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[Music] John Foxx



D

darkwolf666

Well-known member
Nov 8, 2015
7,576
Sittingbourne, Kent
No, not an RIP thread, more a chance to see how many others out there are familiar with this man's work.

Originally the front man for Ultravox!, Foxx has gone on to have a successful music career of his own, with many citing him as an influence on their musical styles. On top of that he has managed to combine his music, with a parallel career in graphic design and education - all round a talented man, who may have been missed by many!

A soupçon of his talents, sampled below!

As the front man of Ultravox!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayx8mn3i8rU

Remixed as a solo artist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-yNw_U_Qgo

And as a solo artist in his own right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYRUvsm49Gk
 




OzMike

OzMike

Well-known member
Oct 2, 2006
12,932
Perth Australia
I thought he was an original member of Tubeway Army with Gary Numan.
I can only remember a single hit called Burning Car I think.
Could be wrong though.
 


D

darkwolf666

Well-known member
Nov 8, 2015
7,576
Sittingbourne, Kent
OzMike said:
I thought he was an original member of Tubeway Army with Gary Numan.
I can only remember a single hit called Burning Car I think.
Could be wrong though.
Click to expand...

John Foxx never played in a band with Numan, though Numan did often cite him as one of his early influences, Foxx breaking into the charts just before Numan (Tubeway Army).

Foxx was an original member of Ultravox! and was their lead singer, appearing on their first 3 studio albums.

He is probably best known for the track Underpass, but his talent goes far wider and deeper than that!

Oh! and here's Burning Car - from the album Metamatic (as a bonus track).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlTFklZs8lo
 
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Weststander

Weststander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 25, 2011
63,909
Withdean area
darkwolf666 I often like your musical passions on NSC, I suspect you’re also from that huge cohort of kids from the late 70’s and 80’s who adored synth pop etc.

Underpass was played to death in my bedroom, probably to my Dad’s annoyance.

A bit later on JF brought out this beauty:

 




BN9 BHA

BN9 BHA

DOCKERS
NSC Patron
Jul 14, 2013
21,530
Newhaven
I had a few Ultravox albums on vinyl in my teens including Systems of Romance when Foxx was in the band.
I'm sure I had some John Foxx solo singles/ album, unfortunately I sold everything at one stage of my life. :down:
Young Savage by Ultravox is a good track, with Foxx as vocalist.
 




D

darkwolf666

Well-known member
Nov 8, 2015
7,576
Sittingbourne, Kent
Weststander said:
darkwolf666 I often like your musical passions on NSC, I suspect you’re also from that huge cohort of kids from the late 70’s and 80’s who adored synth pop etc.

Underpass was played to death in my bedroom, probably to my Dad’s annoyance.

A bit later on JF brought out this beauty:

Click to expand...


Sharing a bedroom with two older brothers, I was inflicted with / listened to their tastes in music, little brother didn't get a look in.

My eldest brother was into the heavier side of things, with Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Hawkwind being particular favourites, along with Wishbone Ash, Lynyrd Skynyrd and on the softer side Eric Clapton (Derek & The Dominoes). The next brother down was a bit more mellow and liked Supertramp and Tyronnasaurus Rex (T. Rex) - both brothers also liked Yes.

This was probably the start of my liking for keyboards and things more electronic - as I loved Rick Wakeman on keyboards!

I bought the 3 project albums of Wakeman's - Six Wives of Henry VIII, Journey To The Centre of the Earth and Myths and Legends of King Arthur. I actually managed to get some of these played on the bedroom turntable with the Yes conncection.

The brothers grim weren't so keen when I brought home Kraftwerk's Autobahn - for two things, they were German and they just played synthesizers!!! Heresy...

I then had a dalliance with the lighter side of punk, seeing Adam & The Ants and Toyah at Jenkinsons - I loved the energy from the music, but being a white, middle class lad, from a privileged home, couldn't really identify with the anarchy side of things.

I then discovered Gary Numan, in the guise of Tubeway Army and I was hooked. Numan often talked in interviews of John Foxx, the former lead singer of Ultravox. I wasn't disappointed when I sought out his work, firstly in the current vogue Metamatic and then the back catalogue of sub punk Ultravox! material.

I had the immense pleasure of seeing John Foxx and Louis Gordon perform at the Mean Fiddler in 2001 - he may have been looking a bit older, but was still superb.
 




Not Andy Naylor

Not Andy Naylor

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2007
8,798
Seven Dials
Love John Foxx. One of my all-time favourite tracks is Miles Away, which I don't think appeared on an album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUxp5pE3HIc

Last I heard of him was John Foxx and the Maths, all analogue synths. Very old-new-school.

I remember seeing him perform No-One Driving on Top of the Pops and thinking "Wow, this is the future" - an impression confirmed by the fact that the next act on was the Detroit Spinners doing 'Working My Way Back To You' in ridiculous cabaret-style outfits and with a ludicrous, out-dated dance routine. They might as well give up now, I thought.

Needless to say, the Detroit Spinners went to number one and No-One Driving sank like a stone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlpwO85iPT0
 




Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
49,927
Faversham
I saw John Foxx in the original line up of Ultravox play in London at the Rainbow, Feb 19, 1977, supporting Eddie and the Hotrods. I still have the ticket stub. They were terrific.

He was a bit out of time, being more glam than punk, but in that regard he was a prelude to (and example) of the great music 'auteurs' of the late 70s and early 80s. The live ep that came out at the time is magical. Tracks like 'the young, beautiful and the damned' and 'my sex' still send a shiver down the spine. Obviously I have the e.p., and wondered what happened to the band; they missed a trick....but we all know what happened to ultravox after John left.

I bought 'underpass' the single when it came out. Already post punk, I was listening to the Fall, The Mekons, Gang of four, Comsats, Chameleons, Thomas Leer (another auteur) and this fitted well with my adventure into the music of the 80s.

Foxx never quite fitted in later either (by later I mean early 80s). Not electronica, not pop, not whatever you'd call early Section 25, SPK, Portion Control....but damned fine.

I really like his swirling late Beatles influenced stuff like the track below. I must confess I lost all track of him after about 1982...

Edit I see Ultravox released 3 albums with him as singer. I listened to John Peel every evening and can't recall him ever playing this. Possibly another of Peel's hates, along with Yes? That will teach me - I will investigate, albeit I do have a compilation ultrovox of the Foxx years. Seem to recall I heard the track below on Richard Skinner rather than Peel. The wikipedia entry is interesting. Lots of production, and active till his mid 60s. Ten years older than me :eek: - which means he would have been treated with suspicion by the punks - 'old' ???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IudMNlrfhY
 




Weststander

Weststander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 25, 2011
63,909
Withdean area
darkwolf666 said:
Sharing a bedroom with two older brothers, I was inflicted with / listened to their tastes in music, little brother didn't get a look in.

My eldest brother was into the heavier side of things, with Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Hawkwind being particular favourites, along with Wishbone Ash, Lynyrd Skynyrd and on the softer side Eric Clapton (Derek & The Dominoes). The next brother down was a bit more mellow and liked Supertramp and Tyronnasaurus Rex (T. Rex) - both brothers also liked Yes.

This was probably the start of my liking for keyboards and things more electronic - as I loved Rick Wakeman on keyboards!

I bought the 3 project albums of Wakeman's - Six Wives of Henry VIII, Journey To The Centre of the Earth and Myths and Legends of King Arthur. I actually managed to get some of these played on the bedroom turntable with the Yes conncection.

The brothers grim weren't so keen when I brought home Kraftwerk's Autobahn - for two things, they were German and they just played synthesizers!!! Heresy...

I then had a dalliance with the lighter side of punk, seeing Adam & The Ants and Toyah at Jenkinsons - I loved the energy from the music, but being a white, middle class lad, from a privileged home, couldn't really identify with the anarchy side of things.

I then discovered Gary Numan, in the guise of Tubeway Army and I was hooked. Numan often talked in interviews of John Foxx, the former lead singer of Ultravox. I wasn't disappointed when I sought out his work, firstly in the current vogue Metamatic and then the back catalogue of sub punk Ultravox! material.

I had the immense pleasure of seeing John Foxx and Louis Gordon perform at the Mean Fiddler in 2001 - he may have been looking a bit older, but was still superb.
Click to expand...

I was born in the mid 60’s so was too young I guess to be into Prog Rock and their keyboardists. My Dad and older brothers loved all sorts of pop music, but never that.

Looking back, I had the bug for synths and drum machines very early on. Someone at junior school had the Autobahn album, at infant school an older brother bought Hot Butter’s Popcorn, my Dad loved Bowie and early Roxy, and although it was before my time I adored Telstar.

I was also a bit too young for Punk. It was the year above upwards at school.

Then along came Numan, OMD, Ultravox, Human League, Foxx, Visage Simple Minds; my mates and I had found our musical heaven.
 
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Weststander

Weststander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 25, 2011
63,909
Withdean area
bn9 bha said:
I had a few Ultravox albums on vinyl in my teens including Systems of Romance when Foxx was in the band.
I'm sure I had some John Foxx solo singles/ album, unfortunately I sold everything at one stage of my life. :down:
Young Savage by Ultravox is a good track, with Foxx as vocalist.
Click to expand...

I have all my vinyls, thank God.

In my teens and early 20’s, I use to add older records I’d missed out by visiting secondhand record shops in the North Laine eg Vinyl Demand near Pelham Street, and Sunday morning visits to the Madeira Hotel record fairs. I was able to get a pristine copy of the 1977 album Ultravox!, as well as coloured vinyls. Happy days.
 


GT49er

GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
46,716
Gloucester
Didn't know anything much about John Foxx back then, other than that he was lead singer with Ultravox before Midge Ure, and I wasn't very interested either. Some very passionate advocates of his music on here, so I did listen to three of the linked tracks (none of which I'd heard before) but sorry, no, still not for me thanks.
 


BN9 BHA

BN9 BHA

DOCKERS
NSC Patron
Jul 14, 2013
21,530
Newhaven
Weststander said:
I have all my vinyls, thank God.

In my teens and early 20’s, I use to add older records I’d missed out by visiting secondhand record shops in the North Laine eg Vinyl Demand near Pelham Street, and Sunday morning visits to the Madeira Hotel record fairs. I was able to get a pristine copy of the 1977 album Ultravox!, as well as coloured vinyls. Happy days.
Click to expand...

I was a regular visitor to Vinyl Demand and similar shops in that area.
I had lots of coloured vinyls including a John Foxx or Ultravox 12inch single, I'm sure it was an off White colour, but I really can't remember which track.
I probably had a larger collection of music when I was 15 than I do now.
 


Weststander

Weststander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 25, 2011
63,909
Withdean area
bn9 bha said:
I was a regular visitor to Vinyl Demand and similar shops in that area.
I had lots of coloured vinyls including a John Foxx or Ultravox 12inch single, I'm sure it was an off White colour, but I really can't remember which track.
I probably had a larger collection of music when I was 15 than I do now.
Click to expand...

Cute little shops, I seemed to have them to myself, mind you Vinyl Demand was the size of a broom cupboard.

I have the Quiet Man 12” in white vinyl, some others and the Tubeway Army album in a beautiful blue vinyl.
 
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S

stingray

Active member
Jan 23, 2018
276
he played in Brighton, some venue just off Lewes Rd about 10 years ago. Good show. He's tiny, must be 5'5".
 




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