Lament (Ultravox album) explained

Lament
Type:studio
Artist:Ultravox
Cover:Ultravox - Lament.png
Recorded:1983–1984
Studio:Musicfest (London)
Length:37:29 (LP)
62:11 (CD)
Label:Chrysalis
Producer:Ultravox
Prev Title:Monument
Prev Year:1983
Next Title:The Collection
Next Year:1984

Lament is the seventh studio album by British new wave band Ultravox, released on 6 April 1984 by Chrysalis Records.[1] It was the last album featuring original drummer Warren Cann until the band's reunion album Brilliant in 2012. The album peaked at number eight on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 8 June 1984 for shipments of 100,000 copies. It also reached number 25 in Germany and number 115 in the United States.

Background

Ultravox produced Lament themselves, a logical step considering the experience that they had gained working with two very different producers, Conny Plank and George Martin. Ure and Currie had at this time built their own home studios. Ure's Musicfest Studio located in Chiswick and Currie's Hot Food Studio in his basement in Notting Hill Gate.[2]

The album's inner sleeve on LP releases features a photograph of Callanish Stones, a neolithic stone arrangement on Lewis in Scotland.[3] On later releases of the album, this photograph appears on the front cover in place of the original tracklist, which is instead displayed on the formerly-blank back cover.

Tour

The tour was called "Set Movements Tour", including 5 nights at Hammersmith Odeon 6th to 10 June 1984, and was supported by the band Messengers.[4] [5]

Versions

The album's initial release on CD featured a different track listing from the initial LP release as the songs were interspersed with remixes. When the album was next re-released on CD in 1999, it featured the original track listing with seven bonus tracks consisting of various B-sides and remixes from the Lament period added to the end of the album.

The album was once again re-released in 2009 as a double CD set. The first disc consisted of the original album remastered. The second disc contained remixes, B-sides and previously unreleased "work in progress" versions of songs.

Prior to the issue of a deluxe special edition box set of Lament in 2024, April's Record Store Day saw the release of a limited edition 12" featuring four newly created extended versions of album tracks, mixed by Steven Wilson: White China, Man Of Two Worlds, When The Time Comes and A Friend I Call Desire. Two of these are to feature on the box set, and two are exclusive to this special vinyl release.

Track listing

LP track listing

Side A

  1. "White China" – 3:50
  2. "One Small Day" – 4:30
  3. "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" – 4:39
  4. "Lament" – 4:40

Side B

  1. "Man of Two Worlds" – 4.27 (featuring Gaelic vocals by Mae McKenna [6])
  2. "Heart of the Country" – 5:05
  3. "When the Time Comes" – 4:56
  4. "A Friend I Call Desire" – 5:09

CD and cassette track listing

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

CassetteSide One

  1. "White China" – 3:50
  2. "One Small Day" – 4:30
  3. "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" – 4:39
  4. "Lament" – 4:40
  5. "One Small Day [Extended Mix]" (aka [Special Remix Extra] from limited edition UK 12 inch single) - 8:31

Side Two

  1. "Man of Two Worlds" – 4:27 (featuring Gaelic vocals by Mae McKenna)
  2. "Heart of the Country" – 5:05
  3. "When the Time Comes" – 4:56
  4. "A Friend I Call Desire" – 5:09
  5. "Lament [Extended Mix]" - 8:01

CD

  1. "White China" – 3:50
  2. "One Small Day" – 4:30
  3. "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" – 4:39
  4. "Lament" – 4:40
  5. "White China [Special Mix]"
  6. "One Small Day [Extended Mix]" (aka [Special Remix Extra] from limited edition UK 12 inch single) - 8:31
  7. "Man of Two Worlds" – 4:27 (featuring Gaelic vocals by Mae McKenna)
  8. "Heart of the Country" – 5:05
  9. "When the Time Comes" – 4:56
  10. "A Friend I Call Desire" – 5:09
  11. "Lament [Extended Mix]" - 8:01

1999 UK re-release

  1. "White China" – 3:52
  2. "One Small Day" – 4:33
  3. "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" – 4:40
  4. "Lament" – 4:42
  5. "Man of Two Worlds" – 4:28
  6. "Heart of the Country" – 5:07
  7. "When the Time Comes" – 4:58
  8. "A Friend I Call Desire" – 5:13
  9. "Easterly" – 3:49
  10. "Building" – 3:14
  11. "Heart of the Country (Instrumental)" – 4:25
  12. "Man of Two Worlds (Instrumental)" – 4:33
  13. "White China (Special Mix)" – 8:25
  14. "One Small Day (Extended Mix)" – 8:31
  15. "Lament (Extended Mix)" – 8:01

2009 Remastered Definitive Edition

Disc one

  1. White China – 3:53
  2. One Small Day – 4:33
  3. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes – 4:40
  4. Lament – 4:41
  5. Man of Two Worlds – 4:28
  6. Heart of the Country – 5:06
  7. When the Time Comes – 4:57
  8. A Friend I Call Desire – 5:11

Disc two

  1. One Small Day (Special 12″ Remix) – 7:51
  2. Easterly (B-side of One Small Day) – 3:48
  3. Lament (Extended 12″ version) – 8:02
  4. One Small Day (Limited Edition Remix) – 8:31
  5. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes (Special 12″ Remix) – 10:02
  6. Building (B-side of Dancing with Tears in My Eyes) – 3:11
  7. White China (Special Mix, original CD version) – 8:23
  8. Heart of the Country (Instrumental) (B-side of Lament) – 4:24
  9. One Small Day (Final Mix) – 7:45
  10. A Friend I Call Desire (Work in Progress Mix) – 5:39
  11. Lament (Work in Progress Mix) – 4:53

2024 Super Deluxe Edition

  1. White China [2024 Remaster]
  2. One Small Day [2024 Remaster]
  3. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [2024 Remaster]
  4. Lament [2024 Remaster]
  5. Man of Two Worlds [2024 Remaster]
  6. Heart of the Country [2024 Remaster]
  7. When the Time Comes [2024 Remaster]
  8. A Friend I Call Desire [2024 Remaster]
  9. White China [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
  10. One Small Day [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
  11. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
  12. Lament [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
  13. Man of Two Worlds [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
  14. Heart of the Country [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
  15. When the Time Comes [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
  16. A Friend I Call Desire [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
  17. Easterly [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
  18. Building [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
  19. Love's Great Adventure [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
  20. White China [Extended Re-Mix]
  21. One Small Day [Extended Re-Mix]
  22. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [Blank and Jones So8Os Reconstruction]
  23. Lament [Moby Remix]
  24. Man of Two Worlds [Extended Mix]
  25. Heart of the Country [Extended Re-Mix]
  26. When the Time Comes [Steven Wilson 12" Mix]
  27. A Friend I Call Desire [Steven Wilson 12" Mix]
  28. One Small Day [U.S. Single Edit]
  29. Easterly [2024 Remaster]
  30. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [Single Version]
  31. Building [2024 Remaster]
  32. One Small Day [U.S. Club Version]
  33. Lament [Single Version]
  34. Heart of the Country [Instrumental]
  35. Love's Great Adventure [2024 Remaster]
  36. White China [Live]
  37. Man of Two Worlds [Instrumental]
  38. White China [Rough Mix Sept '83]
  39. Man of Two Worlds [Monitor Mix Aug '83]
  40. Lament [Backing Track Sept '83]
  41. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [Piano Version]
  42. Love's Great Adventure [Work in Progress Mix]
  43. Threads [Version 1]
  44. Threads [Version 2: Love's Great Adventure]
  45. Rivets
  46. One Small Day [Special Re-Mix]
  47. One Small Day [Special Re-Mix Extra]
  48. White China [Special Re-Mix]
  49. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [Special Re-Mix]
  50. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [U.S. Extended Re-Mix]
  51. Lament [Extended Version]
  52. Heart of the Country [Special Unedited Re-Mix]
  53. Love's Great Adventure [Extended Version]
  54. One Small Day [Final Mix]

Plus all of the following recorded live in London (Hammersmith Odeon, 7th June 1984)

  1. Man of Two Worlds
  2. Passing Strangers
  3. We Stand Alone
  4. New Europeans
  5. I Remember (Death in the Afternoon)
  6. Visions in Blue
  7. Heart of the Country
  8. Western Promise
  9. Vienna
  10. Reap the Wild Wind
  11. We Came to Dance
  12. White China
  13. One Small Day
  14. Hymn
  15. The Voice
  16. Lament
  17. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes
  18. All Stood Still

This release is available on vinyl and CD box set (which also contains a blu-ray featuring a surround sound mix by Steven Wilson)

Personnel

Ultravox

Additional musicians

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1984)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[7] 41
European Albums (Eurotipsheet)[8] 16
Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)[9] 8

Year-end charts

Chart (1984)! scope="col"
Position
UK Albums (Gallup)[10] 71

Notes and References

  1. Record News . . London . 24 March 1984 . 2.
  2. 2021-07-31. life-after-ultravox. Sound on Sound . Mar 1991 . 28–32 . Jenkins . Mark .
  3. Book: Johnstone, Andrew . 2010 . How The Neolithics Influenced Rock 'n' Roll . Andrew Johnstone Design . 31 . 9781446191385.
  4. Ultravox Set Movements Tour Program 1984
  5. Web site: 2022-11-17 . setmovements .
  6. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=song|id=t3097669|pure_url=yes}} Man of Two Worlds ]. 2008-07-12. allmusic. Dave. Thompson.
  7. Book: Kent, David . David Kent (historian) . Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . illustrated . St Ives, N.S.W. . Australian Chart Book . 1993 . 317 . 0-646-11917-6.
  8. European Top 100 Albums . . 1 . 12 . 18 June 1984 . 12 . 29800226 . World Radio History.
  9. News: Ísland (LP-plötur) . . is . 22 June 1984 . 37 . 1021-8254 . Timarit.is.
  10. Top 100 Albums (January 3–December 29, 1984) . . 26 January 1985 . 42 . 0265-1548 . World Radio History.