Editing Ultravox (section)

==== ''Ultravox!'' ====
On the strength of their live act, the band signed to [[Island Records]] in 1976. The group had still not finalised their band name, wanting to make a good and lasting choice. In October 1976, while working on the late stages of their debut album, the band conceived the name “Ultravox!” (the exclamation mark was a reference to [[krautrock]] band [[Neu!]], produced by [[Conny Plank]], who later produced three Ultravox albums). At the same time, Leigh chose [[John Foxx]] and Allen chose [[Chris Cross]] as their respective stage names.<ref name="Discog"/> In February 1977, Island released their eponymous debut album, ''[[Ultravox! (album)|Ultravox!]]''.

Like many other bands that formed Britain's [[Punk rock|punk]] and [[New wave music|new wave]] movements, Ultravox! drew inspiration from the art-school side of [[glam rock]]. Musically, Ultravox! were heavily influenced by [[Roxy Music]], the [[New York Dolls]], [[David Bowie]] and [[Kraftwerk]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ultravox-mn0000809266 |title=Ultravox <nowiki>| Music Biography, Streaming Radio and Discography |</nowiki> AllMusic |last=Ankeny |first=Jason |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=25 December 2014}}</ref> Their debut was co-produced by [[Steve Lillywhite]] and [[Brian Eno]] (who next co-wrote and performed with Bowie on ''[[Low (David Bowie album)|Low]]''). ''[[Ultravox! (album)|Ultravox!]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s sales were disappointing, and neither the album nor the associated single "Dangerous Rhythm" managed to enter the UK charts. Relations within the band were on an occasionally tenuous footing during this time as Foxx declared that he intended to live without emotions, a sentiment he wrote into the début album track "I Want to Be a Machine".

Ultravox! returned later in 1977 with the punkier ''[[Ha! Ha! Ha!]]''. Sales of both the album and its lead single, "[[ROckWrok]]", were poor, both failing to register on the UK charts. "ROckWrok" had a punk-lyric chorus, with the words "Come on, let's tangle in the dark/Fuck like a dog, bite like a shark". (Despite this, it got airplay on [[BBC Radio 1]].) Although ''[[Ha! Ha! Ha!]]'' was dominated by guitars and [[electric violin]], the final track, "Hiroshima Mon Amour", was a prototypical [[synthpop]] song. One of the first tracks by a British band to feature a drum machine (a [[Roland Rhythm 77]] (TR-77) with preset patterns) and a tenor [[saxophone]] solo played by "c.c." of the band Gloria Mundi. “Hiroshima Mon Amour” signalled a new direction for Ultravox. The energy, anger and popular appeal of punk was fading in 1978,<ref>{{cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Reynolds |date=2004 |title=[[Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984]]}}</ref> and the more creative UK punk genre talent sought new directions—calling themselves [[New wave music|British new wave]] instead of [[punk rock]] artists. "Hiroshima Mon Amour" remains a critics' and fans' favourite from the group's initial period. Ultravox! also performed it on ''[[The Old Grey Whistle Test]]'' later in 1978.