance of their first appearance in Japan. The set is, of course, from “VIENNA” and “RAGE IN EDEN,” released after Midge Ure joined the band, with seven of the nine songs from each album selected. The first half of the show is solidified with “RAGE IN EDEN,” and the second half features “VIENNA” numbers, with “Passionate Reply,” the B-side of the single “VIENNA,” in between. It is “New Europeans” that really gets the crowd going, and the impact is immense, as it was also used in a whiskey TV commercial at the time. Furthermore, the last song, “The Voice,” started with three synths and a drum, but each member stepped forward to the electric drum set up at the front of the stage and played that impressive beat, delighting the audience who experienced it live for the first time. This is a must-have memorial item for fans, recording that memorable first live performance with the best sound. 1. The Thin Wall 2. Private Lives 3. We Stand Alone 4. I Remember (Death in the Afternoon) 5. Mr. X 6. Accent on Youth / The Ascent 7. Your Name (has slipped my mind again) 8. Vienna 9. Passionate Reply 10. Passing Strangers 11. New Europeans 12. Sleepwalk 13. All Stood Still14. The Voice [Live at Koseinenkin Kaikan, Nagoya, Japan 21st February 1982] Midge Ure – Vocal, Guitar, Keyboards / Chris Cross – Bass / Warren Cann – Drums, Electronic Percussion / Billy Currie – Keyboards, Violin, Viola