Following the expansive 11 disc reissue program Chrysalis Catalogue undertook for the “Lament” album by Ultravox, It’s astonishing that anything was left over but October 17th sees the release of a new EP of “Love’s Great Adventure” with several loose remixes that were held back from the BSOG, Blu-Ray, Steven Wilson 2.0 remix 2xCD, and the #9 disc of extra remixes! Fortunately, the A-side is a Blank + Jones so80s Reconstruction of “Love’s Great Adventure.”
This is another case where Blank + Jones have been given access to the masters to remix in their penchant for a very “authentic” sounding remix that would be appropriate to the era the song was released in…only different to any extant 12″ versions. I have the Blank + Jones so80s ZTT project and it’s a real treat to hear their chops resulting in post-modern remixes that sound “vintage.” Blank + Jones mixed “Dancing With Tears In My Eyes” on the “Extended Re-Mix” disc [#3] of the “Lament” BSOG of last year and I’m happier to hear the attention given this time to the last great Ultravox single from their Imperial Period.
“Love’s Great Adventure” was the unexpected, upbeat track added to their 1984 “The Collection” greatest hits Christmas release. Built on the bones of Ure + Cross’s unused second attempt at a Levis ad soundtrack that went m.i.a. when they got tired of dealing with the ad agency and walked away with the track in progress. The band had also seen record buyer surveys at Chrysalis that showed that fans felt that they were po-faced and stiff to a fault and this exuberant track was the band’s reaction to that finding. The 1984 12″ merely uses most of the backing track sans vocals for a very conservative instrumental intro buildup before the single with vocals was edited in for a tight 5:40 12″ mix. That 1980 12″ version approach in 1984 was past its sell-by date. So I’m glad that that Blank + Jones will be doing something a little more “adventurous” with the song this time. The EP will contain four tracks. All of which are new to our ears.
Ultravox: Love’s Great Adventure Blank + Jones so80s Reconstruction – UK – 10″/CD [2025]
- Love’s Great Adventure [Blank + Jones so80s Reconstruction] 5:07
- All Stood Still [12” Extended Re-Mix Extra] 7.06
- Love’s Great Adventure [Steven Wilson Instrumental Mix] 3.09
- Hymn [Alternative Instrumental Outtake] 6.02
There’s no word on the provenance on the “All Stood Still” new 7:06 mix but it will be much different to the tentative original 1981 12″ mix which had a 30 second instrumental buildup and little else different. The Steven Wilson “LGA” instrumental remix was made for the “Lament” BSOG but not used. More intriguing is the “Hymn” Alternative Instrumental Outtake. It was originally recorded in late 1982 as part of a re-recording session for the band’s appearance on Top Of The Pops. Which is the interesting story there.
The British Musician’s union held forth that performances of songs on BBC television required the band to record a new backing track and to sing live over it for such appearances. For all I know, the band got union scale payment for doing this. But in practice, the TOTP producers played the single and the bands famously mimed. Which the TV producers vastly preferred. It looks like this version of “Hymn” was what transpired in the studio when the band had to go through the motions of recording a new backing track. Color me intrigued.
They are even cutting a new video for the song using unused footage from the 1984 shooting. Which can only help. At least Chrysalis Catalogue is giving us a choice on formats. The EP is available on 10″ and CD. Ultravox have previously done the 10″/CD thing memorably with the “Moments From Eden” release in 2010. But the window of going all-in on Ultravox has closed for me. Particularly as I’m selling off the Ultravox releases I’ve bought over the years and not enjoyed. There’s no point for me any more to “have it all.”
Both formats have a die-cut card sleeve with the label art on the disc itself completing the cover design. The CD is a “record like” black polycarbonate disc with pressed “grooves” on the label side similar to what Culture Factory do with their CD releases. The official Ultravox store calls these “limited edition” releases… pretty much like any other physical product today! If you’ve an interest, act now or likely pay more in the aftermarket later.
I’ve committed for the CD and once more The Fathead’s pig-ignorant tariff/trade war policy cost me over the price of the disc [$15.50] in duties and shipping. And my only option is to call it out like I just did. I looked into other domestic distributors but came up empty handed. Until third parties obtain the discs, it appears that the official Ultravox webstore is the only place to preorder this. And that’s the Global store. The US store only has pair of “Lament” issues so choose accordingly. $13.99 for the CD and $21.99 for the 10″ EP. Both for $32.99. Interestingly enough, the prices include taxes. But not the shipping/duty charges! DJ’s hit that button!
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Post-Punk Monk 
I’ve ordered both the 10” and the CD.
I’ll be interested in hearing these alternative versions of such well known tracks. Any ‘new’ product from the band is an essential purchase for me.
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If Ultravox were trying to look les po-faced on Love’s Great Adventure they certainly succeeded on the video, especially the pause for breath 30 seconds in. https://youtu.be/v5jVLiTlnnE?si=-P0oaHL6ceoBnihn
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David Simpson – Aaaah yes. The controversial pause for breath. Some decry it, but I’m not one of those. It is the highlight of the clip for me.
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I was not aware that this was going to be released so thanks for the post. Ordered the CD single right away!
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It would have been nice if Steven Wilson had remixed LGA. His remix CD was an absolute blast and it contains the very best 12″ versions out there in my opinion. On the other hand, I was disappointed by the Blank & Jones remix of Dancing on the Deluxe Bundle, especially because it had bad transitions, where the rhythm, the delays etc. felt particularly wrong. To check my findings, I have used Logic´s Stem Extraction tool and the corrected version sounded more in sync. I hope that the LGA remix will not suffer from similar issues.
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giritech – I hear you on the sturdiness of Steven Wilson’s transformative, in my opinion, “Lament” era remixes being an acme of sorts. Blank + Jones earned wings with me for their ZTT work as compared to the Ultravox mix they did. Given that their runtime is less than the conservative original 12 mix [which was not long to begin with] I’m hoping that they really take it to a new place. We’ll see.
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hi mr monk,
as you can guess. this was the lead up to “the collection”
superdeluxe edition: lots of good stuff on it, including 2 blurays with
4 hours of videos:
Tracklist:
CD1: THE COLLECTION: 01 Dancing With Tears In My Eyes [Single Version]02 Hymn [Single Version] / 03 The Thin Wall [Single Version] / 04 The Voice [Single Version] / 05 Vienna [Single Version] / 06 Passing Strangers / 07 Sleepwalk / 08 Reap The Wild Wind / 09 All Stood Still [Single Version] / 10 Visions In Blue [Single Version] / 11 We Came To Dance [Single Version] / 12 One Small Day / 13 Love’s Great Adventure / 14 Lament [Single Version]
CD 2: THE COLLECTION II: 01 All Stood Still [Version] * / 02 The Thin Wall [Steven Wilson Single Mix] / 03 Serenade [2025 Single Remix] * / 04 White China [Steven Wilson Remix Edit] / 05 Brilliant [Radio Edit] / 06 Same Old Story [Radio Edit] / 07 Hymn [Version] * / 08 New Europeans [Moments From Eden Live] / 09 Rise [Live] / 10 Live [Single Edit] / 11 Lament [Version] * / 12 All Fall Down [Radio Edit] / 13 All In One Day [Single Edit] / 14 Vienna [Version] *
CD 3: THE RE-MIXES: 01 Hymn [Steven Wilson 12” Re-Mix] * / 02 Sleepwalk [Steven Wilson 12” Re-Mix] * / 03 The Thin Wall [Steven Wilson 12” Re-Mix] * / 04 Visions In Blue [Steven Wilson 12” Re-Mix] * / 05 Reap The Wild Wind [12” Re-Mix] * / 06 Love’s Great Adventure [Blank & Jones so8os Reconstruction] * / 07 All Stood Still [Midge Ure 12” Re-Mix] * / 08 New Europeans [Extended Re-Mix] * / 09 Same Old Story [12” Re-Mix] * / 10 We Came To Dance [12” Re-Mix] *
CD 4: THE B-SIDES: 01 Waiting / 02 Passionate Reply / 03 Herr X / 04 Alles Klar / 05 Keep Talking (Cassette Recording During Rehearsal) / 06 I Never Wanted To Begin / 07 Paths And Angles / 08 Hosanna (In Excelsis Deo) / 09 Monument / 10 Break Your Back / 11 Overlook / 12 Easterly / 13 Building / 14 Heart Of The Country [Instrumental] / 15 Man of Two Worlds [Instrumental] / 16 3 / 17 All In One Day [Instrumental] / 18 Dreams? / 19 Stateless
Blu-ray 1: PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS: 01 Passing Strangers / 02 Vienna [Uncut Version] / 03 The Thin Wall / 04 The Voice / 05 Reap The Wild Wind / 06 Hymn / 07 Visions In Blue / 08 We Came To Dance / 09 One Small Day / 10 Dancing With Tears In My Eyes / 11 Lament / 12 Love’s Great Adventure / 13 Same Old Story / 14 All Fall Down / 15 Rise [Live]. Additional Videos: 16 Vienna [Live In St Albans 1980] / 17 Sleepwalk [Live In St Albans 1980] / 18 Reap The Wild Wind [Extended Version] / 19 Visions In Blue [Uncensored Version] / 20 The Thin Wall [Steven Wilson Single Edit] / 20 Reap The Wild Wind [Steven Wilson Stereo Edit] / 21 Dancing With Tears In My Eyes [Piano Version] / 23 Quartet [Australian Electronic Press Kit August 1982] / 24 Extended Special Re-Mix [Part 1] / 25 Extended Special Re-Mix [Part 2]
Blu-ray 2: AT THE BBC: Top of The Pops: 01 Sleepwalk [Top Of The Pops 14.8.1980] / 02 Vienna [Top Of The Pops 15.1.1981] / 03 All Stood Still [Top Of The Pops 11.6.1981] / 04 The Thin Wall [Top Of The Pops 27.8.1981] / 05 The Voice [Top Of The Pops 12.11.1981] / 06 Hymn [Top Of The Pops 16.12.1982] / 07 We Came To Dance [Top Of The Pops 8.6.1983] / 08 One Small Day [Top Of The Pops 9.2.1984] / 09 Dancing With Tears In My Eyes [Top Of The Pops 31.5.1984] / 10 Lament [Top Of The Pops 5.7.1984] / 11 Love’s Great Adventure [Top Of The Pops 18.10.1984]. Performances: 12 Mine For Life [Old Grey Whistle Test 5.11.1982] / 13 Visions In Blue [Old Grey Whistle Test 5.11.1982] / 14 Hymn [Old Grey Whistle Test 5.11.1982] / 15 Billy Currie Interview [Riverside 1/11/1982] / 16 Hymn [The Kenny Everett Show 28.12.1982] / 17 Visions In Blue [ORS 18.2.1983] / 18 Hymn [ORS 18.2.1983] / 19 I Remember (Death In The Afternoon) [ORS 18.2.1983] / 20 One Small Day [ORS 2.3.1984] / 21 White China [ORS 2.3.1984] / 22 Man Of Two Worlds [ORS 2.3.1984] / 23 White China [One For The Road 18.8.1984] / 24 Dancing With Tears In My Eyes [One For The Road 18.8.1984] / 25 Love’s Great Adventure [Saturday Superstore 20.10.1984] / 26 Same Old Story [Wogan 12.9.1986] / 27 All Fall Down [Wogan 14.11.1986]
later
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ne gative 1
* Previously Unreleased
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negative1ne – NO! I did not see this coming AT ALL. I thought the EP was pencil shavings from the “Lament” project, which was deep. And “LGA” was included in the “Lament” box as it was adjacent. So instead it’s loose mixes from “The Collection” BSOG??! Knock me over with a feather! That may be a bit of a tough sell with 2/4 CDs duplicating the contents of the prior 4 boxes. I imagine the BBC video has been upscaled for the Blu-Rays. The 16mm promo clips could be re-scanned at 4K but there’s a limit as to what 16mm can yield in that situation. And then there’s the spectre of digital noise reduction that could end up making all of their videos look like AI with heavy-handed grain removal at their fingertips. I will have to think hard about this one. And right now…
At least someone at Chrysalis Catalogue mapped a way forward that wasn’t “U-VOX!” Which I doubted was getting the DLX BSOG treatment, but after this, I’m not so sure.
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