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| "Tar" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Visage | ||||
| from the album Visage | ||||
| B-side | "Frequency 7" | |||
| Released | 2 November 1979 [1] | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:27 | |||
| Label | Radar Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Barry Adamson, Billy Currie, Rusty Egan, Dave Formula, John McGeoch, Steve Strange, Midge Ure | |||
| Producer(s) | Midge Ure, Visage | |||
| Visage singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Tar" is the debut single by the British synth-pop group Visage, released in 1979.
"Tar" was the band's sole release on Radar Records in November 1979, before they signed to Polydor Records the following year. The song's lyrics are centred on the habit of smoking cigarettes. As Steve Strange put it in his autobiography, the song is about "the pleasure and pain of nicotine". [2] The B-side to the single is "Frequency 7", a rapid synthesizer composition with vocoder vocals. (An extended, instrumental "Dance Mix" of the song was released on the "Mind of a Toy" single in 1981. Both versions were re-released by the band in 2013).
"Tar" was not a chart hit, and Radar's distribution deal collapsed shortly after the single was released. A newer version of the song appeared on Visage's eponymous debut album released in 1980. The "Tar" single is the only Visage release featuring bassist Barry Adamson as a member of the band, [3] receiving composing credits for both songs. He played a smaller role as a session musician in all subsequent releases. No music video was produced for the track.
Visage were a British synth-pop band formed in London in 1978. The band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their hit "Fade to Grey" which was released in late 1980. In the UK, the band achieved two Top 20 albums and five Top 30 singles before the commercial failure of their third album led to their break-up in 1985.
James "Midge" Ure is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim, the diminutive form of his actual name. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s in bands including Slik, Thin Lizzy, Rich Kids and Visage, and as the second frontman of Ultravox. In 1984, he co-wrote and produced the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", which has sold 3.7 million copies in the UK. The song is the second-highest-selling single in UK chart history. Ure co-organised Band Aid, 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.
Rich Kids were a short-lived new wave band from London, founded in 1977 by Glen Matlock following his departure from the Sex Pistols. The band also included future Ultravox member Midge Ure and Rusty Egan, who both later founded Visage together. They released one album and three singles during their existence, from March 1977 to December 1978.
Skids are a Scottish punk rock and new wave band, formed in Dunfermline in 1977 by Stuart Adamson, William Simpson, Thomas Kellichan (drums) and Richard Jobson. Their biggest successes were the 1979 single "Into the Valley" and the 1980 album The Absolute Game. In 2016, the band announced a 40th-anniversary tour of the UK with their original singer Richard Jobson.
"The Damned Don't Cry" is a song by British synth-pop group Visage, released as a single by Polydor Records in 1982.
Rusty Egan is a British pop musician, although he has only ever held an Irish passport. He is the former drummer of the British new wave band Rich Kids. They consisted of former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock, with Steve New and fronted by Jim Midge Ure, from their inception in March 1977 to their disbanding in December 1978. He continued working with Ure, and later collaborated with The Misfits, Skids, Shock, and Visage. However, Egan did not return to Visage when they reformed with a new line-up in 2004.
Stephen John Harrington, known professionally as Steve Strange, was a Welsh singer. From the late 1970s, he was a nightclub host and promoter. He became famous as the leader of the new wave synth-pop group Visage, best known for their single "Fade to Grey", and was one of the most influential figures behind the New Romantic movement of the early 1980s.
Beat Boy is the third studio album by the British synth-pop band Visage. It was recorded at Trident Studios between 1982 and 1983 and released on Polydor Records in October 1984. Reaching No. 79 on the UK album chart, the album was poorly received by critics and would be the band's last studio album for almost thirty years.
The Anvil is the second studio album by the British synth-pop band Visage, released in March 1982 by Polydor Records. The album reached No. 6 in the UK and was certified "Silver" by the British Phonographic Industry in April 1982.
Visage is the debut studio album by the British synth-pop band Visage. It was recorded at Genetic Sound Studios in Reading, Berkshire and released in November 1980 by Polydor Records.
"Fade to Grey" is a song by British synth-pop band Visage, released in November 1980 as the second single from their debut album, Visage (1980), on Polydor Records.
"Mind of a Toy" is the third single by the British synth-pop group Visage, released on Polydor Records in March 1981. It was taken from the band's eponymous debut album, following up their international hit "Fade to Grey".
"Night Train" is the sixth single by the British synth-pop group Visage, released by Polydor Records in June 1982.
"Visage" is the fourth single by the British synth-pop group Visage, released by Polydor Records in July 1981. It is the title track from Visage's eponymous debut album. The single peaked at no.21 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Pleasure Boys" is a song by the British synth-pop group Visage, released as a single on Polydor Records in October 1982.
"Love Glove" is a song by the British synth-pop group Visage, released as a single on Polydor Records in August 1984. It was the first single to be released from Visage's third album, Beat Boy, and peaked at #54 on the UK Singles Chart.
The Damned Don't Cry is a compilation album by the British synth-pop group Visage released in 2000.
Master Series is a compilation album by the British synth-pop band Visage released in 1997.
"Beat Boy" is a 1984 song by the British synth-pop band Visage, released as a single in November 1984.
If I Was: The Very Best of Midge Ure & Ultravox is a 1993 compilation album by Scottish musician Midge Ure, featuring songs from his solo career and as part of the new wave and synthpop band Ultravox, along with Ure's collaborations with Mick Karn, Phil Lynott, Visage, and charity supergroup Band Aid.
