Customer Reviews

Fade to Grey: The Best of Visage

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fade To Grey is an all-time classic, never mind 80's. Of course during a 90's revival of 80's music they have to try and ruin it by remixing classic tracks. The only thing wrong with this album is the FTG remix - it just goes to prove that you should leave alone that which you do not understand. This collection is a re-release of the original singles collection - the only change being addition of the remix thing.

Visage were very much a collective although I think you can hear more of the influence of the Ultravox duo Midge Ure and Billy Currie (another classic band).

This is a nice collection, bar the obvious, but you really need to buy both Visage and The Anvil (the 2 available studio albums) to really hear this band at it's best. Classic tracks await such as The Dancer, The Horseman, Look What They've Done and Visa-Age (nice pun...) - and lots, lots more.

Back in 89 I managed to find a remix cassette of the original Singles Collection that contained 12" versions of all these tracks. Why can't someone release this, it was fantastic (shame it got chewed up...).

No doubt about it, Visage were a "trendy" group of musicians. They didn't even see themselves as a band -- more as a collective, including several members of other popular British groups of the day, most notably Magazine and Ultravox. Visage started the music-and-fashion movement known as "Blitz" (after the nightclub that became their principal haunt) in the U.K., and as the "New Romantic" movement by anyone in the U.S. who cared. They had their moment of fame, they sold some records, and they faded from the public's attention.

But the records they left behind, particularly the singles, definitely hold up. Although they may seem a bit dated to some listeners, Visage's best songs offer danceable beats, first-rate ensemble musicianship (including the playing of Ultravox members Billy Currie and Midge Ure, and ex-Magazine members Barry Adamson and Dave Formula -- all highly accomplished musicians), fine singing by Steve Strange (who was noted more for his dress-for-excess fashion tastes, but did possess a good voice), enjoyable melodies, and haunting, elegant, cool-to-the-touch textures of sound.

*Fade to Grey* collects ten of their singles, and the best of these work as well for pure listening as well as dancing. They make exceptionally good listening for driving on a rainy night. "Visage," "Night Train," "Pleasure Boys," "Fade to Grey," and "The Damned Don't Cry" are all great singles, with a stately grace reminiscent of Abba. Other songs on the album seem to focus more on the beat -- "The Anvil" is probably the best of these.

None of the lyrics here carry much in the way of meaning, apart from "Tar," which is about cigarette smoking (and which comes off as a bit silly). And their cover of the Zager & Evans tune "In the Year 2525" does improve on the original -- but frankly, it's almost impossible not to improve on that moldy oldie.

Essential listening for any fan of Eighties pop music. And a good enjoyable listen for any pop lover. Check it out if you haven't already.

Sure, the clothes, the makeup, and the posing were silly. And being tagged "New Romantics" by the tag-loving British press didn't give bands like Visage any credibility, despite the fact that they produced some mighty fine dance singles. I loathe the way the British music press loves to chew up and spit out artists at such a fast pace - what's hip today is passe tommorow. Pretty pathetic, really. The ONLY thing holding this great collection of singles back from a 5 star rating is the exclusion of the far superior 12" mix of the single Fade to Grey in favour of the 7" mix and a dreadful, unecessary new remix version of the same song. Had this cd been pressed as the original album was ( or even the great dance remix version of the album that was very briefly available on cassette, many years ago ) it would be perfect. As it is, it is only slightly flawed. As for the music itself, it is all heavily synthetic, very European sounding, influenced by the likes of Bowie and Kraftwerk. The presence of several members of Ultravox, as well as the underrated ( and sadly missed ) guitarist John McGeoch ( who later recorded with Siouxsie and the Banshees as well as Public Image Ltd ) gives the band a great musical base. And Steve Strange is a much better singer than you think he would be. The lyrics are ( mostly ) about nightclubbing, dancing, and dressing up, but they are really inconsequential, as the music really carries the album. A great slice of eighties dance music.

Visage was a great synth-heavy band of the early '80's. Sound familiar? Yes the air was thick back then with the sounds of Bowie-worshiping club fiends. One of the things that sets Visage apart from the pack is guitarist Midge Ure. Ure is a severely underrated musician and producer. The bulk of this collection features Ure's playing and songwriting before he quit the band. The post-Midge tracks hold up as well. Of course with a frontman like Steven Strange the rest of the band is bound to get overlooked. Although a highly visual band, Visage was not lacking in the musical department, penning some incredibly catchy tunes such as 'Anvil' and their big hit 'Fade to Grey'. The purpose of this collection as with all best of's is to thin out the back catalogue of more obscure bands. Still this is a great bunch of songs.

Fade to Grey: The Best of Visage is a great compilation from the genius of Stave Strange and Visage. All their major hits are included on this collection. Tracks such as the informative yet amazing track tar, the dance friendly fade to grey, the brilliant track mind of a toy and many others. Steve Strange was such a brilliant and odd fellow that people sometimes get distracted by his strange attire and forget the amazing music that he wrote for this ground breaking band.

Visage is a pretty cool band. Their musicianship and songwriting skills are good. This hits package is listenable and satisfying. There's a total of twelve tracks, and all of them are in a synth-pop musical direction. The singer does a nice job with the vocal duties, and the keyboards sound tight. All of the tracks are pretty good. My favorite songs are both versions of "Fade to Grey" and "Love Glove." The CD booklet also contains a biography of the band. Worth a listen.

I first heard this band when I lived Down Under, who at the time had two songs in the top 20 "Fade to Grey" and "Mind of A Toy". The fantasy style music energized a sour musical era which did not catch up in the US till about late 1982. BY then these artists Midge Ure and Billy Curie (Ultravox) had split from this band and made something for themselves.

This band had been the early 80's version of "House music" with the intention of not becoming widely known, but in hopes of setting a new trend in the music scene (aka "New Wave")with an imagery of fantasy romantic style music that is danceable. And it sold records. It paved the way for bands like Duran Duran, Human League, Heaven 17, even Joy Division who at once all claimed to have been influenced by this band. The only problem is the US of course was a little behind in the trend,so Visage's work was never was recognized by New Wave music fans in the US.

I particular enjoy "Mind of a Toy" ,"The Anvil", and "The Damned Don't Cry". The imagery of the music distracts the listener from the lyrics. However, it is pretty cool to listen to. The music videos if you can find them were very well choregraphed to the songs.

I heard something about this band somewhere, so I picked this up around a year or so ago. While this hit's package is not terrible, it's not that good either. Most of the songs are forgettable and don't leave a big impression. The only tunes that are worth listening to are the two different versions of "We Fade to Grey," and the song "Love Glove." Almost all of the songs don't sound like hits.