| Visage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1979–1980 | |||
| Studio | Genetic Studios, Reading, Berkshire, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:27 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer | Visage, Martin Rushent | |||
| Visage chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Visage | ||||
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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.
Visage was released in November 1980. It reached No. 13 in the UK and was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry in March 1981. [2] [3] "Fade to Grey" was released as a single and became a hit, reaching No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart and Top 10 positions in Europe, including No. 1 in Germany and Switzerland. Further singles, "Mind of a Toy" and the title track "Visage" were also UK Top 30 hits. The album was reissued as an expanded CD edition remastered from the original master tapes by Rubellan Remasters in the US in 2018. [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Robert Christgau | B− [6] |
| Smash Hits | 5/10 [7] |
Aaron Krehbie of Digital Audio commented that "Moon over Moscow" and "Blocks on Blocks" are "perfect examples of Visage at its best". However, Krehbie also opined that the album was not "the group's best effort", preferring the group's next album, The Anvil . [8]
In his retrospective review, Dan LeRoy of AllMusic wrote "this is the music that best represents the short-lived but always underrated new romantic movement", calling it "a consistently fine creation". [5]
All tracks are written by Visage (Billy Currie, Rusty Egan, Dave Formula, John McGeoch, Steve Strange and Midge Ure), except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Visage" | 3:53 | |
| 2. | "Blocks on Blocks" | 4:00 | |
| 3. | "The Dancer" | Egan, Ure | 3:40 |
| 4. | "Tar" | Barry Adamson, Currie, Egan, Formula, McGeoch, Strange, Ure | 3:32 |
| 5. | "Fade to Grey" | Currie, Chris Payne, Ure | 4:02 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Malpaso Man" | 4:14 |
| 7. | "Mind of a Toy" | 4:28 |
| 8. | "Moon Over Moscow" | 4:00 |
| 9. | "Visa-age" | 4:20 |
| 10. | "The Steps" | 3:14 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Fade to Grey (Dance Mix)" | 6:41 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "We Move" | 4.00 |
| 12. | "Fade to Grey (Dance Mix)" | 6.43 |
| 13. | "Mind of a Toy (Dance Mix)" | 5.15 |
| 14. | "Visage (Dance Mix)" | 6.03 |
| 15. | "We Move (Dance Mix)" | 6.29 |
| 16. | "Frequency 7 (Dance Mix)" | 5.03 |
| 17. | "Second Steps" | 5.27 [9] |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP) [19] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Germany (BVMI) [20] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) [21] | Silver | 60,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
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 breakup in 1985.
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