{"history":[],"article":{"id":"0b80b9b2-19b3-4683-bf46-16df14770340","title":"The Garden (John Foxx album)","slug":"the-garden-john-foxx-album","content":":::summary\n![The Garden](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/John///Foxx///-///The///Garden///-///CD///album///cover.jpg)\n**Name:** The Garden \n**Type:** [Album](https://bliptext.com/articles/album) \n**Artist:** [John Foxx](https://bliptext.com/articles/john-foxx) \n**Released:** 25 September 1981 \n**Recorded:** The Garden, [London](https://bliptext.com/articles/london) 1981 \n**Studio:** [The Garden](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-garden-recording-studio) (London) \n**Genre:** [New wave](https://bliptext.com/articles/new-wave-music), [synthpop](https://bliptext.com/articles/synthpop) \n**Length:** 41:18 \n**Label:** [Virgin](https://bliptext.com/articles/virgin-records) \n**Producer:** John Foxx \n**Prev Title:** [Metamatic](https://bliptext.com/articles/metamatic) \n**Prev Year:** 1980 \n**Next Title:** [The Golden Section](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-golden-section) \n**Next Year:** 1983 \n:::\n\n# \n**The Garden** is a 1981 album by [John Foxx](https://bliptext.com/articles/john-foxx), the follow-up to his debut solo album [Metamatic](https://bliptext.com/articles/metamatic), released the previous year.\nBy comparison, it features more diverse instrumentation and [romantic](https://bliptext.com/articles/neo-romanticism) stylings.\n\n# Production and style\nThe sound and subject matter of The Garden were informed by a number of factors: the composer's [Catholic](https://bliptext.com/articles/roman-catholic) upbringing and early exposure to [Latin mass](https://bliptext.com/articles/mass-liturgy) and [Gregorian chant](https://bliptext.com/articles/gregorian-chant); his exploration of England's countryside, [architecture](https://bliptext.com/articles/architecture-of-the-united-kingdom) and [history](https://bliptext.com/articles/history-of-england) following the release of Metamatic; and the song \"Systems of Romance\", which had been written during sessions for the Ultravox album of the same name but was not included on the record, even though its title was used.\nAnother connection between The Garden and Systems of Romance the album was the presence of [guitarist](https://bliptext.com/articles/guitar) [Robin Simon](https://bliptext.com/articles/robin-simon), whose textured style had been a significant influence on the sound of the earlier release.\nWhereas on Metamatic the only conventional instrument had been [bass guitar](https://bliptext.com/articles/bass-[guitar](https://bliptext.com/articles/guitar)), Foxx used a full band of musicians on The Garden to play electric and acoustic [guitar](https://bliptext.com/articles/guitar), electric bass, [piano](https://bliptext.com/articles/piano), and acoustic [percussion](https://bliptext.com/articles/percussion-instrument), in addition to [synthesizers](https://bliptext.com/articles/synthesizer) and [drum machines](https://bliptext.com/articles/drum-machine).\nRegarding the album's title and the influence of his travels through England, in a 1981 interview with [Bruce Elder](https://bliptext.com/articles/bruce-elder-journalist) on Australian radio [Triple J](https://bliptext.com/articles/triple-j) Foxx said, \"'The Garden' seemed to be a pretty good metaphor because I found a lot of gardens that were overgrown and ruined and a lot of very grand buildings that were almost decaying - but I found them a lot more beautiful than they were in their original state, being overgrown\".\nThe opening track, \"Europe After the Rain\", encapsulated the style of the album as a whole, featuring discreet synthesizer work in concert with piano, acoustic guitar and a digital drum machine; its title came from a [Max Ernst](https://bliptext.com/articles/max-ernst) painting.\nThe tune of \"Night Suit\" betrayed a [funk](https://bliptext.com/articles/funk) influence, whilst its lyrics were among many on the album that alluded to 'The Quiet Man', an alternative persona Foxx had developed prior to Ultravox's Systems of Romance and which inspired one of its key songs, \"Quiet Men\".\nFoxx saw The Quiet Man as the epitome of detachment and observation, and claimed to often write from his perspective.\nTwo songs that reflected the influence of church music and prayer were\n\"Pater Noster\" and the final/title track.\nThe former was played entirely by Foxx, the [Lord's Prayer](https://bliptext.com/articles/lord-s-prayer) sung in [Latin](https://bliptext.com/articles/latin) against an electronic [disco](https://bliptext.com/articles/disco) beat and the composer’s 'Human Host', a collection of tapes, [vocoders](https://bliptext.com/articles/vocoder) and synthesizer sounds.\nThe latter was a manifestation of the inspiration Foxx took from rural England and cathedral architecture; musically it also bore some resemblance to the final track on Systems of Romance, \"Just for a Moment\".\n\n# Release and aftermath\nThe Garden spent six weeks in the UK charts in 1981, peaking at #24.\nInitial vinyl copies included a glossy booklet called \"Church\", with words and photographs by Foxx.\n\"Europe After the Rain\" b/w \"This Jungle\" (plus \"You Were There\" on 12-inch) was released as the first single, a month prior to the album, making #40.\n\"Dancing Like a Gun\" b/w \"Swimmer 2\" (plus \"Swimmer 1\" on 12-inch) followed in October 1981 but did not chart.\nThe non-album B-sides appear on the 2001 reissue of The Garden.\nThe album, particularly its title track, is generally cited as having influenced Foxx's current [ambient](https://bliptext.com/articles/ambient-music) output, Cathedral Oceans (1995) and its sequels.\n\n# Track listing\nAll songs written by John Foxx.\n\n## 1993 reissue bonus tracks\n

\"Young Man\" – 2:53
\"Dance With Me\" – 3:29
\"A Woman on a Stairway\" – 4:29
\"The Lifting Sky\" – 4:48
\"Annexe\" – 3:10
\"Wings and a Wind\" – 5:15

\n\n## 2001 reissue bonus tracks\n

\"A Long Time\" – 3:49
\"This Jungle\" – 4:41
\"Swimmer 2\" – 3:31 (effectively \"Swimmer 1\")
\"Swimmer 1\" – 5:10 (effectively \"Swimmer 2\")
\"Young Man\" – 2:53

\n\n## 2008 reissue bonus disc\n\n# Personnel","current_revision":null,"created_by":"kACnuQmH5k9Nr5VNVEpVeg7XpvUmMctD","created_at":"2025-01-25T21:19:11.358Z","updated_at":"2025-01-25T21:19:11.358Z","search_vector":"'album':5 'foxx':4 'garden':2 'john':3","search_content":" \n \n**Name:** The Garden \n**Type:** [Album](https://bliptext.com/articles/album) \n**Artist:** [John Foxx](https://bliptext.com/articles/john-foxx) \n**Released:** 25 September 1981 \n**Recorded:** The Garden, [London](https://bliptext.com/articles/london) 1981 \n**Studio:** [The Garden](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-garden-recording-studio) (London) \n**Genre:** [New wave](https://bliptext.com/articles/new-wave-music), [synthpop](https://bliptext.com/articles/synthpop) \n**Length:** 41:18 \n**Label:** [Virgin](https://bliptext.com/articles/virgin-records) \n**Producer:** John Foxx \n**Prev Title:** [Metamatic](https://bliptext.com/articles/metamatic) \n**Prev Year:** 1980 \n**Next Title:** [The Golden Section](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-golden-section) \n**Next Year:** 1983 \n \n\n# \n**The Garden** is a 1981 album by [John Foxx](https://bliptext.com/articles/john-foxx), the follow-up to his debut solo album [Metamatic](https://bliptext.com/articles/metamatic), released the previous year.\nBy comparison, it features more diverse instrumentation and [romantic](https://bliptext.com/articles/neo-romanticism) stylings.\n\n# Production and style\nThe sound and subject matter of The Garden were informed by a number of factors: the composer's [Catholic](https://bliptext.com/articles/roman-catholic) upbringing and early exposure to [Latin mass](https://bliptext.com/articles/mass-liturgy) and [Gregorian chant](https://bliptext.com/articles/gregorian-chant); his exploration of England's countryside, [architecture](https://bliptext.com/articles/architecture-of-the-united-kingdom) and [history](https://bliptext.com/articles/history-of-england) following the release of Metamatic; and the song \"Systems of Romance\", which had been written during sessions for the Ultravox album of the same name but was not included on the record, even though its title was used.\nAnother connection between The Garden and Systems of Romance the album was the presence of [guitarist](https://bliptext.com/articles/guitar) [Robin Simon](https://bliptext.com/articles/robin-simon), whose textured style had been a significant influence on the sound of the earlier release.\nWhereas on Metamatic the only conventional instrument had been [bass [guitar](https://bliptext.com/articles/guitar)](https://bliptext.com/articles/bass-[guitar](https://bliptext.com/articles/guitar)), Foxx used a full band of musicians on The Garden to play electric and acoustic [guitar](https://bliptext.com/articles/guitar), electric bass, [piano](https://bliptext.com/articles/piano), and acoustic [percussion](https://bliptext.com/articles/percussion-instrument), in addition to [synthesizers](https://bliptext.com/articles/synthesizer) and [drum machines](https://bliptext.com/articles/drum-machine).\nRegarding the album's title and the influence of his travels through England, in a 1981 interview with [Bruce Elder](https://bliptext.com/articles/bruce-elder-journalist) on Australian radio [Triple J](https://bliptext.com/articles/triple-j) Foxx said, \"'The Garden' seemed to be a pretty good metaphor because I found a lot of gardens that were overgrown and ruined and a lot of very grand buildings that were almost decaying - but I found them a lot more beautiful than they were in their original state, being overgrown\".\nThe opening track, \"Europe After the Rain\", encapsulated the style of the album as a whole, featuring discreet synthesizer work in concert with piano, acoustic guitar and a digital drum machine; its title came from a [Max Ernst](https://bliptext.com/articles/max-ernst) painting.\nThe tune of \"Night Suit\" betrayed a [funk](https://bliptext.com/articles/funk) influence, whilst its lyrics were among many on the album that alluded to 'The Quiet Man', an alternative persona Foxx had developed prior to Ultravox's Systems of Romance and which inspired one of its key songs, \"Quiet Men\".\nFoxx saw The Quiet Man as the epitome of detachment and observation, and claimed to often write from his perspective.\nTwo songs that reflected the influence of church music and prayer were\n\"Pater Noster\" and the final/title track.\nThe former was played entirely by Foxx, the [Lord's Prayer](https://bliptext.com/articles/lord-s-prayer) sung in [Latin](https://bliptext.com/articles/latin) against an electronic [disco](https://bliptext.com/articles/disco) beat and the composer’s 'Human Host', a collection of tapes, [vocoders](https://bliptext.com/articles/vocoder) and synthesizer sounds.\nThe latter was a manifestation of the inspiration Foxx took from rural England and cathedral architecture; musically it also bore some resemblance to the final track on Systems of Romance, \"Just for a Moment\".\n\n# Release and aftermath\nThe Garden spent six weeks in the UK charts in 1981, peaking at #24.\nInitial vinyl copies included a glossy booklet called \"Church\", with words and photographs by Foxx.\n\"Europe After the Rain\" b/w \"This Jungle\" (plus \"You Were There\" on 12-inch) was released as the first single, a month prior to the album, making #40.\n\"Dancing Like a Gun\" b/w \"Swimmer 2\" (plus \"Swimmer 1\" on 12-inch) followed in October 1981 but did not chart.\nThe non-album B-sides appear on the 2001 reissue of The Garden.\nThe album, particularly its title track, is generally cited as having influenced Foxx's current [ambient](https://bliptext.com/articles/ambient-music) output, Cathedral Oceans (1995) and its sequels.\n\n# Track listing\nAll songs written by John Foxx.\n\n## 1993 reissue bonus tracks\n \n \"Young Man\" – 2:53 \n \"Dance With Me\" – 3:29 \n \"A Woman on a Stairway\" – 4:29 \n \"The Lifting Sky\" – 4:48 \n \"Annexe\" – 3:10 \n \"Wings and a Wind\" – 5:15 \n \n\n## 2001 reissue bonus tracks\n \n \"A Long Time\" – 3:49 \n \"This Jungle\" – 4:41 \n \"Swimmer 2\" – 3:31 (effectively \"Swimmer 1\") \n \"Swimmer 1\" – 5:10 (effectively \"Swimmer 2\") \n \"Young Man\" – 2:53 \n \n\n## 2008 reissue bonus disc\n\n# Personnel","revisionCount":0},"hasMore":false,"nextCursor":null}

History