History Music / Vienna

''Vienna'', released in 1980, is the fourth album by British band Music/{{Ultravox}}. Their first since the departures of frontman Music/JohnFoxx and guitarist Robin Simon the year prior, the album introduces Foxx and Simon's replacement, Music/MidgeUre. The album's sound is [[NewSoundAlbum a sharp contrast]] from Ultravox's prior works, shifting the former PostPunk band into an artsier, NewRomantic-influenced NewWaveMusic direction rooted in Ure and violinist Billy Currie's own background with the SynthPop band Music/{{Visage}}. While ''Music/SystemsOfRomance'' appeared to anticipate elements of this new sound, it was still decidedly rooted in the band's post-punk core.

* EpicInstrumentalOpener: "New Europeans" opens with a two-minute instrumental section in a five-minute song.

* InTheStyleOf: "Mr. X" is an obvious pastiche of Music/{{Kraftwerk}}, so much so that the band recorded a German-language version of the song as the B-side to the 12" single release of "Vienna".

* MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow: "Western Promise" satirically applies this on a national scale.

* MysteriousStranger: The enigmatic title character of "Mr. X".

* LongestSongGoesLast: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]; the 7:07 "Astradyne" ''opens'' the album on the original European release.

* CutAndPasteTranslation: The album's American release swaps the positions of "Astradyne" and "Sleepwalk", which makes things a bit awkward due to "Astradyne" segueing directly into "New Europeans" on European copies. This change wasn't reverted until the 2000 EMI Gold remaster and the 2008 Definitive Edition remaster, both of which used the European tracklist in all countries.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"We walked in the cold air, freezing breath on a windowpane, lying and waiting..."'']]

* GratuitousGerman: The track "Mr. X" was re-recorded in German as "Herr X" and featured as a B-side to the 12" release of "Vienna", tying in with its nature as a Music/{{Kraftwerk}} pastiche.

* AntiLoveSong: "Vienna". [[MindScrew Possibly.]]
* ConceptVideo: "Vienna"

* {{Instrumental}}: Astradyne", a seven-minute suite of pure, flowing synth.

All minions to messiah Pepsi can

''Vienna'', released in 1980, is the fourth album by British band Music/{{Ultravox}}. Their first since the departures of frontman Music/JohnFoxx and guitarist Robin Simon the year prior, the album introduces Foxx and Simon's replacement, Music/MidgeUre. The album's sound is [[NewSoundAlbum a sharp contrast]] from Ultravox's prior works, shifting the former PostPunk band into an artsier, NewRomantic-influenced NewWaveMusic direction rooted in Ure and violinist Billy Currie's own background with the SynthPop band Music/{{Visage}}. While ''Music/SystemsOfRomance'' appeared to anticipate elements of this new sound, it was still decidedly rooted in the band's post-punk core; few people at the time expected it to so thoroughly dominate the band's music under Ure's leadership (ironic given that Foxx's departure was because of CreativeDifferences regarding his preference for a similarly synth-driven style).

The radical change in style, tone, and audience that accompanied ''Vienna'' would end up alienating fans and critics who preferred the Foxx-led incarnation of the band, and indeed sales were slow at first as a result of this tepid reception. However, the TitleTrack, released as the album's third single at the start of 1981, would end up [[BreakthroughHit catapulting Ultravox into commercial success,]] prompting strong sales of ''Vienna'' throughout 1981; the album would peak at No. 3 on the UK Albums chart, ending up as the 15th best-selling album of 1981 in Britain and later being certified platinum in both the UK and New Zealand. "Vienna" would additionally go on to become the band's SignatureSong, carving a stable niche in pop culture's memory over the years. Despite its initially cold response, of the Ure-era albums, ''Vienna'' would remain the most well-regarded, standing at No. 2849 on ''WebSite/AcclaimedMusic''[='s=] [[UsefulNotes/AcclaimedMusicAllTimeTopAlbums dynamic list]] of the most critically lauded albums. To date, it is the only album by any incarnation of the band to be featured on the list.

''Vienna'', released in 1980, is the fourth album by British band Music/{{Ultravox}}. Their first since the departures of frontman Music/JohnFoxx and guitarist Robin Simon the year prior, the album introduces Foxx and Simon's replacement, Midge Ure. The album's sound is [[NewSoundAlbum a sharp contrast]] from Ultravox's prior works, shifting the former PostPunk band into an artsier, NewRomantic-influenced NewWaveMusic direction rooted in Ure and violinist Billy Currie's own background with the SynthPop band Music/{{Visage}}. While ''Music/SystemsOfRomance'' appeared to anticipate elements of this new sound, it was still decidedly rooted in the band's post-punk core; few people at the time expected it to so thoroughly dominate the band's music under Ure's leadership (ironic given that Foxx's departure was because of CreativeDifferences regarding his preference for a similarly synth-driven style).

''Vienna'', released in 1980, is the fourth album by British band Music/{{Ultravox}}. Their first since the departures of frontman John Foxx and guitarist Robin Simon the year prior, the album introduces Foxx and Simon's replacement, Midge Ure. The album's sound is [[NewSoundAlbum a sharp contrast]] from Ultravox's prior works, shifting the former PostPunk band into an artsier, NewRomantic-influenced NewWaveMusic direction rooted in Ure and violinist Billy Currie's own background with the SynthPop band Music/{{Visage}}. While ''Music/SystemsOfRomance'' appeared to anticipate elements of this new sound, it was still decidedly rooted in the band's post-punk core; few people at the time expected it to so thoroughly dominate the band's music under Ure's leadership (ironic given that Foxx's departure was because of CreativeDifferences regarding his preference for a similarly synth-driven style).

* NewSoundAlbum: While ''Systems of Romance'' already dabbled in artsy electronic stylings, ''Vienna'' goes whole-hog with it, to the point where Ultravox no longer sounds like the same band that John Foxx led.

''Vienna'', released in 1980, is the fourth album by British band Music/{{Ultravox}}. Their first since the departures of frontman John Foxx and guitarist Robin Simon the year prior, the album introduces Foxx and Simon's replacement, Midge Ure. The album's sound is [[NewSoundAlbum a sharp contrast]] from Ultravox's prior works, shifting the former PostPunk band into an artsier, NewRomantic-influenced NewWaveMusic direction rooted in Ure and violinist Billy Currie's own background with the SynthPop band Music/{{Visage}}. (Although, ''Music/SystemsOfRomance'' appears to anticipate elements of this new sound)

The radical change in style, tone, and audience that accompanied ''Vienna'' would end up alienating fans and critics who preferred the Foxx-led incarnation of the band, and indeed sales were slow at first as a result of this tepid reception. However, the TitleTrack, released as the album's third single at the start of 1981, would end up [[BreakthroughHit catapulting Ultravox into commercial success,]] prompting strong sales of ''Vienna'' throughout 1981; the album would peak at No. 3 on the UK Albums chart, ending up as the 15th best-selling album of 1981 in Britain and later being certified platinum in both the UK and New Zealand. "Vienna" would additionally go on to become the band's SignatureSong, carving a stable niche in pop culture's memory over the years. Of the Ure-era albums, ''Vienna'' would remain the most well-regarded, standing at No. 2849 on ''WebSite/AcclaimedMusic''[='s=] [[UsefulNotes/AcclaimedMusicAllTimeTopAlbums dynamic list]] of the most critically lauded albums, the only album by any incarnation of the band to be featured.

''Vienna'', released in 1980, is the fourth album by British band Music/{{Ultravox}}. Their first since the departures of frontman John Foxx and guitarist Robin Simon the year prior, the album introduces Foxx and Simon's replacement, Midge Ure. The album's sound is [[NewSoundAlbum a sharp contrast]] from Ultravox's prior works, shifting the former PostPunk band into an artsier, NewRomantic-influenced NewWaveMusic direction rooted in Ure and violinist Billy Currie's own background with the SynthPop band Music/{{Visage}}.

The radical change in style, tone, and audience that accompanied ''Vienna'' would end up alienating fans and critics who preferred the Foxx-led incarnation of the band, and indeed sales were slow at first as a result of this tepid reception. However, the TitleTrack, released as the album's third single at the start of 1981, would end up [[BreakthroughHit catapulting Ultravox into commercial success,]] prompting strong sales of ''Vienna'' throughout 1981; the album would peak at No. 3 on the UK Albums chart, ending up as the 15th best-selling album of 1981 in Britain and later being certified platinum in both the UK and New Zealand. "Vienna" would additionally go on to become the band's SignatureSong, carving a stable niche in pop culture's memory over the years.

''Vienna'', released in 1980, is the fourth album by British band Music/{{Ultravox}}. Their first since the departures of frontman John Foxx and guitarist Robin Simon the year prior, the album introduces Foxx and Simon's replacement, Midge Ure. The album's sound is [[NewSoundAlbum a sharp contrast]] from Ultravox's prior works, shifting the former PostPunk band into an artsier, NewRomantic-influenced NewWaveMusic direction rooted in Ure's own background with the SynthPop band Music/{{Visage}}.

This radical change in style, tone, and audience would end up alienating fans and critics who preferred the Foxx-led incarnation of the band, and indeed sales were slow at first as a result of this tepid reception. However, the TitleTrack, released as the album's third single at the start of 1981, would end up [[BreakthroughHit catapulting Ultravox into commercial success,]] prompting strong sales of ''Vienna'' throughout 1981; the album would peak at No. 3 on the UK Albums chart, ending up as the 15th best-selling album of 1981 in Britain and later being certified platinum in both the UK and New Zealand. "Vienna" would additionally go on to become the band's SignatureSong, carving a stable niche in pop culture's memory over the years.

This radical change in style, tone, and audience would end up alienating fans and critics who preferred the Foxx-led incarnation of the band, and indeed sales were slow at first as a result of this tepid reception. However, the TitleTrack, released as the album's third single at the start of 1981, would end up [[BreakthroughHit catapulting Ultravox into commercial success,]] prompting strong sales of ''Vienna'' throughout 1981; the album would peak at No. 3 on the UK Albums chart. "Vienna" would additionally go on to become the band's SignatureSong, carving a stable niche in pop culture's memory over the years.

* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Drummer Warren Can recites the spoken-word vocals on "Mr. X".

* RearrangeTheSong: "Vienna" was later re-recorded in 1992 with the Tony Fenelle-fronted lineup of Ultravox as "Vienna 92". The recording was mainly done to promote this new lineup of the band, and did not appear on the Fenelle lineup's sole album, ''Revelation''.

This radical change in style, tone, and audience would end up alienating fans and critics who preferred the Foxx-led incarnation of the band, and indeed sales were slow at first as a result of this tepid reception. However, the TitleTrack, released as the album's third single at the start of 1981, would end up [[BreakthroughHit catapulting Ultravox into commercial success,]] prompting strong sales of ''Vienna'' throughout 1981; the album would peak at No. 3 on the UK Albums chart.

# "Astradyne" (7:07)[[note]]Moved to track 5 on initial US copies[[/note]]

# "Sleepwalk" (3:10)[[note]]Moved to track 1 on initial US copies[[/note]]

* CutAndPasteTranslation: The album's initial American release swaps the positions of "Astradyne" and "Sleepwalk", which makes things a bit awkward due to "Astradyne" segueing directly into "New Europeans" on European copies.

''Vienna'', released in 1980, is the fourth album by British band Music/{{Ultravox}}. Their first since the departures of frontman John Foxx and guitarist Robin Simon the year prior, the album introduces Foxx and Simon's replacement, Midge Ure. The album's sound is [[NewSoundAlbum a sharp contrast]] from Ultravox's prior works, shifting the former PostPunk band into an artsier, NewRomantic-influenced NewWaveMusic direction rooted in Ure's own background with the SynthPop band Visage.