Systems of Romance
| Systems of Romance | ||||
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| Studio album by Ultravox | ||||
| Released | 8 September 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Studio | Conny's Studio in Cologne, West Germany | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:09 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer |
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| Ultravox chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| Robert Christgau | B+ |
Systems of Romance, released on 8 September 1978, is the third album by British new wave band Ultravox (an exclamation mark having been dropped from the moniker earlier in the year). It was the final recording for the group with original lead singer, lyricist and co-composer John Foxx, and their first album without guitarist Stevie Shears, who had left the band. Shears was replaced by Robin Simon, making his first and only appearance on an Ultravox album. Though not a commercial success, Systems of Romance had a significant influence on the electropop music that came after it.
Co-produced by Conny Plank and Dave Hutchins, Systems of Romance featured the band's heaviest use of electronics to date. More new wave orientated than the glam- and punk-influenced tunes that characterised their first two albums, Ultravox! and Ha!-Ha!-Ha!, its style was partly inspired by German band Kraftwerk, whose first four albums were produced by Plank. Among Ultravox's own repertoire, antecedents included Billy Currie's distinctive synthesizer work on "The Man Who Dies Every Day" and the romantic balladry of "Hiroshima Mon Amour", both from Ha!-Ha!-Ha!.
The opening song, "Slow Motion", was indicative of the band's direction on the new album. Though based around conventional rock guitar, bass and percussion instrumentation, it featured a number of rich synthesizer parts throughout the piece rather than simply a discreet solo or special effect. For drummer Warren Cann, "it perfectly represented our amalgamation of rock and synthesizer, many of the ideas and aspirations we had for our music gelled in that song".
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