Something for the Weekend
July 29th, 2011
Oh 1980s, how I miss you sometimes. You were so silly and pretentious it’s a shame we had to part.
On the Wikipedia page for “Vienna” I read that it is “often performed live by Midge Ure in solo performances, most recently at Butlins in Skegness on Sat 8th May 2011″ which is, you know, both funny and sad.
Just about sums up the 80′s – Ultravox! (with a ‘!’ and Jon Foxx) were a fantastic band who hardly got a sniff from the mainstream media. Along comes Midge Ure and turns them into an overblown travesty of what they were – and suddenly it’s top 10 singles all the way! ‘It’s like punk never happened’ as someone (Carter USM wasn’t it?) said. Skegness Butlins sounds like a suitable enough graveyard for such stuff. I’ll stick ‘Systems of Romance’ on the hi-fi and have a little cry. Quite like the violin solo in the middle though…
The first record I ever bought, from WHSmiths in York on holiday. Also bought 2000ad comic for the first time. An eventful day! (I still love this, and the Midge Ure produced Fade to Grey by Visage as well.)
I tried, oh so hard, to cultivate pointy Midge Ure sideburns in 1981, with little success. I wanted to BE Midge Ure in 1981. In 2007 I finally met him in the backroom of the bookshop I worked in to help prepare for a book signing – a pair of almost identical middle aged balding blokes. Bittersweet irony.
Like Duncan I can remember where I bought – in my case – the ‘Vienna’ LP. Argos Exeter. Imagine! Being able to buy vinyl in Argos!
A person can have a great deal of fun substituting the title city for less romantic-sounding place names in the chorus to this…e.g. ‘This means nothing to me, ahh…East Grinstead’.
The violinny bit is lovely.
I’m in a minority here then – oh well nothing unusual!
I like ‘Systems Of Romance’ too, if that helps.
Having seen both Ultravox! and Ultravox, I must say that I enjoyed them both, but they were different bands. It is sometimes forgotten that when the album Vienna first came out they were not well known (although individual members had been involved with Visage/Gary Numan). I remember hearing the album in an independent record shop, and the first single “Sleepwalk” fitted in well with post-punk landscape. And then they had the big hit, after which they appeared to get more commercial, whilst still appealing (but never challenging). Midge Ure playing Skeggie, is reminiscent of the 1970s when a succession of ’60s would tour the holdiay camps. Should we despair that Midge is playing holiday camps, or applaud that he still wants to get out and play live (assuming he doesn’t need the money).
It’s the thought of him singing Vienna of all songs at a Butlins that’s so funny.
Song was named after Rigsby’s cat.
I used to take a wicked pleasure in its being kept off the coveted-Number-One-spot by Joe Dolce’s “Shaddap You Face”. Years ago I worked on a Midge Ure gig (not at Butlins!) and kept having to stop myself from humming “What’s a madda you…”
Another vote for the violin bit. I’d forgotten that.
Wonder if the folk at Skegness will be dancing with tears in their eyes…?
That’s all cheered me up a bit then! Just played a litte Killing Joke to remind myself not all 80′s music was big hair and orchestral synth stabs. Doubt we’ll be seeing them at Skeggy Butlins! Although maybe I shouldn’t speak too soon…
This might very well be one of my Desert Island Discs…