In Mysterious Ways

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In Mysterious Ways
Studio album by John Foxx
Released	23 September 1985
Recorded	The Garden, London 1985
Length	43:25
Label	Virgin
Producer(s)	John Foxx
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
John Foxx chronology
The Golden Section (1983)	In Mysterious Ways (1985)	Cathedral Oceans (1997)

In Mysterious Ways is a 1985 album by John Foxx, the follow-up to his album The Golden Section, released two years previously. It featurs some of the highly romantic style similar to 1981's The Garden album, although in many ways lacking the finesse of the earlier record. Completely missing from this recording is all association with what Foxx was known for, be it Punk Rock, Art Rock, English-style Krautrock, Electropop or New Wave. Yet, this is very much a Foxx record.

The lyrics are of discovery and rediscovery and there is lots of vibrato-laden organ playing on this record. There are acoustic guitars, mid-1980s home studio-sounding rhythm machines, live drums and glimpses of Cathedral Oceans in a few places particularly the Enter The Angel reprise (although Cathedral Oceans wasn't released until 12 years later, Foxx has stated he started working on the material as early as 1983).

"Morning Glory" is a long, two-chord meditation with a Van Morrison delivery. "This Side Of Paradise" has a late-seventies Ultravox feel. The Foxx talk sounds almost like Bob Dylan on "Stars On Fire", a minor hit. "Lose All Sense Of Time" is slightly like Lou Reed and Robin Simon's guitar additions make it Foxx-filtered. "Enter The Angel" has female backing vocalists and the effect is Girl Group mid-sixties. Female vocalists are also heard on the almost Country ballad, "Stepping Softly". There's some familiar territory here but it's not anything else Foxx had done previously.

The cover art is in the collage style he had been presenting to his public since the early Ultravox! days.

[edit] Track listing

1. "Stars On Fire" – 5:32
2. "Lose All Sense of Time" – 4:16
3. "Shine On" – 3:58
4. "Enter The Angel" – 3:04
5. "In Mysterious Ways" – 5:00
6. "What Kind of a Girl" – 4:40
7. "This Side of Paradise" – 4:38
8. "Stepping Softly" – 3:56
9. "Enter The Angel II" – 5:52
10. "Morning Glory" – 2:14

[edit] 2001 reissue tracklisting

1. "Stars On Fire" – 5:32
2. "Lose All Sense of Time" – 4:16
3. "What Kind of a Girl" – 4:40
4. "Shine On" – 3:58
5. "Enter The Angel" – 3:04
6. "In Mysterious Ways" – 5:00
7. "This Side of Paradise" – 4:38
8. "Stepping Softly" – 3:56
9. "Morning Glory" – 2:14
10. "Enter The Angel II" – 5:52
11. "Lumen de Lumine"* – 2:36
12. "Hiding in Plain Sight"* – 5:52
13. "City of Light"* – 3:38

Bonus tracks marked with an asterisk.

[edit] Musicians

• Robin Simon - guitar
• Wix - drums
• Randy Hope-Taylor - bass
• John Foxx - vocals, keyboards, guitar (listed on several tracks as "all other instruments")
• Sadenia Reader - backing vocals
• Peter Oxendale - keyboards
• David Levy - bass
• Barry Watts - drums