Beyond Ultravox - Midge Ure Delivers The Gift

Beyond his successful tenures with British new wave/synth-pop giants Ultravox and Visage (see separate posts), James ‘Midge’ Ure cut a significant figure on the British music scene during the 70s, 80s and beyond, through his involvement with several other successful bands/projects (as performer, writer, and producer), two of which scored British #1 hits, and a not insubstantial solo career which yielded a third #1. The ubiquitous pop-rock journeyman can lay claim to being one of the most influential figures in the post-punk/new wave scene, and remains to this day a highly respected, and sought after musical collaborator.

Midge Ure didn’t become a household name on the British music scene overnight. After leaving school in the late 60s, Ure worked for a time as an engineer, and indulged his love of music via a local Glasgow band called Stumble. Stumble proved a small stepping stone toward Salvation - or at least a band called Salvation - who recruited Midge Ure as a guitarist during 1972. Actually it was soon after joining Salvation, that Ure started going under the name ‘Midge’, a phonetic reversal of his first name Jim, to avoid having two members of the band having the name Jim. The other ‘Jim’ in Salvation was of the bass playing McGinlay variety, and it was he who had founded Salvation a couple of years previous with brother Kevin (vocals). The line-up was rounded out by Billy McIsaac (keyboards) and Kenny Hyslop (drums), and Salvation continued to be a much in demand covers band on the Glasgow pub/club scene. By April of ‘74, Kevin McGinlay had left to pursue a solo career, so Midge Ure stepped into the vocal/guitarist role. By November of ‘74 Salvation had taken on the new moniker Slik, and came under the creative auspices of Bill Martin and Phil Coulter. Martin and Coulter had been the writing and production team behind Scottish bubblegum-pop sensation the Bay City Rollers. The two camps had split, and in looking for a new vehicle through which to channel their teeny bopper pop fodder, Martin and Coulter spied potential in Slik. Interestingly, at this point Ure could have opted for a radical change of musical direction, as he’d been offered the lead vocal gig with the Malcolm McLaren managed Sex Pistols. Ure turned down the offer, but it’s an interesting ‘what if’ scenario to contemplate.

Instead of opting for safety pins, spiked hair, and torn jeans, Ure found himself attired in matching baseball caps with his Slik bandmates, and being presented to the pop press as the next big thing - it was no surprise that they were made to sound like the ‘tartan terror’ Rollers. Slik began promisingly enough, scoring a British #1 in February of ‘76 with the semi-glam tinged ‘Forever And Ever’ (OZ#54) - the song originally recorded by Kenny (also in the Martin/Coulter creative stable). Slik had just one more spin of the fame wheel with the weightier May ‘76 single ‘Requiem’ (UK#24), lifted from their self titled album (UK#58). But life as a teeny bopper popper wasn’t for Midge Ure, and besides, the whole punk rock explosion had just rendered bubblegum pop all but obsolete. Slik cut ties with Martin and Coulter, and adopted an all new punk rock persona, changing their name to a chemical adhesive, sorry PVC2, in the process. But the Ure led PVC2 only released a single single, with ‘Put You In The Picture’, before Ure left the PVC2 picture to hook up with an ex-Sex Pistol and his new band.

In October ‘77, Midge Ure hooked up with ex-Sex Pistol bassist Glen Matlock, in Matlock’s new band the Rich Kids, alongside drummer Rusty Egan and guitarist Steve New. Given the Sex Pistols connection, the London based Rich Kids naturally enough attracted a lot of media hype - Ure apparently filled the void left by Mick Jones who returned to full time duties with The Clash. Rich Kids took the 60s style melodic guitar pop formula (The Who, Small Faces, The Kinks) and infused it with a harder edged punk-rock dynamic, resulting in a cutting edge power pop style. Rich Kids released just the one album, ‘Ghosts Of Princes In Towers’ (UK#51), produced by Mick Ronson, and featuring the band’s only hit single, the eponymously titled ‘Rich Kids’ (UK#24), released in early ‘78. But Rich Kids affluence on the charts was short lived, as was the group, and by late ‘78 internal squabbling had led to the dissolution of the band.

Midge Ure and Rusty Egan had already begun collaborating in studio with Steve Strange, and recorded a demo tape of material including a ‘future-synth’ style version of Zager & Evans’ ‘In The Year 2525’. The trio went under the banner of Visage (see separate post), and they’d later add Ultravox synth player Billy Currie, and three Magazine alumnus, John McGeoch, Dave Formula, and Barry Adamson. Over the next couple of years, Ure would maintain ties with Visage before eventually parting ways with the project after 1982’s album ‘The Anvil’. Ure’s work with Visage led to hooking up with Ultravox in April ‘79. Though prior to that Ure had attempted to launch a new band called The Misfits, alongside Rusty Egan - that was a short lived venture. Prior to beginning work in earnest with Ultravox, Ure spent some time in studio and on a U.S. tour with hard rock powerhouse Thin Lizzy (as a replacement for Gary Moore - see separate post). By 1980, Ure had decided splitting his time between three bands, Ultravox, Visage, and Thin Lizzy was spreading his artistic capacity a little too thin, so he withdrew from Thin Lizzy duties, and by 1982 had also withdrawn from Visage. As covered in the previous post, Midge Ure and Ultravox were soon positioned at the vanguard of the ‘New Romantic’/synth-pop movement in Britain.

But the prolific Ure couldn’t help himself, and continued to work with other artists, even during the peak years of Ultravox. He collaborated with the likes of Steve Harley, Modern Man, The Skids (see separate post), and Japan’s Mick Karn (on the 1983 single ‘After A Fashion’ - UK#39). In June of ‘82, Midge Ure released his debut solo single, ‘No Regrets’, an emotive cover of the classic hit by The Walker Brothers (originally recorded by Tom Rush). Ure had no regrets over his first solo single, which soared to #9 on the British charts (OZ#53). The next couple of years saw Ultravox sustain their place at the top of the British music scene, with a string of hit singles, and the top ten albums ‘Quartet’ and ‘Lament’.

Whilst rehearsing with Ultravox for an appearance on the British TV show ‘The Tube’, Ure got a phone call from his old mate Bob Geldof, of Boomtown Rats fame (see future post). Geldof had been inspired to record a song to raise money for famine relief in Ethopia. Geldof had the initial lyrics, whilst Ure fleshed out the melody and structure of the song (with the bridging chorus completed on the day of recording). The resultant song was titled ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’. Ure produced the song which was performed by an all-star cast of musicians, assembled at Geldof and Ure’s behest. The two set up the Band Aid Trust to administer proceeds from sales of the single, which was credited to Band Aid. ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ entered the British charts at #1 on the week of its release in December ‘84. It became the fastest selling single ever in Britain, spent five weeks at #1 (4 weeks #1 in Australia, US#13), and eventually notched up sales of over 3.5 million. Whilst Geldof became the face and spokesman for Band Aid, and the subsequent Live Aid concerts, Midge Ure’s contribution, both artistically, and as an official Trustee for Band Aid, should not be underestimated. Ure and his band Ultravox performed at the Live Aid concert in July of ‘85 (Warren Cann’s last live gig with the band).

Ure was no doubt on a creative high following the phenomenon of Band Aid, and in late ‘85 he released his first solo album, ‘The Gift’ (UK#2/OZ#29), whilst Ultravox were on hiatus. Midge Ure handled the production and majority of instrumentation on the album, with a handful of guest players contributing, including Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory, and Level 42’s Mark King. The lead out single, ‘If I Was’, was penned by Ure and Daniel Mitchell (The Messengers), and made an immediate impact on the British charts. ‘If I Was’ was an engagingly melodic love song, featuring a soaring chorus, and it was unashamedly appealing to the masses (I also recall the striking promo video which featured three dimensional paintings made of nails). ‘If I Was’ delivered Midge Ure a much deserved solo #1 on the British charts (OZ#10). ‘The Gift’ album spawned two more top fifty singles in, the melodic synth-pop of ‘That Certain Smile’ (UK#28), and the atmospheric ‘Wastelands’ (UK#46). In mid ‘86, Ure released the non-album single ‘Call Of The Wild’, which found refuge at #27 on the British charts.

After Ultravox had effectively called it a day in 1987, Ure was finally free of band commitments and could focus his energies exclusively on his second solo album. 1988’s ‘Answer To Nothing’ (UK#30/US#88/OZ#87) was a polished effort, and saw Ure explore a wider spectrum of musical styles. Given his experiences with Band Aid and work with the associated Band Aid Trust, it’s clear that Ure channelled some ‘big issues’ into the lyrics of ‘Answers To Nothing’, including the title track (UK#49), and the single ‘Dear God’ (OZ#36/US#95/UK#55), an obvious plea for divine intervention. The album also included the track ‘Sister And Brother’, a duet with Kate Bush, which had been planned as a single, but was withdrawn. Ure’s 1991 album ‘Pure’ (UK#36), released on Arista, yielded the top twenty hit ‘Cold, Cold Heart’ (UK#17), and in 1993 a career retrospective titled ‘If I Was’, returned Midge Ure (& Ultravox) to the top ten in Britain.

Ure’s 1996 album ‘Breathe’ didn’t register a pulse on the charts, but Ure has remained active on the recording front over the last ten years including the albums ‘Move Me’ (2001), and ‘10’ (2008), and continues to play a key role with world charity organisations. As mentioned in the previous Ultravox post, Midge Ure performed with the reformed Ultravox for a special 30th anniversary tour of Britain during 2009.

The Ultra-hip, Ultra-chic 'Blitz Kids' Called Ultravox

Following Foxx’s departure from Ultravox, the band all but split, with the three remaining members going on to work with other projects to pay the bills. Billy Currie hooked up with a young former Ultravox ‘devotee’ by the name of Gary Numan, and played on Numan’s debut solo album ‘The Pleasure Principle’ (1979), and subsequent world tour. Drummer Warren Cann hooked up with Zaine Griff, whilst bassist Chris Cross tinkered away on projects with Pretenders’ guitarist James Honeyman-Scott, and Eddie and the Hotrods vocalist Barrie Masters. Billy Currie had also continued his involvement with the cutting edge Steve Strange synth-pop outfit Visage (see separate post). Though essentially the brainchild of the eccentric Steve Strange, the studio based Visage boasted an outstanding roster of talent from other groups, including three members of post-punk mavericks Magazine, Dave Formula, John McGeoch, and Barry Adamson (see previous post), and two former members of another punk-edged outfit the Rich Kids, in drummer Rusty Egan, and a Scottish born vocalist/guitarist by the name of Midge Ure. Ure had already clocked up considerable experience over the previous five years, with the semi-glam outfit Slik, post-punkers The Rich Kids, and synth outfit Visage. Ure was also a fan of Ultravox’s earlier work, and having already established a solid musical synergy with Currie via their Visage work, he was the logical choice to front the new model Ultravox - and fill the roles of both singer and guitarist. Midge Ure and Ultravox agreed to work together in April of ‘79, but firstly Ure had to complete a stint as touring guitarist with Thin Lizzy before formerly commencing duties with his new band - see next post for more details on Ure’s career beyond Ultravox/Visage. Known later as ‘the classic Ultravox’ line-up, Ure, Currie, Cann and Cross signed on with Thin Lizzy’s management team, and began working on material for a new album during the latter part of ‘79. The revamped Ultravox also chose to play some very low key shows at home, and embarked on another short U.S. tour, with the view of further strengthening the band’s chemistry.

Ure’s recruitment to Ultravox seemed to breath new life into the formerly flagging group. The band retained elements of their former synth-rock identity, but firmly embraced the more commercial facets of the exploding ‘New Romantic’/electro pop movement. Now signed to Chrysalis Records, the first single of the Ure-era Ultravox arrived in June 1980 with ‘Sleepwalk’, which delivered the band their first chart hit (UK#29). It was lifted from the album ‘Vienna’, which was again co-produced by Conny Plank. On the strength of ‘Sleepwalk’, the ‘Vienna’ album initially pushed its way to #14 on the U.K. charts. The album melded a number of styles, perhaps indicative of the new line-up still finding its stylistic feet, or stretching its wings, probably the latter given Ultravox’s track record for pushing the stylistic/technical envelope in the recording studio. The next single, ‘Passing Strangers’ (UK#57), remained relatively anonymous in late 1980, but its follow up would push Ultravox to the zenith of the ‘New Romantic’/synth-pop scene. The album’s title track, ‘Vienna’, was a grandiose piece of synth-pop melodrama, boasting a hauntingly resonant sound. The song took it’s thematic inspiration from the 1948 film noir classic ‘The Third Man’. The accompanying music video, directed by Russell Mulcahy, also took inspiration from the film, and combined a backdrop of 1940s film noir and 19th century Vienna, weaving a tale of promised infidelity, forbidden love and murder (though set in Vienna, for budgetary reasons half of the video was shot at London locations). The video was befitting the atmospheric grandeur, and cinematic timbre of ‘Vienna’. ‘Vienna’ has always sent a shiver up my spine when I listened to it, from Cann’s pounding, reverb drenched drums, the sublimely lush orchestral/synth arrangements, Billy Currie’s transcendent electric violin solo, through to Midge’s Ure’s emotive vocals. It generates a palpable sense of being elevated beyond the everyday, luring you into an evocative world, drenching you in its mood, its atmosphere, its drama, its intrigue - like the most brilliant of classic cinema. The song’s indelibly melodic charm worked to temper its potentially pretentious ambitions, and established the new model Ultravox as a virtual synth-pop chamber ensemble, lavished with melodrama. ‘Vienna’ reached #2 on the British charts in early ‘81, and soon after broke the band in Australia (#11). It also earned Ultravox the Brit Award for ‘Best British Single’. ‘Vienna’ was later re-issued in Britain in 1993, and second time around peaked at #13. Sales of its source album surged as a result (UK#3/OZ#4/ US#164), and an earlier Ultravox song ‘Slow Motion’ (UK#33), from the Foxx era, was released as a single to cash in on the rise in popularity. By mid ‘81, Ultravox had scored their second top ten hit with ‘All Stood Still’ (UK#8), which showcased Cross’ pulsating Moog inspired bass lines, and Ure’s ultra dextrous guitar playing - just two more ingredients that contributed to the brilliant ‘Vienna’ album.

As is often the case following a mega-selling album, Ultravox faced the task of recording a follow up that would meet with the heightened expectations of both critics and the public. The Conny Plank produced ‘Rage In Eden’, had obviously grand ambitions, deemed by some to be too grand. Released in September of ‘81, the album bordered on excessive prog-rock in parts (according to some critics), but was an instant hit on its release in the U.K. (#4/OZ#20/ US#144). The lead out single, ‘The Thin Wall’ (UK#14/OZ#95), was backed by another engaging (and very cinematic) promo video, and its follow up ‘The Voice’ delivered Ultravox with yet another top twenty hit late in ‘81 (UK#16). During this period both Midge Ure and Billy Currie continued to be involved with the Visage project, who had scored a string of hits over the preceding year, including the brilliant ‘Fade To Grey’(UK#8/OZ#6). Still, Ultravox found time to return to the studio during 1982, this time in partnership with legendary Beatles’ producer George Martin. The collaboration resulted in the band’s most commercially accessible album to date, featuring a markedly warmer, more melodic sound with ‘Quartet’. The lead out single, ‘Reap The Wild Wind’, blew Ultravox into the U.S. Hot 100 for the one and only time in their career (#71) - British synth-pop acts never really made a substantial incursion into U.S. chart territory. The song performed considerably better on home charts (#12/OZ#69) in late ‘82, and though still boasting a moody edge, was definitely more aligned to a commercial brand of synth-pop. The follow up single, ‘Hymn’ (UK#11), further consolidated Ultravox’s transformation to commercial synth-pop vehicle, and lyrically, tapped into its source albums broader religious themes. ‘Quartet’ ascended to a peak of #6 on the British charts (US#61/OZ#35), and yielded two more British top twenty hits, ‘Visions In Blue’ (#15 - my choice as the album’s best track), and the more bare bones synth-pop approach of ‘We Came To Dance’ (#18), both released during the first half of ‘83.

Ultravox undertook a mammoth world tour, including the U.S., in support of the ‘Quartet’ album, resulting in the live album release, ‘Monument - The Soundtrack’ (UK#9) in late ‘83. With such a demanding schedule, Midge Ure parted ways with the studio based Visage (after producing their second album ‘The Anvil’), and by 1984 Billy Currie had followed suit. Of course, the relentlessly productive Ure was extending his extracurricular activities into other projects during this period (covered in more detail in the next post on Ure’s career). The Ultravox quartet reconvened over late ‘83/early ‘84 to record the album ‘Lament’, which they self-produced. The lead out single, ‘One Small Day’ (UK#27), signalled a further shift toward straight up commercial pop-rock, with the balance pointed firmly in favour of the guitar over the synthesizer. The follow up single, ‘Dancing With Tears In My Eyes’, echoed the evocative synth-laden sound of Ultravox circa-Vienna, and boasted another emotive vocal performance from Midge Ure. Lyrically, ‘Dancing With Tears In My Eyes’ dealt with the fear of a nuclear power plant meltdown, and was backed with the band’s most striking promo video since ‘Vienna’. ‘Dancing With Tears In My Eyes’ sparked a positive reaction on British charts (#3/OZ#58) and pushed sales for the ‘Lament’ album to top ten levels (UK#8/OZ#41/US#115). The album’s title track, ‘Lament’ (UK#22), a slower tempo synth-ballad, rounded out the first half of ‘84 for Ultravox. It also marked the end of the ‘classic’ Ultravox line-up, with drummer Warren Cann departing prior to Ultravox beginning work on their next full studio album in 1986. Cann moved to the U.S. and pretty much retired from the music biz in favour of pursuing a career in acting.

In late ‘84, Chrysalis Records released a best of compilation titled ‘The Collection’ (UK#2/OZ#14). The lead out single was a newly recorded track, ‘Love’s Great Adventure’ (UK#12), featuring hook laden layers of synthesizers, and backed by a clever ‘Indiana Jones’ pastiche themed promo clip. Ultravox then took an extended break, during which time Ure in particular kept maintained a high profile (see next post). In 1986, the band reconvened (minus Cann) to record the critically lambasted ‘U-Vox’ album (UK#9/OZ#92). They recruited the services of Big Country drummer Mark Brzezicki (see separate post), but even the ace sticks man couldn’t imbue sufficient energy to lift ‘U-Vox’ off the canvas. The album lacked the creative adventure of previous efforts, and yielded just two minor hits, ‘Same Old Story’ (UK#31/OZ#93), and ‘All Fall Down’ (UK#30). The latter did push the stylistic boundaries into Celtic territory, and its militaristic rhythm augmented the subject matter, which dealt with the strife in war torn Northern Ireland. Perhaps the blandness of both album cover and title gave a strong hint that Ultravox’s creative edge had been dulled.

Ironically, as Ultravox’s commercial fortunes were fading, Midge Ure was experiencing the most lucrative phase of his solo career. Perhaps the chemistry had just run its course, and by 1987 the formerly vibrant Ultravox had become creatively listless. Following the conclusion of the U-Vox tour in 1987, Ure and Cross both decided to leave the band, though a formal announcement regarding the band’s split wasn’t issued until September ‘88. Chris Cross retired from the music business to pursue a profession as a psychotherapist, whilst Ure focussed fulltime on his solo career (see next post). After releasing the solo album ‘Transportation’ in 1988, Billy Currie toured during 1989 under the banner of U-Vox (with ex-Ultravox guitarist Robin Simon and vocalist Marcus O’Higgins), and revived the Ultravox brand in 1992, with a new vocalist Tony Fenelle - a new album titled ‘Revelation’ was issued in May of ‘93. Two years later, with another new vocalist Sam Blue on board, the Currie led Ultravox issued the band’s final studio album ‘Ingenuity’.

At time of writing the ‘classic’ Ultravox line-up had recently reunited for a U.K. tour. Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Warren Cann, and Chris Cross have stated the tour was a one-off, and was undertaken to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Ure’s joining the band.
For your fix of all things Ultravox - http://www.ultravox.org.uk/index.shtml

Thumbing Through A Magazine

When singer Howard Devoto assembled the line-up for his new band during 1977, much was expected, given his involvement in the formative stages of the seminal punk outfit Buzzcocks. In April ‘76, Devoto had co-founded Buzzcocks with singer/guitarist Pete Shelley (see separate post), but less than a year into the enterprise, Devoto parted ways with the band (in rather acrimonious circumstances) shortly after the release of the ‘Spiral Scratch’ EP. Buzzcocks went on to become one of the pre-eminent punk-rock acts, with Shelley assuming vocal duties. By the Spring of ‘77, Devoto had assembled a new roster of musicians that together would constitute the music pages of the band Magazine. Guitarist John McGeogh, bassist Barry Adamson, drummer Martin Jackson and keyboardist Bob Dickinson joined with vocalist Devoto to form the first edition of Magazine. The band played rehearsals for about six months to get their sound just right, then chose the final night of the legendary Manchester punk club, The Electric Circus, to play their live debut in October of ‘77.

From the get go, Devoto and crew took the base recipe of punk and decided to imbue it with some more experimental stylistic elements. Shortly after their debut gig, Magazine signed with Virgin Records on the strength of a demo tape. Keyboardist Bob Dickinson left the band prior to their debut single, which was completed as a four piece, giving ‘Shot By Both Sides’ a decidedly punk-guitar edge to it. Released in January of ‘78, the song’s guitar riff took on an iconic status in the post-punk movement, and the very same riff featured in the Buzzcocks song ‘Lipstick’ later that year (it had been co-written by Devoto and Shelley during Devoto’s tenure with Buzzcocks). ‘Shot By Both Sides’ (UK#41) was defined by a stark, in your face style, and struck a chord with all of those punk aficionados now in pursuit of a new, more substantive sound. In April ‘78, a second single was released, ‘Touch And Go’, for which Magazine had recruited a new keyboardist/synth player, Dave Formula (ex-St. Louis Union), a move which would reshape the sound of Magazine.

The band toured the U.K. relentlessly during mid ‘78, in support of their debut album release ‘Real Life’ (UK#29). Produced by John Leckie, the album was declared an instant masterpiece by critics and fans alike. Devoto’s engaging intellect shone through in the lyrics which were drenched in social commentary and poetic barbs, and were augmented by Formula’s icy keyboard textures, with spikes and shards of keyboard fills and guitar hooks layered across the chilly, atmospheric soundscape. It was a raw undercoating of confrontational, edgy, guitar driven punk, draped in an emotive, but controlled synth driven, art-rock inspired overcoat. In time, Magazine’s ‘Real Life’ album has come to be regarded as a defining moment in the evolution of the post-punk movement, and a lasting influence on generations of musicians to come. The BBC’s John Peel became a major advocate of Magazine, and the band soon had a fast growing cult fan base. At the conclusion of the album’s support tour, drummer Martin Jackson left the band, and for a few months during 1978 was replaced by Paul Spencer. By October of ‘78, Spencer had left the pages of Magazine, and John Doyle was added as a more permanent feature in Magazine’s table of contents.

In March of ‘79, Magazine issued their second album, ‘Secondhand Daylight’ (UK#38), preceded by the lead out single ‘Rhythm Of Cruelty’. Magazine adopted an even more liberal engagement of the synthesizer, combined with less jarring rhythms on the album (produced by Colin Thurston), but continued to push the experimental envelope even further than synth-pop contemporaries like Human League and Ultravox. Though Devoto and McGeoch remained the principle song writing team, synth player Dave Formula played a much stronger hand in painting Magazine’s cold, futurist soundscape - a balance that didn’t please everyone. During 1979, three members of Magazine, John McGeoch, Dave Formula, and Barry Adamson hooked up with the Steve Strange led studio project Visage (see separate post), which also featured Ultravox’s Midge Ure and Billy Currie, and former Rich Kid Rusty Egan (see future posts). McGeoch and Formula, in particular, maintained ties with Visage over the next few years, and used the studio based group as a vehicle for creative freedom, beyond the Devoto controlled Magazine.

But the full Magazine staff turned up to record the band’s third album, ‘The Correct Use of Soap’, released in May of 1980. Fans had been offered a taster a few months earlier via the lead out single ‘A Song From Under The Floorboards’ which had failed to surface on the charts. Devoto had employed the services of producer Martin Hannett for the ‘Soap’ album, and Magazine returned to more commercially accessible territory. Guitar driven punk edged riffs, and an energetic rhythmic chassis helped propel the album along at a considerably more engaging pace than its predecessor. The album’s formula called for less Formula, and more McGeoch, Adamson and Doyle in the mix. Devoto retained his acerbic, world weary lyrical edge, but the album was altogether more welcoming to the listener. It featured an intriguing cover of the Sly Stone classic ‘Thank You’, and yielded Magazine’s second (and final) British chart hit, with ‘Sweet Heart Contract’ (UK#54) - a song that, to me, sounds like it could have come straight from the Phil Judd songbook (early Split Enz era). All up ‘The Correct Use Of Soap’ (UK#28/ OZ#98) represented a cleaner, sharper, slightly less rarefied article from between the Magazine covers. Shortly after the album’s release, Devoto’s long time lieutenant John McGeoch left Magazine to join Siouxsie & The Banshees (as well as continue his involvement with Visage). Recent Ultravox member Robin Simon (see future post) hopped on board for Magazine’s world tour, which yielded the live set ‘Play’ (UK#69 - recorded at Melbourne Festival Hall), but McGeoch’s departure was a major blow to Devoto and the rest of the band.

Robin Simon’s contribution to Magazine was no more than a short article, as he left the scene early in the recording process for the band’s fourth album, to hook up with ex-Ultravox front man John Foxx (all of these post punk tributaries tend to link up). Devoto put in a call to an old college mate called Ben Mandelson (ex-Amazorblades) to fill the guitar wielding void. The album’s lead out single, ‘About The Weather’, released in May of ‘81, was actually the first Magazine song I recall hearing (I think I was a bit young at the time to really get into serious post-punk bands), and it came via the tracks inclusion on the Rhino Records set ‘New Wave Hits Of The 80s - Volume 4’. With McGeoch out of the mix, the remaining members of Magazine shared song-writing duties with Devoto. The single ‘About The Weather’ had a slight northern-soul feel to it, laced with splashes of icy keyboards - in fact it had a real four seasons in one day feel to it (as reflected by the cover art) - sunny yet paradoxically gloomy. I imagine it to be the kind of song that can adapt to reflect whatever mood its listener is in. The balance of the album ‘Magic, Murder And The Weather’ (UK#39/OZ#95) reflected a band on the decline, in the sense that it was regarded as a patchy effort. Dave Formula’s cold, piercing keyboards once more dominated the instrumental mix, washing over and around Devoto’s bitter, nihilistic laced lyrics. It didn’t sound a happy album, and likely the band weren’t very happy during its recording. Devoto in particular had become disillusioned with the direction of the band and announced his departure from Magazine over a month before the album’s release. The rest of the band were left to contemplate life in a Devoto-less Magazine, and promptly decided to end the publication…er band, altogether.

Devoto resurfaced in 1983 with a solo album titled ‘Jerky Versions Of The Dream’ (UK#57), and retained the services of keyboardist Dave Formula, along with Alan St. Clair (guitar), Martin Heath (bass), Pat Ahorn (drums), and Neil Pyzer (keyboards). Adamson and Formula continued working with Visage, and Adamson later worked with ex-Buzzcocks front man Pete Shelley (see previous post), and later on still, joined Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds for an extended stint (four albums). From the late 80s on Adamson gained acclaim for recording soundtrack style albums (some for imagined film noir films, some for real films). After a three year stint with Siouxsie and the Banshees, John McGeoch played with John Lydon’s PiL project. Following several failed attempts to launch new music projects, McGeoch left the music business - he died in 2004. Post Visage, keyboardist Dave Formula played with a number of acts, including Ludus, and Design For Living. Drummer John Doyle also collaborated with Pete Shelley in the mid 80s, and worked with old bandmates Barry Adamson and Dave Formula on solo projects. Original drummer Martin Jackson went on to form Swing Out Sister in 1985 with Corinne Drewery and Andy Connell (see previous posts).

In 1988 Howard Devoto launched a new project called Luxuria, alongside Liverpool born guitarist/writer Noko (Norman Fisher-Jones). Luxuria appealed to virtually no-one beyond the most hard core Devoto devotees, and after releasing two albums and a handful of singles, Luxuria quietly evaporated into pop ether. Devoto pretty much left the music business after that, and took up life as a photo archivist, though in 2002 he rekindled his old creative partnership with Pete Shelley, on Shelley’s album ‘Buzzkunst’.

As has become standard practice for bands of bygone eras to do, the iconic post-punk mavericks Magazine announced a 2009 reunion tour, featuring most of the surviving members, Devoto, Formula, Adamson & Doyle. Though commercial returns largely eluded Magazine, what was produced from between the band’s boundary pushing covers can’t be underestimated in terms of its influence, both at the time, and on subsequent generations of musicians.

Fade To Grey Turns To Gold

When ‘Fade To Grey’ by Visage was first a hit on the charts back in 1981, I have to admit I wasn’t a big fan of the song. Over time though I came to appreciate just what a brilliant piece of music it is, and it now sits comfortably inside my top 10 all time favourite 80s tracks. Strange how it takes a while for some songs to really grow on you.

Visage were your classic new wave synth-driven outfit albeit with an ultra-futuristic twist, but they had an interesting evolution and an even more interesting line-up. The U.K. group was essentially the brainchild of vocalist Steve ‘Strange’ Harrington (Steve Strange to his mates) who recruited a number of already established musicians from the punk and new wave scene as essentially guest players on the project (though in truth they were more than that). Among them were Dave Formula, John McGeoch and Barry Adamson, all formerly of the punk-rock outfit Magazine. Ultravox members Midge Ure and Billy Currie contributed to the Visage mix, whilst former drummer with the Rich Kids, Rusty Egan, was also a key member.

Strange had once been invited by Billy Idol to become a member of Idol’s new band Generation X but turned down the offer. Instead he worked for a time as a graphic artist and tried his hand in a couple of short lived bands, before meeting up with Rusty Egan. Out of their common love for the style of Roxy Music, Bowie, Kraftwerk and the like, and working together in London‘s chic club scene, the concept of Visage was born. Midge Ure (who had also been in the Rich Kids with Egan) organised for the three of them to record some demo tracks in late 1978. One of the tracks laid down was one of the most bizarre cover versions in history as Visage did their take on the old Zager & Evans hit ‘In The Year 2525’, which sounded more like it was actually recorded in the year 2525 (which was the whole point I guess). Billy Currie was brought in on synthesizer/keyboards, Barry Adamson bass, John McGeoch guitar, with Dave Formula also on keyboards. Their first single ‘Tar’ was released in 1979 missing the charts, but signalling that Visage had arrived. By the by, the name Visage (aside from being the French for ‘face’) was chosen to represent the group’s ‘vis’ual side and the dawning of a new ‘age’ in dance music - just the French word for ‘face’ seems enough to me.

Visage’s popularity was largely centred in Britain and unlike a number of their contemporaries like Depeche Mode, Human League and Simple Minds, they didn’t make the cross-over to impact on the U.S. scene. But their success in the U.K. was considerable, and in fact for a couple of years they were every bit as popular as the likes of Simple Minds. Visage’s first major hit was ‘Fade To Grey’ which melded haunting, futuristic vocals with cutting edge synthesizers and (what I now think are) really cool segments of spoken word French (which were spoken by Billy Idol’s then girlfriend Perri Lister). Unlike the intricacies of the song itself, the promo clip for ‘Fade To Grey’ was a simple (and cheap) affair, but nonetheless proved an effective backdrop for the song. ‘Fade To Grey’ soon displayed alchemic properties by turning gold in the U.K., peaking at #8 in early 1981, a position it would better in Australia (#6) just a couple of months later.

At the same time Visage released their eponymous debut album, co-produced by Midge Ure, which reached #13 in the U.K. and #17 in Australia in mid ‘81. Two follow up singles were released from the album, ‘Mind Of A Toy’ (UK#13) and the eponymous single ‘Visage’ (UK#21), but neither charted in Australia. The song writing duties for ‘Visage’ the album were shared between the band members pretty much equally.

Visage released their second album ‘The Anvil’ in March 1982 and it surged up the British charts to peak at #6 mid year. Australia seemed to have lost interest in Visage by this point, as neither album nor the first single release ‘The Damned Don’t Cry’ (UK#11/OZ#94) did anything of significance here. I remember ‘The Damned Don’t Cry’ from the time, because it was included on a double album compilation called ‘Wired’ which was a favourite of mine. The second single released from ‘The Anvil’ would prove to be Visage’s last major hit in the U.K., with ‘Night Train’ delivering its cargo at #12. Midge Ure then departed the group to refocus on Ultravox, and he was soon joined in the departure lounge by Billy Currie and Dave Formula.

After a 2 year hiatus due to contractual issues (how often does that crop up) Visage released one more album of original material with 1984’s ‘Beat Boy’ (not to be confused with the Bronski variety), which realised the minor hit ‘Love Glove’ (UK#54), and after a failed attempt to take the exclusively ‘studio group’ on the road, Visage faded to grey itself before splitting in 1985. ‘Fade To Grey’ returned Visage to the U.K. charts in 1993, remixed by the Bassheads and Andy Stevenson, and reaching a respectable #39.

Of the former Visage alumni: John McGeoch went on to play with Siouxsie & The Banshees; Barry Adamson became a Bad Seed (of the Nick Cave type); Dave Formula continued playing with former Magazine bandmate Howard Devoto; Billy Currie and Midge Ure continued their duties with their main band, the incomparable Ultravox (Midge Ure later going on to have success as a solo artist); whilst Steve Strange, battling at the time with drug addiction, drifted in and out of the club and music scene during the rest of the 80s and into the 90s. Strange has recently launched Visage Mk II with a completely new line-up.