John Foxx – Metamatic

What a cold sounding record but 100%all good.All the hippocrytes these days who think they are the real deal retire,this is how it’s done,REALLY!

Well the A4 Signed print that comes with the Anniversary Grey pressing (2025) is pretty underwhelming, no more than some cheap photocopy with John's signature.

Yes, Juan Atkins was either inspired by 'Touch and Go' and or 'Mr.X'. It's kind of hard to deny.

Contains the Hit single Underpants!!!
Click Click Drone
Buy with Systems of Romance on the metal beat label both 5 star rated.

Picked this up on vinyl at a car boot in Falmouth in maybe 2004 after being convinced by the friend I was with that it was worth a listen, then saw John Foxx maybe a year later at All Tomorrow’s Parties - he was great on stage, too. Listened to it again for the first time in over a decade last night, but what a brilliant album! Pop sensibilities are definitely there but Foxx still manages to make it feel cold & compulsively alarming. Tempted to play around with mixing it with some early Detroit techno records - feel like they would go well together.

To this day it is the original UK vinyl that draws me back whenever I play this remarkable album. The little 3 CD boxset is nice for all the extras, but this original British pressing is what I bought in 1980 and I can’t let go :). I was lucky to find a near mint copy last year for a tasty £12 !!!! I don’t think my wallet has ever been opened so fast !!!
Anyway, if you’re thinking of exploring early 1980s electronics then I can’t recommend this enough. Buy Ultravox’s Systems Of Romance too, and you’ll have a fine package showcasing John Foxx’s singular imagination at his best.
I don’t think theres one bad track on this. Touch And Go is my least favourite as it seems a bit too jolly compared to the other 9 songs, but in no way is it a mediocre track.
If you see a copy in good shape for a nice price, grab it quickly !!!!!
A true classic.

5/5 +

The A2/B4 strawberry press with printed inner sleeve sounds so much better than the later green label virgin re press, avoid that copy as it's much more 'muffled' sounding for some reason?

This is lightyears ahead, there's clearly the stems of future music here, a dubstep style beat and an 808 style bass lines, I just discovered this record. Should be worth more money, this guys and innovator for sure.

agreed, this sound launched the careers of untold numbers 'detatched sounding' synthetic moody electro and synthpop artists for the next decades. if you listen to new stuff Adult., Le Car, and stuff on Clone records today, it sounds just like this album did 25 years ago.

This is propably the single most influential recording of the 80's kickstarting the whole 'New Romantic' synth-pop sound of practically every band that was big in the 80's (Falco, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, etc.) released in 1980.