| Track: | Rating: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. If I Was | | | | | |
| 2. When The Wind Blows | | | | | |
| 3. Living In The Past | | | | | |
| 4. That Certain Smile | | | | | |
| 5. The Gift | | | | | |
| 6. Antilles | | | | | |
| 7. Wastelands | | | | | |
| 8. Edo | | | | | |
| 9. The Chieftain | | | | | |
| 10. She Cried | | | | | |
| 11. The Gift (reprise) | | | | | |
| Bonus tracks: | |||||
| 12. Mood Music | | | | | |
| 13. Piano | | | | | |
| 14. The Man Who Sold The World | | | | | |
| 15. The Gift (instrumental) | | | | | |
Instrumentation and Production by Midge Ure
The other tracks are not specifically credited. As they are all instrumentals, and Ure is credited for instrumentation, it is probably safe to assume that he is their sole author.
Many readers of a.m.y. and r.m.p. may very well be surprised to encounter this review. Midge Ure, of course, was the guitar and lead vocalist for Ultravox, one of the leading synthpop bands in Britain during the early 1980s. Despite the efforts of Henry Potts and a few others, the links between the progressive and synthpop movements are still unknown to many individuals.
At a certain level, this might be regarded as a strange anomaly among members of the progressive fanbase. In the early 1980s, when many of the established progressive acts were floundering in the straits of commercial mediocrity, the synthpop scene provided several acts which incorporated real progressive elements into their music. Tears For Fears, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and a few other bands within the movement all fall into this category.
On the other hand ... there were those other synthpop bands: groups like Heaven 17, Duran Duran, Human League, and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (whose "Joan Of Arc" song still ranks as one of the worst things that I've ever heard), whose frivolous musical endeavours depicted the movement in the worst light possible. Subjection to only these groups might convince any listener that the genre was beyond redemption.
This review shall take the position that Ultravox (in their post-1980 incarnation) belongs in the former category. They were easily the best the early synthpop groups, possessing the ability to create real, substantial, and memorable melodies within their songs. Both Midge Ure and keyboardist Billy Currie were legitimate musical talents (even though Currie squandered his legacy by creating an Asia-esque version of Ultravox in the early 1990s), and the band artistically thrived under their leadership.
The Gift was Midge Ure's first solo album, released at a time when Ultravox was disintegrating. The Trouser Press guide suggests that the similarities between this album and Ultravox's output may have accelerated the group's downfall, and they may very well be correct. The Gift is stylistically indistinguishable from Ultravox's mid-'80s output, and is a testament to Midge Ure's abilities to create music of this sort on his own.
Most of the vocal tracks on this album follow the tried-and-tune Ultravox approach of combining powerful melodies and unforgettable hooks with wavering, semi-detached vocals (the addition of Mark King on a few tracks also works to the overall benefit of the album, and suggests that King's talents were wasted in Level 42).
"If I Was", the opening track, is an excellent atmospheric-pop song -- the occasionally clumsy lyrics mar the track somewhat, but the music is good enough to salvage these moments. "When The Wind Blows" isn't quite as catchy (though nearly so), but has a decent guitar solo to its credit.
A cover of Jethro Tull's "Living In The Past" is something rather different. Mark King's bass and heavy synth lines dominate this track, which, as the Trouser Press guide notes, is downright bizarre when viewed in context. This isn't an entirely successful experiment, but the good aspects of the track easily outweigh the bad ones.
"That Certain Smile" begins on a somewhat typical "new romantic" note, but quickly shifts into a more developed work, featuring a great vocal line on the chorus section. A simple-yet-moving piano section develops into a lengthy (and worthwhile) synth fadeout.
"The Gift" (dedicated to one C.R. Mackintosh) begins with a bizarre found-sound intro, but threatens to descend into an overly syrupy bathos when the vocals begin. The guitar/keys parts save the piece, though the pseudo-orchestral parts towards the end threaten to drown the track on occasion. In culinary terms, this track, although good, is nonetheless a tad too rich.
"Antilles", a lengthy instrumental, is the best track on the album. Shifting from a guitar to a keyboard focus midway through the song, the track ranks with Ultravox's best moments. A pleasure to listen to.
"Wastelands" is a rather curious narrative, concerning a young, isolated music fan who emerges into a street battle of some sort as the track ends (the conclusion is a bit unclear). The music is slightly less interesting than that of most other tracks, but the narrative is engaging enough to hold the listener's attention.
Edo (Tokyo's name during the Shogunate, for those for didn't know), is another engaging instrumental, featuring a pseudo-guitar Oriental synth track at one point. "The Chieftain", another instrumental, begins on a less melodically strong note than most other tracks on the album, but quickly develops (Mark King is again excellent). Ure's voice comes in near the end to a truly haunting effect.
"She Cried" is another track in the tradition of "If I Was", "That Certain Smile", and so on. Slightly skewed synth waves begin the track, which possesses (of course) an excellent melody line. The album ends on a beautiful note, with a motif from "The Gift" emerging once again.
Those who wish to explore the unheralded progressive tradition of the 1980s might wish to discover this album (as well as Vienna and Quartet by Ultravox, of course).
With the exception of "The Man Who Sold The World", the bonus tracks on The Gift are mood-inducing atmospheric pieces, similar in form to the instrumentals on the album proper.
It would perhaps be somewhat foolhardy to devote too much analysis to "Mood Music" and "Piano", the basic essence of each of which are contained within the title. The former is a "duet" between synthesized and "natural" piano lines, featuring a simple-yet-effective motif to fulfill its stated purpose. The latter strikes this reviewers ears as possibly a pre-programmed work (I don't believe that Ure is known for his keyboard skills), but is a perfectly listenable work nonetheless.
Ure's remake of "The Man Who Sold The World" is only a partial success. The bass and drums near the opening are rather disruptive to the overall mood (if "Living In The Past" is disruptive on the album proper, this one is doubly so on the bonus section). The song itself is a decent run-through of Bowie's classic piece; the piano section near the end generally redeems the flaws of the early sections of the work. This is to be judged as a successful piece, but only in a qualified manner.
The instrumental version of "The Gift" is not substantially different from the earlier versions. Somehow, the absence of vocals makes it seem a bit less maudlin.
The bonus tracks are worth owning.
(review originally posted to alt.music.yes on 20 May 1997)