Lament is the seventh studio album by British new wave band Ultravox, released on 6 April 1984 by Chrysalis Records.[3] It was the last album featuring original drummer Warren Cann until the band's reunion album Brilliant in 2012. The album peaked at number eight on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 8 June 1984 for shipments of 100,000 copies. It also reached number 25 in Germany and number 115 in the United States.
Ultravox produced Lament themselves, a logical step considering the experience that they had gained working with two very different producers, Conny Plank and George Martin. Ure and Currie had at this time built their own home studios. Ure's Musicfest Studio located in Chiswick and Currie's Hot Food Studio in his basement in Notting Hill Gate.[4]
The album's inner sleeve on LP releases features a photograph of Callanish Stones, a neolithic stone arrangement on Lewis in Scotland.[5] On later releases of the album, this photograph appears on the front cover in place of the original tracklist, which is instead displayed on the formerly-blank back cover.
The album's initial release on CD featured a different track listing from the initial LP release as the songs were interspersed with remixes. When the album was next re-released on CD in 1999, it featured the original track listing with seven bonus tracks consisting of various B-sides and remixes from the Lament period added to the end of the album.
The album was once again re-released in 2009 as a double CD set. The first disc consisted of the original album remastered. The second disc contained remixes, B-sides and previously unreleased "work in progress" versions of songs.
Prior to the issue of a deluxe special edition box set of Lament in 2024, April's Record Store Day saw the release of a limited edition 12" featuring four newly created extended versions of album tracks, mixed by Steven Wilson: White China, Man Of Two Worlds, When The Time Comes and A Friend I Call Desire. Two of these are to feature on the box set, and two are exclusive to this special vinyl release.
Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
Lament [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
Man of Two Worlds [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
Heart of the Country [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
When the Time Comes [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
A Friend I Call Desire [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
Easterly [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
Building [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
Love's Great Adventure [Steven Wilson Stereo Mix]
Disc three
White China [Extended Re-Mix]
One Small Day [Extended Re-Mix]
Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [Blank and Jones So8Os Reconstruction]
Lament [Moby Remix]
Man of Two Worlds [Extended Mix]
Heart of the Country [Extended Re-Mix]
When the Time Comes [Steven Wilson 12" Mix]
A Friend I Call Desire [Steven Wilson 12" Mix]
Disc four
One Small Day [U.S. Single Edit]
Easterly [2024 Remaster]
Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [Single Version]
Building [2024 Remaster]
One Small Day [U.S. Club Version]
Lament [Single Version]
Heart of the Country [Instrumental]
Love's Great Adventure [2024 Remaster]
White China [Live]
Man of Two Worlds [Instrumental]
White China [Rough Mix Sept '83]
Man of Two Worlds [Monitor Mix Aug '83]
Lament [Backing Track Sept '83]
Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [Piano Version]
Love's Great Adventure [Work in Progress Mix]
Threads [Version 1]
Threads [Version 2: Love's Great Adventure]
Rivets
Disc five
One Small Day [Special Re-Mix]
One Small Day [Special Re-Mix Extra]
White China [Special Re-Mix]
Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [Special Re-Mix]
Dancing with Tears in My Eyes [U.S. Extended Re-Mix]
Lament [Extended Version]
Heart of the Country [Special Unedited Re-Mix]
Love's Great Adventure [Extended Version]
One Small Day [Final Mix]
Disc six
Live at London Hammersmith Odeon, 7th June 1984 (Part one)
Man of Two Worlds
Passing Strangers
We Stand Alone
New Europeans
I Remember (Death in the Afternoon)
Visions in Blue
Heart of the Country
Western Promise
Vienna
Disc seven
Live at London Hammersmith Odeon, 7th June 1984 (Part two)
Reap the Wild Wind
We Came to Dance
White China
One Small Day
Hymn
The Voice
Lament
Dancing with Tears in My Eyes
All Stood Still
This release is available on vinyl and CD box set (which also contains an audio DVD featuring surround sound and stereo versions of the Lament/B-sides Steven Wilson Mixes Original 1984 Mixes plus 24/96 LPCM Stereo Mix of the original 1984 mixes of Lament/B-sides)