| Fragile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 2014 | |||
| Studio | Environment Studio, Bath | |||
| Label | Hypertension | |||
| Producer | Midge Ure | |||
| Midge Ure chronology | ||||
| ||||
Fragile, released on 7 July 2014, is the sixth solo album by former Ultravox frontman Midge Ure. [1]
| Fragile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 2014 | |||
| Studio | Environment Studio, Bath | |||
| Label | Hypertension | |||
| Producer | Midge Ure | |||
| Midge Ure chronology | ||||
| ||||
Fragile, released on 7 July 2014, is the sixth solo album by former Ultravox frontman Midge Ure. [1]
Ure produced and recorded the album at his home. It was his first solo album with original material since Move Me (2000). All tracks are written by Ure, except "Let It Rise" which was co-written with the German artist/composer Schiller. "Let It Rise" is a reworked version from the earlier Schiller-version from the album Atemlos released 2010. The other track is “Dark Dark Night,” which is a collaboration with Moby. [2] [3] [4] [5]
Though he never completely stopped working on his music during the intervening years, Ure had been questioning whether he wanted to be part of the radically changed industry. Reuniting with Ultravox inspired him to focus on music again, and ultimately finish the material that would become ‘Fragile.’
The title track on the album, "Fragile" is a firsthand look at how an alcoholic thinks. Ure had gotten sober after spending the previous 12 years or so dealing with alcoholism when he wrote the song. Ure said: "We all have a breaking point, and my breaking point proved that I was as fragile as anyone else." [6]
Ure said 2014 about the album:
'Fragile' is probably the most brutally honest thing that I've ever written. It deals with the demons that I've dealt with over the last ten years, which is the gap between the last solo album and the new solo album. "Wearing my heart on my sleeve" is probably the term to use on this album. It's the kind of work you can only do after a lifetime making music. [7]
All tracks composed by Midge Ure; except where indicated
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Survived" | 5:01 | |
| 2. | "Are We Connected" | 4:52 | |
| 3. | "Let It Rise" | Ure, Christopher von Deylen | 4:23 |
| 4. | "Become" | 4:01 | |
| 5. | "Star Crossed" | 5:26 | |
| 6. | "Wire and Wood" (Instrumental) | 7:09 | |
| 7. | "Dark, Dark Night" | Ure, Richard M. Hall | 6:00 |
| 8. | "For All You Know" | 5:40 | |
| 9. | "Bridges" (Instrumental) | 4:41 | |
| 10. | "Fragile" | 6:13 |
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 1980 hit "Vienna".
James "Midge" Ure is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter and 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 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.
"Vienna" is a 1980 song by British new wave band Ultravox. It was released as the third single from the band's fourth album Vienna on 9 January 1981 through Chrysalis Records. It spent four consecutive weeks at number two in the UK Singles Chart without ever getting to number one; it was kept off the number one spot by John Lennon's "Woman" for a week, and then by Joe Dolce's "Shaddap You Face", for a further three weeks. "Vienna" is ranked as the fifth-best-selling UK single for 1981. The single was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry in February 1981, for UK sales exceeding 500,000 copies. The single peaked at number one on the Top 40 charts in many European countries including the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland.
Systems of Romance, released on 8 September 1978, is the third album by British new wave band Ultravox. It was the final recording for the group with original lead singer, lyricist and co-composer John Foxx, and their first album without guitarist Stevie Shears, who had left the band. Shears was replaced by Robin Simon, making his first and only appearance on an Ultravox album. Though not a commercial success, Systems of Romance had a significant influence on the electropop music that came after it.
The Anvil is the second studio album by the British rock/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.
Rage in Eden is the fifth album by the British new wave band Ultravox. It was released in 1981 on Chrysalis. The album reached #4 in the UK album charts and was certified Gold by the BPI for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.
"If I Was" is a 1985 song by Midge Ure. It was co-written by Ure and Danny Mitchell, and released as the first single from Ure's first solo album The Gift. It reached #1 on the UK singles chart for one week in September 1985.
Three into One is the first compilation album from the band Ultravox, released in 1979 in the USA and in June 1980 in the UK. The album is a compilation of songs from their first three albums, Ultravox!, Ha!-Ha!-Ha! and Systems of Romance, and therefore concentrates on the earlier incarnation of the band from the 1970s featuring John Foxx, as opposed to the more recognisable 1980s line-up which featured Midge Ure.
"Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" is the second single from Lament, Ultravox's seventh studio album, released in 1984.
Extended Ultravox is an Ultravox compilation of 12" extended versions of various Ultravox singles from the years 1980–1986. The album was released in 1998.
The Gift is the first solo album by Ultravox frontman Midge Ure, released in 1985. It was released while Ultravox were taking a break; the band would go on to release U-Vox before splitting. The album reached #2 in the UK Albums Chart partly due to the large attention drawn to it by the single "If I Was" which reached #1 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1985. "That Certain Smile" was released as the second single in November 1985, and "Wastelands" was released as the third single in January 1986.
Answers to Nothing, released 22 August 1988, is the second solo album by former Ultravox frontman Midge Ure. It was the first release by Ure following the demise of Ultravox.
Vienna is the fourth studio album by British new wave band Ultravox, first released on Chrysalis Records on 11 July 1980. The album was the first made by Ultravox with their best-known line-up, after Midge Ure had taken over as lead vocalist and guitarist following the departures of John Foxx and Robin Simon, and it was also the group's first release for Chrysalis. Vienna was produced by renowned German producer Conny Plank who had also produced Ultravox's previous album Systems of Romance, and mixed at Plank's studio near Cologne, Germany. In terms of sales, the album had a slow start, but the release in January 1981 of the title track as the third single from the album heralded the band's commercial breakthrough worldwide and led to healthy sales throughout 1981. Vienna peaked at number 3 in the UK Albums Chart and reached the top ten in Australia, New Zealand and several European countries.
The Best of Ultravox is the seventh compilation by Ultravox, released on EMI Gold records, in 2003, being one of the more recent compilation albums of the band. The songs of the disc are from the success era of the band, in the 1980s, while Midge Ure was the singer.
The Collection is a compilation album by the British band Ultravox. It was released on 2 November 1984 on the Chrysalis Records label, and was the band's first "greatest hits" collection. It includes all fourteen of the band's hit singles on Chrysalis from 1980 to 1984, including "Love's Great Adventure", released ahead of the album as a stand-alone single.
Messengers were a Scottish new wave duo consisting of Danny Mitchell and Colin King. The duo were originally part of Modern Man, a Glasgow post punk/new wave band discovered by Midge Ure of Ultravox. Modern Man disbanded after releasing one album produced by Ure, Concrete Scheme (1980), after which Ure stayed as producer with Mitchell and King as Messengers. Messengers toured as support band to Ultravox, contributing to the live album Monument (1982), and with Mitchell co-writing Midge Ure's "If I Was". Enough material for an album was recorded by 1984, but Ure's label Chrysalis declined to release an album after offering a three singles deal only. An album was finally released in November 2004 when Mitchell and King re-recorded many of their songs, written during the period of 1979 and 1985, for release via the official Ultravox website. Of the thirteen tracks released on the album, only three were new compositions: "(Did) You Take Me For A Ride", "Send That Letter Home" and "The Reformation Waltz".
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.
Pure, released 16 September 1991, is the third solo album by former Ultravox frontman Midge Ure. It was the first release by Ure with a new record label BMG-Arista. The first single "Cold Cold Heart" reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1991. "I See Hope in the Morning Light" and "Let It Go?" were also released as singles. The album has an emminantly blend of ethnic rhythms and clean AOR pop, pervaded by catchy hooks.
Breathe, is the fourth solo album by former Ultravox frontman Midge Ure. The album was released 25 March 1996 in Continental Europe, 20 May in the U.K. and 18 June in the U.S. It was produced by the American producer Richard Feldman.
Move Me, released 25 September 2000, is the fifth solo album by former Ultravox frontman Midge Ure. Ure produced, arranged and recorded it almost entirely at home. It was released by BMG Records in continental Europe and was not released in the UK until 14 May 2001 by Curb Records. It was also released in the U.S. by Koch Records.