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I had no idea!! "Fade to Grey" and "Tar" and "Frequency 7"!! I got some EP or something for 50c off the street and thought it looked likely because of the people in the group, but also because the guy on the front is dressed like a New Wave Indian!! suede shoes, stubble, and a ruffly shirt, and he's inside some kind of wigwam decorated with Indian throw-pillows and he looks like he's about to get up and, I don't know, DO something to you. it's almost heartbreakingly cute, this eyelinered keyboarder thinking maybe this is the way forward -- taking it back to the old skool, baroque Navajo style! (NB i can detect no Indian influence in the EP, which my housemate said ought to have been called "Tainted Love is for Pussies")

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 28 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Well, not Classic, but not bad. I had that EP back in the new wave days. The album has more tracks (obviously), and a better cover. Their second LP "The Anvil" had another great cover (maybe shot by Helmut Newton?), but was kind of boring to my recollection. Fade to Grey is the pick to click.

― Sean, Thursday, 28 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Coulda sworn we've done this one. Classic, yes. First album and greatest hits collection, both needed. Steve Strange plus good bits of Ultravox post-John Foxx plus other friends = goodness and a sartorial rival to Adam Ant.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 28 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The sounds are just so over-the-top and outrageous! And vewy danceable I have found in my last hour of experimental research. Ned I just searched and came up with this thread: Synth Noir

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 28 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

As well as being one of the stately walkers in Bowie's Ashes To Ashes vid, Steve Strange (aka Steve Weird) was nicked for pilfering Tellytubby toys from a shop a couple of years back, but he's cleaned up now. 'Fade To Grey' still sounds alright, but then weren't Visage just Ultravox without Midge Urgh (insanely obscure comedy reference) singing?

― Snotty Moore, Thursday, 28 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Fade to Grey -- isn't that that song about Buddha?

― Colin Meeder, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

TAR!!!

― Tom, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Fade to Grey -- isn't that that song about Buddha?

No, that's 'Being Bolied'...although if you boiled someone, they'd fade to grey. Apologies, it's Friday. On the subject of Tar, it featured strongly on the History of House Mnunsic programme.

― Jez, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

either i'm missing a gag or you're getting Fade to Grey mixed up with Being Boiled by Human League.

fade to grey is class. i'm djing at some bloody 80s night thing on wednesday and i desperately need to hunt down a copy, i've only got the mp3 and no cd burner.

― Wyndham Earl, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You're missing my tremendously witty, suble humor. I am simply pointing out that one is a blatant rip-off of the other.

― Colin Meeder, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Doesn't that 'Being Boiled' V 'No Scrubs' mix sound just like any other Timbaland production? There's nothing new under the sun. 'Being Boiled' uses the word 'sericulture' - it's about silk manufacture, and those worms get, well, boiled. Is this the strangest word ever used on a hit single?

― Snotty Moore, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

oh. except being boiled sounds well nothing at all like fade to grey? hrm.

i like the girls on top remix, the two pieces arguably work together combined then they do in their original contexts.

― Wyndham Earl, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"nothing at all"? Wash out yer ears, dude!

― Colin Meeder, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

fuhgeddaboudit!
head straight for the Cowboys International thread!

erm, well OK - yeah: "We Move", "Fade To Grey", "Tar", "Frequency 7", etc.
...(grumbles)...

― Paul, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Midge is on the record. I know not what significance this has.

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two months pass...

For Visage and Steve Strange there is www.moeggi.de !!! A great site with many links.....

― Not Important, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two years pass...

"OH MY VISAGE..."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 15:48 (twenty-two years ago)

REMEMBER... HEALTH WARNING... IT'S PRINTED... ON THE PACKAGE... LOW TAR... HIGH TAR... NO TAR... DOESN'T IT MAKE YOU MAAAAAAAAD?

(I think that's how the song goes.)

(Disappearing quietly into the landscape again, now.)

― Those Beautiful Lines (Dee the Lurker), Thursday, 27 May 2004 07:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Classic.

Does J McGeoch play on the second album? That bendy twiddly riff shit on the first album is hot.

― Fergal (Ferg), Thursday, 27 May 2004 14:52 (twenty-two years ago)

eight months pass...

Visage have reformed !

Visage reunion for new album
http://www.intuitivemusic.com/content/view/1323/97/

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

i thought they were already part of that 80s Tour with T'Pau, Owen Paul, Marilyn, Human League or whoever

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 16:20 (twenty-one years ago)

four years pass...

No love for "The Damned Don't Cry"? Visage has thee best videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxfkJow29lk

― Spinspin Sugah, Thursday, 9 July 2009 05:24 (sixteen years ago)

Awesome track. Another track that gets no love (even though Junior Boys included it on their Get Physical mix):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1tDTr3m1Yk&fmt=18

― uncannydan, Thursday, 9 July 2009 16:12 (sixteen years ago)

three years pass...

new album not as bad as i would have expected

― glycemic index joe (electricsound), Wednesday, 22 May 2013 00:30 (thirteen years ago)

http://www.visage.cc/

― glycemic index joe (electricsound), Wednesday, 22 May 2013 00:31 (thirteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

this has been growing on me quite a lot. it's completely ridiculous but they've clearly put a lot of effort into it

― multi-purpose food (electricsound), Friday, 14 June 2013 00:09 (twelve years ago)

six months pass...

slept on

― kel's vintage port (electricsound), Saturday, 14 December 2013 01:22 (twelve years ago)

one year passes...

Just heard from a friend of his that Steve Strange has died...

RIP

― Stop the tape I got spittle all over my moustache. (Talcum Mucker), Thursday, 12 February 2015 20:01 (eleven years ago)

confirmed sadly
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=654302044698442

― Eric Burdon & War, On Drugs (Cosmic Slop), Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:11 (eleven years ago)

Yeah, more reports

http://www.vanyaland.com/2015/02/12/report-steve-strange-new-romantic-electronic-music-pioneers-visage-dead-55/

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:14 (eleven years ago)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-31449838

― You are swimming in spaghetti. Without a paddle. (snoball), Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:20 (eleven years ago)

well that sucks. RIP.

the reunion album was genuinely great and i would have loved to hear more from him..

― don't ask me why i posted this (electricsound), Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:32 (eleven years ago)

Absolutely gutted.

― Kitchen Person, Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:54 (eleven years ago)

glum and shitty news indeed

― let me be your fan taytay (NickB), Thursday, 12 February 2015 22:35 (eleven years ago)

But following the band’s successful first two albums, Visage and the Anvil, Strange became addicted to heroin after first trying the drug while modelling at a Jean Paul Gaultier show in Paris in 1985.
“The one thing I regret is heroin,” he told the Guardian in 2000.
After that there followed legal problems such as an arrest and suspended sentence for shoplifting a Teletubbies doll and cosmetics set in Bridgend, south Wales.

jeez :(

― let me be your fan taytay (NickB), Thursday, 12 February 2015 22:37 (eleven years ago)

Holy shit, 'Mind Of A Toy' just finishes playing and then I come online to read this!

― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Thursday, 12 February 2015 22:55 (eleven years ago)

RIP :(

― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Thursday, 12 February 2015 22:55 (eleven years ago)

Good stuff from Mr. Ewing

http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/feb/13/steve-strange-pop-secret-architects-visage-new-romantics-blitz?CMP=share_btn_tw

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 13 February 2015 00:40 (eleven years ago)

sadly just catching up on this band after today's sad news but definitely some top shelf synth stuff....RIP

― kurt kobaïan (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 13 February 2015 01:23 (eleven years ago)

i was wondering why this thread was bumped, so sad. RIP.

had the one popular album by them.

― Bee OK, Friday, 13 February 2015 02:36 (eleven years ago)

The first Visage album is an absolute classic, IMO. Strange obviously brought the visual element, but the cast of musicians working on the project is dazzling:

Steve Strange
Midge Ure (Slik/Rich Kids/Ultravox)
John McGeoch (Magazine/Siouxsie & The Banshees/Public Image Ltd.)
Dave Formula (Magazine)
Billy Currie (Ultravox/Gary Numan)
Rusty Egan (Rich Kids)
Barry Adamson (Magazine/Pete Shelley/Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds)
Chris Payne (Gary Numan)
Cedric Sharpley (Gary Numan)

― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Friday, 13 February 2015 03:47 (eleven years ago)

http://www.kimwilde.com/latest-news/steve-strange-1959-2015/

― let me be your fan taytay (NickB), Friday, 13 February 2015 10:17 (eleven years ago)

six years pass...

"Visage 'Fade to Grey' explained.
An account by one of the original writers (Chris Payne) about how it was written and recorded"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmF_jeokUX8

― meisenfek, Saturday, 5 June 2021 13:38 (five years ago)

That's pretty fascinating. I had no idea where the band fit into things, I just assumed they were the usual keyboard guy and singer. But no, they're a keystone act sharing members with Gary Numan, Ultravox, and Magazine, which is pretty neat.

― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 5 June 2021 16:14 (five years ago)

cool, thanks for sharing, one of my all time fave tracks

― brimstead, Saturday, 5 June 2021 16:33 (five years ago)

ten months pass...

Now this is how to pay tribute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZfIOKEaYH0

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 8 April 2022 17:35 (four years ago)

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