In Mysterious Ways

In Mysterious Ways is a 1985 album by John Foxx, the follow-up to his album The Golden Section, released two years previously. It features 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.

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 -style ambient music in places—particularly in 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. An expanded edition was released in 2001 and a 2CD 'deluxe edition' in 2008.

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" – 2:14
10. "Morning Glory" – 5:52

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" – 5:52
10. "Enter The Angel II" – 2:14

Bonus tracks

11. "Lumen de Lumine" – 2:36
12. "Hiding in Plain Sight" – 5:52
13. "City of Light" – 3:38

2008 'deluxe edition' track listing

Disc 1

1. "Stars On Fire" – 5:32
2. "Lose All Sense of Time" – 4:16
3. "Spin Away" – 6:43
4. "Shine On" – 3:58
5. "Enter The Angel" – 3:04
6. "In Mysterious Ways" – 5:00
7. "What Kind of a Girl" – 4:40
8. "Stepping Softly" – 3:56
9. "Enter The Angel II" – 2:14
10. "Morning Glory" – 5:52

Disc 2

1. "This Side of Paradise" – 4:38
2. "Enter the Angel" (alternative version) – 3:38
3. "To Be With You" (alternative version) – 4:41
4. "And the Sky" – 4:34
5. "Magic" – 3:35
6. "Hiding in Plain Sight" – 5:51
7. "Shine On" (alternative version) – 5:03
8. "City of Light" – 3:37
9. "Lumen de Lumine" – 2:36

Notes

• "This Side of Paradise" was removed from the album proper for this reissue but included on the bonus disc. No explanation for this is given in the sleeve notes.
• "Spin Away" did not feature on earlier releases of the album.
• An earlier version of "To Be With You" can be found on the deluxe edition of Metamatic.
• "Hiding in Plain Sight" was originally titled "Stairway".

Personnel

• Robin Simon - guitar
• Paul "Wix" Wickens - 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