There are a lot of John Foxx reissues for fans to get their teeth into, and while some might argue about the financial commitments of being a devotee of the former Ultravox sound creator, the rewards are always there. Take this triple disc remaster of his seminal Metamatic album, which still sounds as freshly minted and wholly original as it would have done on its 1980 release. Staggering to think that Foxx was already so far into electronic music by this time, for many of today’s artists would give their front teeth for an album this strong. The extras are well worth hearing, a host of instrumental music from the session which was also set aside for remastering, together with some alternative mixes and the striking track ‘Miss Machinery’, a classic piece of electro Foxx. The music is only three quarters of the deal here though, as a mass of fascinating archive material from Foxx’s notebooks is revealed, lovingly assembled and presented in a handsome box. If you already know and love the album you’ll want it in this form, for the instrumentals are effectively a new album in themselves – while the insights from the studio floor cuttings are revealing and fascinating. Recommended all over again!
Ben Hogwood
5 out of 5
