AMG Review of Rage in Eden [Bonus Disc]

Dave Thompson
All Music Guide

Following on from the success of Vienna, Ultravox cemented their position as a new romantic phenomenon with their follow-up, 1981's Rage in Eden. The martial beats and political undertones of "The Thin Wall" single acted as a potent taster for the album, to be joined in the U.K. Top 20 by the even more powerful message of "The Voice." The latter song opened the album, but nothing that followed equaled its strength, its sequencing a flaw in an otherwise excellent set. That said, propulsive numbers like "We Stand Alone" and "I Remember (Death in the Afternoon)," the rebellious angst of "Accent on Youth," the exotic strains of "Stranger Within," and the haunting "Your Name Has Slipped My Mind Again" all contained their own power. And even if the instrumental "The Ascent" harked back to "Vienna," it was obvious that with Eden, Ultravox were climbing to grand new heights. [This edition of the album contains a bonus disc of live tracks and unreleased material.]