Metamatic Forums John Foxx John Foxx Glimmer: The Best Of

Fantastic compilation! I was also pleased to get an autographed "Burning Car" 12" a few days ago.

I also wonder about the early version of "No-One Driving". It's absolutely Mr Foxx singing, but the pitch is strange, as though the mastering has taken place at slightly the wrong speed.

It's a very peculiar experience not hearing "Plaza" fade out at the "correct" place, and hearing the breakdown at the end.

I'm absolutely delighted with the current level of activity, and flurry of releases. I always used to look at the John Foxx section of my CDs and regret that there weren't more than the four (original Metamatic, The Garden, IMW and the Japanese GS). I've recently had to reorganise everything from F onwards to fit all the new CDs in, and you won't hear a word of complaint from me about that! The new Thomas Dolby & Ultravox double-discers too. I feel spoiled.

Actually, speaking of Thomas Dolby and wishing to get back to a vaguely on-topic position; I first heard him on the From Brussels With Love cassette, which I bought because I noticed the two John Foxx jingles. I realise the jingles are only seconds long, but I'm firmly in the camp that would like to have everything accessible on CDs that profit the artist directly, and would love to see a catchup release with the odds & sods, and the 12" versions.

I still have my mispressed 7" copy of Enter The Angel with Einsturzende Neubauten's Das Schaben on the b-side. That was a bizarre listening experience.

Has everyone else hung on to all the various incarnations of the albums on CD? It seems sacrilegious to replace them, and the Japanese ones are particularly appealing.

Darren
Hungerford, UK

No, it was definitely mastered at the correct speed...

The From Brussels With Love album was rereleased on CD a few years ago.

There are also plans for all of the twelve inch mixes that were (deliberately) omitted from the forthcoming remastered double disc versions of The Golden Section and In Mysterious Ways to be brought together on CD at some point in the future.

Rob

Fantastic! For us 'completists', that is great news! Something else for us to get excited about.

I wonder if this 'early' version is just a demo, in which the vocal was probably recorded 'as is' - without vocoder or other twiddly effects etc...

There's certainly that aspect to it. It just seems to me that the vocal pitch is a little higher than I'm used to!

As Rob says, since the track was mastered at the correct speed, either the recording medium was running a little slow or it was an odd day for vocals; certainly I need to re-record a vocal myself on another day if I am sounding oddly high or low (or chainsmoke a bit if a slight lowering of pitch is what I'm after - in fact, with one song I waited until I had a heavy cold before I recorded the vocal!).

It's a fascinating document, and I would love more of this sort of stuff to be released. I even like the weirdly swirly "He's A Liquid" on "Modern Art", and I'd like to reiterate my gratitude for all the hard work that goes into these releases. I'm deeply grateful.

Also, excellent news about the 12" version releases - I wonder if there might be enough room for the DJ edits of "No-One Driving" and "Like A Miracle" (and anything else I've missed over the years)? I suppose it depends on whether these releases are primarily for us long-standing enthusiasts; a new investigator might baulk at a CD featuring several edits of the same tracks.

In any case, I'm delighted that Foxx & Ultravox have their legacies managed by such sensitive and thoughtful agencies; it makes a great deal of difference to me, certainly, that I feel the trust I do with regard to these CDs. I wish those responsible for other acts I like were equally respectful! I spent a good while trawling the Net to find cover art for the Crash EP so that I could apply it to iTunes, and eventually scanned the thing myself. I should have looked to the Extreme Voice site first, and saved myself a good deal of time.

One thing I can no longer find amongst my detritus is the CD that came with a music technology magazine (was it Music Tech?) several years ago that featured many royalty-free samples from the recording stages of Metamatic. I'd very much like to locate these, as there is a track I'm currently working on that I would love to have an authentically Foxx-generated sound burbling away in the bridge, now that I'm more comfortable with Logic. I don't suppose anyone has access to such a thing?

Darren
Hungerford, UK

Well,yeah!! kinda busy this weekend
But Love it to bits,sound is very crisp!!

We're looking to host those samples here on Metamatic. I'll let everyone know when they're available.

Rob

After a disappointing trip to Zavvi – who didn't even have a JF section, let alone any copies of Glimmer – I found the CD shimmering away on the shelves at HMV. Two whole copies!

I was suitably impressed to see it dressed smartly in a slipcase – ooh! – and a nice little gallery of photographs on the reverse. Overall it looked like a great package, and I did feel a sense of frustration that there isn't anything on it that has drawn me personally to get it. I know it would sit in my drawer gathering dust, having imported into iTunes the three tracks that do interest me.

I'll probably end up getting it "for the collection" at a better time financially, but for now I just don't need it. But hopefully there are are plenty of wouldbe fans out there who do, and I hope this new CD does bring John's music to a much needed new audience.

I think it's the right time to release such a CD, and I'm guessing Glimmer will replace Modern Art on the shelves and provide an exciting gateway to John's music for a new generation of fans, as Modern Art did for me, seven years ago.

...I also noticed the www.thequietman.co.uk URL listed on the back, but simply as a redirectional link to Metamatic.com.

Are there plans for a "Quiet Man" website, like the ones for CO and TCM?

Not sure I understand this logic really, but each to their own I guess.

Surely you'll either buy Glimmer because its 'worth having', or you won't.?? The track listing is either frustrating because you have everything on it, or it isn't.
You have previously said there isn't much on it of interest, so why consider buying it at all?

Personally, I think buying a hard copy of Glimmer is almost (but not quite) an obligation to us as fans of John Foxx. If nothing else its a gesture of support for the management/project and (ok only a small) financial commitment to make to the artist we all admire above all others.
It's also about the packaging, and the unique opportunity to acquire more of John's brilliant and emergent artwork - which is worth the nominal cost in itself.

So, so much more than a couple of previously unreleased demos...

I hope you can get a copy later, and don't end up feeling frustrated that they cost more on eBay

C'est la vie. Sorry :rolleyes: