Metamatic Forums Socialising The Green Room Magic Moments ? *

For me some time in mid winter 77 when a mate lent me "Ha Ha Ha !"

*apologies to anyone who was expecting a Perry Como related topic !

Sometime late 1997 ish.
I'm in my new office, playing The Garden.

After a meeting with a client, she says:
"Great to see you like John Foxx. I think this is a brilliant album.
Have you heard he's got a new one out...?"

"WHAT??"

"Yeah. He's got a deal with this new DJ (sic) and they've made an album together..."

Maybe not factually perfect, but it drew my attention to Shifting City.
And the rest, as they say...

1981: I used to live next door to three brothers and John, the middle one was into Ultravox, or so I thought. I asked John if he could tape me the new album (Rage in Eden). He said he wasn't buying it as they were 's**t now and not the same band'. He didn't elaborate on this and said he'd tape me something else.

It took a few weeks, but a tape was posted through my door. Side A said 'Metamatic' and Side B said 'Systems of Romance'.

I had a tape with Metamatic on one side and Vienna on the other .... !!! Played it to death and still love 'em both

I remember 'Underpass' played on Radio 1 and the DJ saying it sounds a lot like 'Cars'. I bought the 'Metamatic' cassette a few weeks later and then started collecting all Ultravox too.

By '86 i was listening to Numans 'Strange Charm' and Ultravox's 'U-Vox' and wondering if there would ever be anything good again. Eleven years and several new groups later, i seen an ad in the back of NME for the new John Foxx Tour

Needless to say, the next ten years has been better than the ten before.

Just noticed the real highlight for me was to see John and Louis live on that Exotour. It was hard to believe i had finally seen John solo after 17 years of playing hes music!!!!!

Well yes "magic moments" would really have to be:
1 getting a real signed b&w photo from John on joining the fan club (at least I believed it was a genuine autograph! .. have sadly lost it since)
2 actually meeting the chap some 27 years later (and getting lots more autographs!)

as i've heard my 1st ever tune by ultravox on bfbs radio back in 1979 , when i was jus' 12 years ol' ... it was "just for a moment" & i thought to myself "WOW ! someone is making music about MY feelings !" ;-o

... & the rest is indeed history by now ! ;-)

For me, it was June 1986, for reasons that shall remain committed to memory only...

In terms of John Foxx:

Having previously heard Three into One, that moment of truth hearing Glimmer and then No-One Driving after taking a chance on some vinyl at a record fair.

The Where Are They Now? feature in Vox that mentioned "there will be another John Foxx album but I've only worked on a few tracks and I have no idea when they will be released".

Seeing the 1997 Record Collector ad for Cathedral Oceans. And, in a listing elsewhere in the magazine, this very CD for sale along with something called Shifting City.