Midge Ure is an artist that I got into late in the game. It wasn't until the late '90s that I p/u his 1988 "Answers To Nothing" cd. I recall hearing his big hit here in the U.S. "Dear God" on the radio numerous times & really enjoyed it in the late '80s. It actually made it to #4 on the Modern Rock chart. This is a really great album w/all of the songs being perfect pop gems. "Dear God" is a pretty heavy song but beautiful nonetheless. Have a listen:
Midge Ure started out with the bubble gum pop group Slik in the '70's. He then was in the band The Rich Kids and also did a brief stint in Thin Lizzy as well(which surprised me) before landing in the new wave band Ultravox in '79. They had a huge hit w/the song "Vienna". Midge then formed a side band called Visage.
Midge's first solo album was "The Gift" in 1985 and his last proper solo album was in '96. But since "Answers . . ." is the only cd I've heard of his solo career, I can't really talk in much detail about the others. There is a GREAT duet he does with the fabulous Kate Bush called "Sister and Brother". The title track is also very good as well. Here is the video to it since I couldn't find "Dear God" on youtube:
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Too right, that duet with Kate is great. I've only got a couple of his solo albums, but I've got all his Rich Kids and Ultravox albums. If you haven't heard it U-Vox's "Vienna" album is excellent too.
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I actually have Ultravox's greatest hits, so I've heard the song "Vienna". I'm not that keen on Ultravox to be honest. Midge's writing talent improved vastly by the time he did "Answers To Nothing" since it is very catchy & poignant. I might check out the "Vienna" album though.
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Like this, reminds me a bit of Paul Simon during his Graceland phase
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Today, August (I do love your name) is so 80s it hurts! :)
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Kev, I can hear the similarity to Paul Simon. I hadn't even thought of that.
Neill, I knew Ultravox had been around awhile before Midge took over vocal duties. Thanks for the vid.
Lol Anna, how much does it hurt? And I love my name too. I changed it 11 years ago from Greg to August(long story as to why). Greg is now my middle name & I got rid of my given middle name which was Arnold(hate that name!).
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You actually changed your name? Nifty. Ok then - long story time.
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Uh, I will tell ya later, I have errands to run right now. Seriously, I will Ash.
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I do love it! And it's also my birth month awww! :D
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Cool, Anna, then you'll have no probs remembering it eh? lol (my birth month is Sept.)
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Yup. And like Ashley said, we need that story! :)
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Hey, Augusts1 - I also own Midge's Answers To Nothing, and it was a big favorite of mine for quite a while. Thanks for the nudge to dust it off and listen to it again. (I think I also own The Gift on VINYL...but I'd have to do a fair amount of digging to confirm that.) I've always loved the drumming on Answers To Nothing - no surprise since I was a huge Big Country fan, and Mark Brzezicki of BC plays on several tracks. His entrance on "Dear God" after the quiet intro verse provides such a great dynamic boost. The record also has some nice bass contributions by Mark King who is the lead singer and bassist for Level 42. "Something About You," anyone? (oooh...just checked out Level 42's Web site, and their keyboard player takes a Rhodes Stage 73 and a Prophet-5 on the road... Delicious....and brave.)
I personally don't hear the Paul Simon similarities, partly because to me Simon's work has always sounded so organic and live for the most part, and Midge's recordings employ a lot of synthesizers and sequenced parts.
But we're all aware that one of Midge Ure's biggest contributions to popular music was his co-authorship of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" with Live Aid organizer Bob Geldof, right? This was the all-star "save Ethiopia" song that started it all in 1984, and despite some ungodly bleating from Simon LeBon, I always thought it was far superior to "We Are The World," the me-too effort from the obligatory assemblage of US luminaries, with Cyndi Lauper apparently feeling compelled to emit some ungodly American bleating in response to Simon LeBon's efforts. That song was co-written by a pre-Wacko (well, mostly) Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. (Hey, Augusts1, your first concert! "Dancing On The Ceiling," bay-bee!)
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You are welcome for the nudge, hehe Mousetrap. I too love Big Country, although most of my albums of theirs are lps. Level 42 was pretty good too but not enough for me to buy an album. I do love "Something About You".
The Paul Simon similarities I think are mainly in the rhthym section. One of the many things I love about this cd is the complex percussion that is used which makes it all the more interesting. For me it is a remote resemblance to Paul though.
Yes I do recall that Midge did co-write "Do They Know . . . "w/Geldolf. I had forgotten it though until I read the wiki on Midge. Lol, I can't believe you're pointing out my Lionel Richie virgin concert experience. You are too funny! Glad you enjoyed my post. Did you get my mogmail? I asked you if you wanted to add me & I you as a trusted mog since we have Portland & some musical artists in common. Let me know.