The re-emergence earlier this year of John Foxx took on a completely new dimension this summer when it was announced that he'd be touring. The tour, dubbed the Subterranean Omnidelic Exotour, took in a dozen or so venues and saw Foxx performing live for the first time in what most be getting on for a decade. The event was sufficiently rare to attract a number of transatlantic visitors to the concerts. I wasn't one of them, unfortunately, but there have been rumours circulating of him showing up on this side of the Atlantic at some point. If that happens, I'll be there.
However, a memento of the tour does exist, in the form of this the Exotour 1997 EP. It's a numbered limited edition of 1000 copies, and although it was meant to be sold at the tour venues, at the time of writing there are still a few copies floating around if you know where to look. While a glance at the track listing above might seem to indicate that this is some quickly thrown together "selected greatest hits" disc, the observant will notice the presence of "Overpass" rather than "Underpass". For while all but one of the track titles here are familiar, none of these are the original versions. They are instead re-recorded Foxx/Gordon interpretations and, from what I've heard, they accurately reflect how the material sounded live on this tour.
It should be stressed that the songs here aren't perfectly crafted studio recordings. Whether they're demos that the duo had previously recorded, or were deliberately left with a few rough edges to capture the live experience (amp hum, shards of studio conversation between tracks) I don't know, but in a way the imperfect sound seems more faithful to the Metamatic feel than Shifting City was.
First up is a long reworking of the Metamatic-era track "Burning Car". This initially seems to have been stripped down to a remarkable degree, leaving just Foxx's vocal (with a little echo here and there) and a pounding beat (with a little clanking here and there). However, as time passes the track begins to fill out, and extra synth lines gradually insinuate themselves into the sound. As this happens the sound of the original track seems to emerge, until eventually the main theme from that track emerges, soaring over the track in all its analogue glory. Some subtle differences in the sound suggest that while Foxx has used the original synths, even this has been re-recorded. Fans of that characteristic Foxx synth sound will be in heaven here, I know I was. Absolutely wonderful. True, he does stretch the track to over eight minutes through the simple expedient of singing the whole thing three times, but repetition was part of the track's original charm, so it certainly doesn't get boring, and the way ingredients shift in and out of the mix mean that the track is constantly mutating.
Back in the early 90s, Foxx was apparently quite into the idea of reworking Metamatic in a contemporary style. At the time I considered the idea a bad one (for one thing, at the time the original album wasn't available on CD) but having heard what he's done to "Burning Car", maybe it wasn't such a strange idea after all. More on this later. For the second track, Foxx goes further back still. Apparently some material from Foxx's days with Ultravox made it into the live shows, specifically "Quiet Men", "Hiroshima Mon Amour", and this track, "Dislocation".
This reinterpretation is rather more faithful to the original, and there thankfully hasn't been any attempt to skew the track in a more dance-oriented direction. The sound is thicker, and there are a lot of interesting new touches, but it remains easily recognizable.
It's followed by "Overpass". Why the change in name? Well, I suppose the main reason would be that the track is a lot more upbeat and energetic than the original. While the low drone of the intro might suggest that the track is going to stay relatively faithful to the original, it soon becomes apparent that the reworking is rather deeper. I think the easiest way would be to describe it as an IDM interpretation of "Underpass". Foxx's vocal remains as before, but in addition to a revitalized rhythm track, there's hints in the percussion of the likes of Autechre, and there are also decidedly Kraftwerkian undertones in places. The increased energy of the track doesn't completely eliminate the darkness of the original, but if the original symbolized urban decay and concrete jungles, this reworking is a soundtrack to the modern, 6-lane highway that takes you through the city without even realizing it's there. The track segues right into "This City" without stopping for breath - the two share a rhythm track. With the exception of the state-of-the-art drum track, the song's pretty faithful to the original.
The EP finishes with a more recent Foxx track, in the form of the title track from Shifting City. For the most part the track isn't too far from the album version, although as I've already indicated, it does have a demo-ish feeling, and lacks the subtle background effects of the original. If anything, the track seems to stress the psychedelic leanings of the track. This is most evident in the lengthy coda which accounts for most of the track's extra five minutes. This brings the decidedly Beatle-y tendencies of the piece to the forefront, with more strings than you can shake a stick at, and some fantastic synth work. It's extravagant, it's overblown, it's spectacular, it's absolutely gorgeous. I'd be surprised if there was anyone left capable of applause after this was performed live.
Now for the "more later" bit. In addition to the tracks featured on this EP, Foxx and Gordon performed a whole heap of other stuff, including an apparently fantastic "Endlessly" and lots more besides. It's not completely beyond possibility that re-recorded "studio" versions of those exist too. While I wouldn't for a moment suggest that fans of Foxx's work don't try to track this one down, I wouldn't be too surprised if these tracks were to appear in a non-limited edition form, perhaps in the company of other goodies. I've no firm basis for believing this, I've just got a hunch - this stuff is too good to limit it to only 1000 copies.
Whether you believed the sleeve or the disc label) last year I made two predictions. The first was that there was probably more of the same waiting to be released, the second was that when the rest was released, it'd all be a lot easier to find (the EP was limited to just 1000 copies).
I was half right - maybe even three-quarters right. There was indeed more material, as this release demonstrates. However, since only 500 copies were pressed, I guess I was a little off the mark on the second prediction. Still, there's a good chance that the material here will be put on general release, albeit with some changes, at a future date. It's this prospect of a future release that's prompted me to review this completely sold-out limited edition release. Stands to reason - if it wasn't going to be generally available, writing a review of a hugely limited release that nobody can buy would be gloating, and I wouldn't do that, would I? Would I?
Those who bought the EP last year but have been unable to find the album can take some comfort in the knowledge that there's considerable overlap. Three of the five tracks from the EP reappear here, with a fourth appearing in a subtly changed (and, in my opinion, inferior) format. "Burning Car", "Overpass" and "This City" are unchanged from the EP, as far as I can tell, with all three being updated reworkings of early solo Foxx tracks. The basic mutations that each track has been put through are pretty similar. The rhythm track has been beef up to contemporary standards, and the track as a whole stretched out substantially. However, all three retain the basic character and feel of the original versions, largely thanks to Foxx's vocal and the synth sounds used not having changed too dramatically.
"Shifting City" is the exception to the rule where the EP tracks are concerned. Since it's a track from Foxx's most recent album, Shifting City, and thus reasonably recent to start with, there's been no dramatic change to the sound. It's perhaps a little less lush than the original album version, but makes up for this by adding a lengthy, psychedelic-styled coda that boosts the track length considerably. However, while it's 95% the same as the version on the EP, it appears to be a different recording. There's a few subtle musical signs early on, but the difference becomes very obvious in the coda, which has a repetitive vocal that sounds as though it features not just Foxx but also Louis Gordon over the top. I have to say I preferred the EP version - the extra vocals don't really add anything to the track, and detract somewhat from the gorgeousness of the music itself. It's still wonderful, of course, just not quite as wonderful as the EP version.
Of course, this only accounts for four tracks. That leave eight that even those who have the EP won't have. First of these is the opening track, "20th Century", which remains relatively faithful to the original, although slightly less edgy. Updated? It's difficult to describe it as such since, in many ways "20th Century" was ahead of its time rhythmically to start with. The only major changes seem to be due to equipment, with slightly different clanks and rumbles in the bridge, and so forth. The next non-EP track is a real oldie, "Hiroshima Mon Amour" from Ultravox's 1977 debut, which has been classily updated. The rather cheesy percussion remains faithful to the original, and the synths are suitably subtle. Foxx's vocal is perhaps a little less intense than in the original, but 20+ years haven't hurt his voice noticably. It's followed by another Ultravox track, "Just For A Moment". It retains the stripped-down, haunting feel of the original, with the heartbeat-like drum and Foxx's vocal dominating a gentle piano and quiet synths. The main difference between this and the original is the extended outro.
The contrast between these two and the reworked "The Quiet Men" couldn't be more marked. Perhaps it's just that slow-paced tracks are less amenable to change. While Foxx's vocal remains remarkably faithful to the original, the music itself has been pumped up by the addition of a new rhythm track. Techno it isn't, but it's got a lot more impact than the original did. That's at a price though - it eventually gets on your nerves.
The next three tracks are versions of Shifting City tracks. "An Ocean We Can Breathe" is faithful to the album version with the only major difference being the addition of (Louis Gordon?) backing vocals. "Through My Sleeping" is, well, to be quite honest it's a mistake. The original track was great, don't get me wrong, but this version is severely hampered by an annoying little synth riff that repeats for the entire length of the track. Much of the time it's sufficiently far back in the mix to be ignored, but once you've noticed it you'll be unable to get rid of it again. The track's extended outro is pleasant at first, but overstays its welcome. The other Shifting City track is "The Noise". Interestingly, this is the only one of the album's more strongly techno flavoured tracks to make it to either the EP or this album. The version here elaborates on the album version a little, taking the basic ingredients of stripped-down, angular sound and layered vocals and adding small flourishes here and there.
The one track I haven't mentioned yet is the final one, a glorious eight minute reworking of "Endlessly" from The Golden Section. This starts off ethereally enough, but develops a punchy techno beat that, rather surprisingly, works well. The song doesn't lose any of its charm, and the new drum track accentuates that, tame as it sounds by contemporary standards, "Endlessly" (at least in its album version) was a strong dance track. This track is the high point of the album for me - while the older Ultravox tracks are very welcome and highly enjoyable, the spectacle of seeing "Endlessly" put through the techno wringer and miraculously coming out wrinkle-free is more enjoyable still.
In summary, this album is an absolute must for the serious Foxx fan. It gives those who haven't heard last year's EP or been able to find Shifting City a chance to hear both his new material and his current approach to old material, while still providing enough new (or newly reworked) material for those who managed to find the EP. Finding the album, however, is another matter entirely. After his last tour only 80 or so of the 500 copies pressed were left, and I believe that all of these have since been sold to collectors like myself. However, as I said at the beginning of this review, all is not lost, as there's a good chance that this album will become available as a general release through Metamatic in the not too distant future. In the meantime, this review at least gives you an idea of what you've got to look forward to then.
Reviewed 13th August 1998
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