John Foxx compilations across the years Part 6

Three years on from the previous compilation release, ‘Metatronic’, 2013’s ‘Metadelic’ was very much a companion piece that chose to focus on the ‘warmer’ periods of John’s solo material, seemingly psychedelic infused as opposed to the more influential, cold and dystopian works his solo work started off with (and would revisit later), and managed to include some previously unreleased exclusives, as well as bring some video materials back into circulation. Or as Foxx describes it in the sleevenotes; The cyber-punk they called John Foxx’ has dissolved a little and defrosted. He has become healthy and splendored, drifting free.

John Foxx 'Metadelic' CD front case design
^ John Foxx ‘Metadelic’ CD front case design

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Propaganda ‘Die 1000 Augen Des Dr. Mabuse’ Record Store Day LP (ZTT / Universal Music Recordings, ZAFT1 / 5890985, 2024)

The annual Record Store Day orgy of new and limited edition releases has come and gone and once more served up a new ZTT label release that has proved too tempting to resist, in this case an album-length release dedicated to eight versions of one song alone, ‘Dr. Mabuse’. What do you mean who needs an album of eight different versions of one song?! This is only ‘Part 1’ – there’s even more to come at some future as yet unspecified date! It is the single’s 40th anniversary too, don’tcha know?!

Propaganda - 'Die 1000 Augen Des Dr. Mabuse' RSD 2024 LP front cover
^ Propaganda – ‘Die 1000 Augen Des Dr. Mabuse’ RSD 2024 LP front cover

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Kraftwerk ‘Kometenmelodie 2’ 1981 UK 7″ (Vertigo, VER3, 1981)

1981 and Kraftwerk’s world tour and new ‘Computer World’ album was easily the band’s highest profile moves in several years and so it also acted as an impetus for the band’s previous record label to cash in with a new compilation album (‘Elektro Kinetik’) and accompanying single, ‘Kometenmelodie 2’. This would be the last hurrah for Vertigo Records in the UK with regards to Kraftwerk releases, as after 1981 the band acquired the rights to their earliest work and there would be no further re-issues of the Philips/Vertigo era material at all.

Kraftwerk 'Kometenmelodie 2' 1981 UK 7" front cover
^ Kraftwerk ‘Kometenmelodie 2’ 1981 UK 7″ front cover

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John Foxx compilations across the years Part 5

With seemingly undue haste – there is only two years between ‘Glimmer: Best of John Foxx’, covered in the previous post, and the subject of this post, here we have ‘Metatronic’. What did this compilation bring, that warranted it coming so soon after ‘Glimmer’, you may well wonder?

John Foxx ‘Metatronic’ UK compilation 2 x CD + DVD - front case design
^ John Foxx ‘Metatronic’ UK compilation 2 x CD + DVD – front case design

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John Foxx compilations across the years Part 4

Moving on from 2001 to 2008 and the next John Foxx compilation that was to emerge, ‘Glimmer: Best of John Foxx’. The metamatic.com website’s cryptic summary for 2008 states “Interlude. Operation by proxy and semantic extension. Despatched a couple of robot agents to the other side of the world, and hid in Durham Cathedral. Partial manifestation in the cobbled squares of Europe. An interrupted radio broadcast from Shinjuku. Remixed and remastered. Ambushed in Bethnal Green by Dub-terrorist Editions, Ltd armed with sprayguns – fended them off with x-ray vision and an old suit.”

‘Remixed and remastered’ was the order of the day here for the particular items of interest, with ‘Glimmer: Best of John Foxx’ acting as an advance landing party in September for a fuller scale double-disc CD remastering re-issue programme for three of John’s Virgin-era albums following shortly thereafter in October 2008. As for the remixing…more on that later under ‘Additionally of interest..’ below.

‘Glimmer: Best Of John Foxx’ UK compilation 2 x CD - front cover design
^ ‘Glimmer: Best Of John Foxx’ UK compilation 2 x CD – front cover design

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