HUMANIA - “I CAN’T STAY LONG”
When Ultravox split up, synthesist/violinist Billy Currie was, by all accounts, utterly distraught, so I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that he made great efforts to thrust himself back into that sort of creative milieu again, and rather quickly, a bit like a jilted ex-boyfriend “on the rebound.” A few years before Currie’s rather unfortunate stint reviving the name “Ultravox” with a completely unrecognizable lineup besides himself, he put together another band called “Humania” in the late 80’s and recorded a bit of music, though this would end up not being released until the 00’s. It’s actually pretty decent stuff, and particularly of interest when situated in the broader context. The elements are definitely there to make us interpret Humania as an earlier attempt of Currie’s at re-creating something akin to Ultravox, especially given the way their name is also presumably alluding to the famous “vox humana” preset on early synthesisers.
They also covered some songs by Ultravox, not unlike Currie’s 90’s-era “Ultravox” did, though they did so with quite a bit more humility. “Ultravox” created “Vienna ‘92,” which sounds a bit like drunken karaoke with how lacking its vocal performance is compared to Midge Ure’s, and that’s a big letdown for me as I actually really like the treatment of the instrumentals to give them more of a 90’s sound. In addition to Ure-penned “Lament,” Humania also covered a tune off of Systems of Romance, the magnum opus of John Foxx’s Ultravox: “I Can’t Stay Long.” And it really comes together. The vocal performance here is nowhere near as distinctive or virtuosic as Ure’s is in “Vienna”--Foxx is a perfectly adequate vocalist, but his voice isn’t the chief reason anybody seems to listen to him. And I love Currie’s work on the keyboards, letting loose with some of his signature baroque synth flourishes that show off his classical background. It’s neither a slavishly derivative cover nor is it a completely transformative one, but what it is is surprisingly solid and enjoyable.
