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ROckWrok
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Wikipedia article
"'ROckWrok'" is a single by the post-punk band Ultravox!, released on 7 October 1977 by Island Records.[http://www.metamatic.com/zDiscdocs01/wip6404.html metamatic.com - Discography: Singles - ROckwrok] It was the last British non-free single (the next, "Quirks", came free along initial copies of the album) released from the 'Ha! Ha! Ha!' album and featuring Stevie Shears as guitarist. The next non-free single was 'Frozen Ones', released only in Germany shortly afterwards.[http://sound.jp/rockwrok/single_uv.html ULTRAVOX ROCKWROK singles]
"ROckWrok" features a punk sound derived from Warren Cann's drums and Stevie Shears' guitar alongside John Foxx's hard vocals. It was regularly performed live until Ultravox's U.S. and Canadian tour in 1979,[http://www.discog.info/ultravox-interview4.html ULTRAVOX - THE STORY Pt 4, WARREN CANN INTERVIEWED BY JONAS WRSTAD: Feb 1979 - First US tour starts] when Foxx decided to go solo. The song was performed live by Massive Attack on their 2019 tour. They had previously sampled "ROckWrok" for their 1998 song 'Inertia Creeps'.
The B-side is an early version or demo,[http://www.discog.info/ultravox-interview2.html ULTRAVOX - THE STORY Pt 2, WARREN CANN INTERVIEWED BY JONAS WRSTAD: 14 Oct 1977 - Third single 'ROckwrok/Hiroshima mon amour (early version)'] or alternate version of "Hiroshima Mon Amour" (named after the famous French movie), written by John Foxx and Billy Currie. It has a punkier sound than the album version of the song. A third version of the song was performed live on the Old Grey Whistle Test the next year, with Robin Simon replacing Shears as guitarist; it was quieter than the "ROckWrok" single version but maintained the rock style, also differing from the synthpop oriented version on 'Ha!-Ha!-Ha!'.
This single, like all the 'Ha!-Ha!-Ha!'-era releases, didn't perform well in the charts.
Track listing
7" version
# "ROckWrok" 3:33# "Hiroshima Mon Amour" 4:54
Personnel
* John Foxx: vocals
* Chris Cross: bass, vocals
* Stevie Shears: guitar
* Warren Cann: drums, vocals
* Billy Currie: keyboards, synthesizer, violin
References
Category:1977 singles
Category:Ultravox songs
Category:Songs written by John Foxx
Category:1977 songs
Category:Island Records singles
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