45 years ago (8 September 1987), Ultravox released their third studio album “ Systems of Romance”. It was the final recording for the group with original lead singer, lyricist and co-composer John Foxx. . Though not a commercial success, Systems of Romance had a significant influence on the electropop music that came after it.
Systems of Romance has been cited as a major influence on the synthpop music scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was the sonic prototype for the re-formed Ultravox featuring Midge Ure who, in his own words, "loved that album". John Foxx's first record as a solo artist was the almost fully electronic Metamatic, however, his next release, The Garden, took Systems of Romance as its starting point, to the extent of re-recording the earlier album's previously unpublished title song, utilising Robin Simon on guitar. Gary Numan, himself often called the "godfather of electropop", described the record as his single biggest musical inspiration; he invited Billy Currie to tour with him in 1979 and contribute to his album The Pleasure Principle, prior to Ultravox's second incarnation.