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Ultravox
Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was their 1981 hit "Vienna". From 1974 until 1979, singer John Foxx was frontman and the main driving force behind Ultravox. Foxx left the band in March 1979 to embark on a solo career. Midge Ure took over as lead singer, guitarist and frontman after he and keyboardist Billy Currie worked on the studio project Visage. Ure revitalised the band and steered it to commercial chart success lasting until 1987, at which time the group disbanded. A new line-up, led by Currie, was formed in 1992, but achieved limited success with two albums failing to chart and one solitary single reaching 90 in the UK Singles Chart. The band's best-known line-up of Currie, Ure, bassist Chris Cross and drummer Warren Cann re-formed in 2008 and performed a serie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midge Ure
James "Midge" Ure (; born 10 October 1953) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and record producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s in bands including Slik, Thin Lizzy, Rich Kids, Visage, and as the second bandleader of Ultravox after John Foxx had left, carrying the band into the high charts positions for the six following years before disbanding it. In 1984, he co-wrote and produced the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" putting together for the occasion the supergroup Band Aid. The single has sold 3.7 million copies in the UK at first release, and has become a staple of Christmas songs compilations ever since. The song is the second-highest-selling single in UK chart history. Ure co-organised Band Aid and the events Live Aid and Live 8 with Bob Geldof. He acts as a trustee for the charity and also serves as an ambassador for Save the Children. Ure is the producer and writer of several ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vienna (Ultravox Song)
"Vienna" is a song by British new wave band Ultravox, released on 9 January 1981 by Chrysalis Records as the third single and the title track from their fourth studio album of the same name. The new wave ballad, which features Midge Ure on lead vocals, is regarded as a staple of the synth-pop genre that was popularised in the early 1980s, and remains both the band's signature song and their most commercially successful release. The song was also performed at the 1985 Live Aid concert in Wembley Stadium, and is often performed live by Ure in solo performances. Background Written in January 1980, "Vienna" has a dramatic grand piano in the verses and chorus, and a viola solo in the middle of the song. Other sounds include a solid synth bass line played on a MiniMoog, an Elka string synthesiser and a Roland CR-78 drum machine. The drum machine pattern created by Warren Cann was the basis of the song. Cann and the classically trained Billy Currie together wanted to create so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chris Cross
Christopher Thomas Allen (14 July 1952 – 25 March 2024), known professionally as Chris Cross, was an English musician, best known as the bass guitarist in the new wave band Ultravox. After starting his music career with Stoned Rose, a band in Preston, Lancashire, he was one of the founding members of the band Tiger Lily in April 1974, before the band was renamed Ultravox! over two years later. The band's most successful single, "Vienna", was released in 1981. Cross left Ultravox in 1989, several years after the band's studio album '' U-Vox'' was released in 1986. He rejoined the band after their revival in 2009 with a tour, and Ultravox released '' Brilliant'', another studio album, three years later. Cross died in 2024 at the age of 71. Biography Early years Christopher Thomas Allen was born in Tottenham, London, England, on 14 July 1952. He went to Belmont Secondary Modern School and William Forster Comprehensive. He began his music career playing in different ban ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brilliant (album)
''Brilliant'' (stylised as ''Brill!ant'') is the eleventh and final studio album by British synth-pop band Ultravox, released on 25 May 2012 by Chrysalis Records. It is the group's first studio album in 18 years, and the first in 28 years from the "classic" Ultravox line-up consisting of Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Warren Cann and Chris Cross (the last being 1984's ''Lament (Ultravox album), Lament''). The title track was released as its lead single, and premiered on 17 April 2012 on BBC Radio 2. ''Brilliant'' debuted at number 21 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 6,100 copies in its first week. It received mixed reviews from critics. Background Ure said in 2012: "We did get along on the reunion tour brilliantly and decided to make an album. It is such a weird thing to do what we did, to lock yourself away like we did in Canada, with no one else around. It was just Billy, Chris and I. Warren had commitments in Los Angeles and he didn't have to be part of it until later on. We were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy Currie
William Lee Currie (born 1 April 1950 ) is a British multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from , England. He is best known as the keyboard and strings player with new wave band , who achieved their greatest commercial success in the 1980s. Biography Currie was born in[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stevie Shears
Stevie Shears (born 1954/1955) is an English musician known for playing in the rock bands Tiger Lily and Ultravox! (later Ultravox), as well as being part of the bands Faith Global and Cowboys International. Biography Tiger Lily and Ultravox! Working in a paint factory and playing in different bands in Dagenham, Essex, he made contact with John Foxx and formed Tiger Lily in April 1974 (together with bassist Chris Cross). Later, Tiger Lily changed its name to Ultravox! (later known simply as Ultravox). Between February and March 1978, after releasing with this band the '' Ultravox!'' (early 1977) and '' Ha! Ha! Ha!'' (1977) albums Shears was replaced by Robin Simon. Post-Ultravox! bands After Ultravox!, Shears formed a band with his friend Ice, real name Roland Oxland, bassist of Gloria Mundi. Gloria Mundi and Ultravox! were friends from the UK live music scene. Gloria Mundi featured Eddie Maelov and Sunshine Patterson who, as Eddie & Sunshine, would support Ultravox on thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Foxx
John Foxx (born Dennis Leigh; 26 September 1948) is an English singer, musician, artist, photographer, graphic designer, writer, teacher and lecturer. He was the original lead singer of the New wave music, new wave band Ultravox, before leaving to embark on a solo career in 1980 with the album ''Metamatic''. Primarily associated with Electronic music, electronic synthesizer music, he has also pursued a parallel career in graphic design and education. Andy Kellman of AllMusic described Foxx as an influential cult figure whose "detached, jolting vocal style inspired mainstream and underground artists across the decades". Early life and education Leigh was born in Chorley, Lancashire, England. His father was a coal miner and Boxing, pugilist, his mother a millworker. He was raised Catholic and educated at St Mary's Primary and St Augustine Secondary schools. Next he attended Harris College of Art in Preston, Lancashire, Preston and then the Royal College of Art in London. Durin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warren Cann
Warren Reginald Cann (born 20 May 1950) is a Canadian drummer and songwriter. He was a founding member of the British new wave band Ultravox. Early life Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada the son of two British immigrants, he began to be interested in electronics while he was at school. After playing in bands in Vancouver, including Python, he and Python bandmate moved to Britain in 1972, where they found a more creative environment. Cann established himself in London, where he formed his first band, along with Huw Lloyd-Langton, future m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robin Simon
Robert "Robin" Simon (born 12 July 1956) is a British guitarist who was a member of Ultravox, Magazine and Visage. Biography Early career Simon began playing guitar in a Halifax-based band, Kandahar, in the early to mid-1970s. He also met and played with future Ultravox member Billy Currie at that time. He moved to London in 1975 and later joined the punk pop band Ians Radio (later called Neo) in 1976. Neo were one of the bands on the early London punk live scene. They featured on the ''Live at the Vortex'' album and supported Ultravox several times at the Marquee club in London, before Simon was offered the guitarist position in Ultravox. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic music, electronic, art rock, disco, and particularly the Krautrock of bands like Kraftwerk. It arose as a distinct genre in Japan and the United Kingdom in the post-punk era as part of the New wave music, new wave movement of the late 1970s. Electronic musical synthesizers that could be used practically in a recording studio became available in the mid-1960s, and the mid-1970s saw the rise of electronic art musicians. After the breakthrough of Gary Numan in the UK Singles Chart in 1979, large numbers of artists began to enjoy success with a synthesizer-based sound in the early 1980s. In Japan, Yellow Magic Orchestra introduced the TR-808 rhythm machine to popular music, and the band ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Fenelle
Tony Fennell (born 16 November 1963) is a British musician, songwriter, composer and producer. He was the lead singer, lyricist and musician for the band Ultravox from 1992 until 1994, as well as a composer and producer of music for television. Fennell has signed publishing and recording contracts with Warner Brothers, Atlantic, EMI and BMG. His film and television credits include Disney, Nickelodeon, Viacom, HBO, PBS and Syfy as well as commercials for Dodge, Mattel and General Mills. Career Fennell was born in Birmingham, and started playing music in the early 1980s, signing his first publishing contract with Warner/Chappell Music. His band, Mr. President, went on to sign with Atlantic Records. During this time, Fennell was also the bass player for Edwin Starr. In 1985, the band changed its name to 'Big Noise'. The band released the album ''Bang!'', produced by Elliot Wolfe. He toured extensively throughout the United Kingdom and Europe, including with James Brown. Afte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Visage (band)
Visage were a British New wave music, new wave pop band formed in London in 1978. The band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romanticism, New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their hit "Fade to Grey (Visage song), Fade to Grey" which was released in late 1980. In the UK, the band achieved two Top 20 albums (''Visage (Visage album), Visage'' and ''The Anvil (album), The Anvil'') and five Top 30 singles before the commercial failure of their third album (''Beat Boy'') led to their breakup in 1985. The band saw various line-up changes over the years, all fronted by vocalist Steve Strange, who resurrected the band name in the 2000s. In 2013, the final line-up of the band released ''Hearts and Knives'', the first new Visage album in 29 years. The band's fifth and final album, ''Demons to Diamonds (Visage album), Demons to Diamonds'', was released in 2015, nine months after Strange had died following a heart attack. History First incar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
