I listen to Vienna probably twice a week for the last 42 years!! I was 13 when it came out, every song i like since is based on this song. I always listen from the Album to get my favorite synth sound fully in the intro :)
Yes , I agree is one of the most beautyful songs ever written. Vocal delivery, arrangements, everything is perfect. We can not say the best just because There has been so much amazing music through the decades .
I remember the first time that I heard Vienna back when it first arrived. I could not believe what I was hearing, the feeling was truly incredible . When I listen to it today the feeling is exactly the same, how wonderful. The anthem of my life.
That song feels magnetic and keeps my brain in wonder - oh, how can these harmonies sound good together? oh, wait, what did you just do? oh, I had no idea you can do it this way! - no matter how many times I listen to it.
Absolutely agree. I don't remember when I first heard it but listening back today even my kids think it's ridiculously good. I'd almost go as far as to say its best song ever made!
That was fantastic....great to hear from Billy! This just reinforces my opinion that adding Midge Ure to Ultravox was the best thing to happen to music in the 80s......what a legend!!!!
Midge Ure in the early 80s: phenomenal voice; cool as f*ck; not a handsome man. Midge Ure in the 2020s: phenomenal voice; cool as f*ck; drop dead gorgeous.
...not the full story how Visage Fade To Grey came to be! For those who don't know about it's origin. Chris Payne, Gary Numan's keyboard player between rehearsal during The Touring Principle tour played would some ideas he had. Billie Currie had joined Numan's band for that tour. Billie heard Chris playing & offered some of his own ideas. Together, Chris & Billie continued to developed the tune whilst on that tour which they named the tune as Toot City. BIllie tried to get a record deal in the notion that the tune would be released as Currie & Payne but this didn't work out. Billie continued with Ultravox. Midge Ure got to hear Toot City and he transformed this tune into what is now Fade To Grey. But don't take my word for it . Use the LINK below to watch Chris Payne explain about Fade to Grey🙂 m.ua-cam.com/video/AmF_jeokUX8/v-deo.html
this video wasn't about fade to grey..... it was abut Vienna! Midge pretty much said everything you just did but in a much more condensed way. you do understand how editing for television works right?
🤔 That maybe so but when referencing Fade to Grey, Midge missed out mentioning Chris Payne's name which gives out a false impression to the uninitiated, that it was just midge & billie currie that composed FTG 🙂
Paul Lycett you don’t know that he missed it out!!! This piece was edited to less than 15 mins total! That is how tv editing works... chris Payne wasn’t pertinent to the creation of Vienna Billy Currie was! For someone so obsessed with fine detail, you would think you would have the decency to spell BillY Currie’s name correctly! 🙄
Simply unimaginable isn't it. Mind you it was the early 80's so not suprised looking back:). If I could be permanently stuck in the 80's I would. Much better than these shite times.
As a kid i was just AMAZED shaddap (notably a song NEVER played on the radio anymore since 1981) was at number one back then , kinda reveals how the top 40 works, i recently watched the story of top of the pops and back then the Gallup Poll company compiling the charts would not be able to monitor ALL sales in the UK apparently so took sales counts just at certain record shops, sometimes record producers found out which shops these were and sent people to buy up remaining stock to keep there own record high up in the top 40, maybe that had something to do with it....:)
Awesome video 😊 I first heard the song in episode 1 of Ashes To Ashes when Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes, Lara Croft's old voice) arrives back in the 80's after being shot in the head. Love the 80's (born in 85) and also that show, a better follow-up to Life On Mars. Gotta re-watch the DVD box set.
John Foxx and the original Ultravox were just brilliant in there genre, Midge Ure changed that genre and is brilliant in his own right. You are correct about John Foxx, he is enormously talented, his latest stuff all these years later is classic
Ah, but Currie speaks about Songs... With a capital S, not about "songs", with brackets around the word. Pre Ure Ultravox is not A and probably not even B-class. And that is not because it has been also commercially rewarding. Even if these songs would not have become big hits, they would have been A class.
In 1984, in Segovia (Spain), a techno - pop group called Mecano was in a live concert recording their album (Mecano en Concierto). They invited Warren Cann to play the drums, and other guy to play keyboards called Hans Zimmer.
You obviously didn't pay attention when the Bowie part was told. It doesn't have to mean anything, it just has to sound great and set your own creativity at work to come up with your own explanation what it could mean. The lyrics of 1970's band Yes too don't mean anything. In stead of going from A to Z, those lyrics go from F to K, than back to C, B, A, make an odd jump to X etc. And even will throw in figures or letters only used in other languages.
so in the early 1980's i was 11 yrs old and living in the USA. Now MTV comes on and would only show a piece of this video like in a commercial and I always wondered what it was. of course now I know UltaVox
Midge has changed so much...I remember that Slik record, around my tenth or eleventh year. I wonder what that spider is doing now- maybe he has started his own group , LOL
Yeah, that came out about now in 1976, I liked "The Kid's A Punk" from July more and by some kind of a coincidence punk rock started a month after its release. Slik's last record was in the autumn, "Don't Take Your Love Away" then they packed it in and Midge resurfaced in The Rich Kids, Visage and Ultravox then solo. Midge also co-wrote "Yellow Pearl" with Philip Lynott in 1980.
Fairly certain it was a Roland CR-78, heavily modified by Warren Cann. The "thunder" sound was made with a Synare drum synth I think, it's a handclap sound tuned very low with some echo added.
It's just my opinion, but Vienna is the finest song ever recorded
Vienna was good not the best ever
"Vienna" kind of took me back to "Forever and Ever" with that drum beat. Just a pity it wasn't a No.1 in the UK like the earlier single.
I listen to Vienna probably twice a week for the last 42 years!! I was 13 when it came out, every song i like since is based on this song. I always listen from the Album to get my favorite synth sound fully in the intro :)
You are absolutely right, it's just your opinion...
Yes , I agree is one of the most beautyful songs ever written. Vocal delivery, arrangements, everything is perfect. We can not say the best just because There has been so much amazing music through the decades .
VERY FUN & INTERESTING STUFF to LOOK BACK ON. SUCH TALENT! & MIDGE has "STILL GOT IT!"☺️📣🎙️
I remember the first time that I heard Vienna back when it first arrived.
I could not believe what I was hearing, the feeling was truly incredible .
When I listen to it today the feeling is exactly the same, how wonderful.
The anthem of my life.
That song feels magnetic and keeps my brain in wonder - oh, how can these harmonies sound good together? oh, wait, what did you just do? oh, I had no idea you can do it this way! - no matter how many times I listen to it.
Absolutely agree. I don't remember when I first heard it but listening back today even my kids think it's ridiculously good. I'd almost go as far as to say its best song ever made!
That was fantastic....great to hear from Billy! This just reinforces my opinion that adding Midge Ure to Ultravox was the best thing to happen to music in the 80s......what a legend!!!!
Midge and Ultravox being one of favorite bands..
midge ure is a very special man
Fantastic band Ultravox.
Midge Ure in the early 80s: phenomenal voice; cool as f*ck; not a handsome man.
Midge Ure in the 2020s: phenomenal voice; cool as f*ck; drop dead gorgeous.
This man and the whole band are INCREDIBLE!
As an 80s kid, this has to be one of my favorite songs of all time❤ April 2023
Vienna, a really masterpiece without doubt. Great song and great band❤
OUTSTANDING! Now what about Reap the Wild Wind” God how I loved those two songs!
RTWW of Monument is fantastic!!❤️
Brilliant! Miss those days when I was growing up in between these then new milestones! Oh, Vienna, this means a lot to me!
...not the full story how Visage Fade To Grey came to be! For those who don't know about it's origin.
Chris Payne, Gary Numan's keyboard player between rehearsal during The Touring Principle tour played would some ideas he had. Billie Currie had joined Numan's band for that tour. Billie heard Chris playing & offered some of his own ideas. Together, Chris & Billie continued to developed the tune whilst on that tour which they named the tune as Toot City. BIllie tried to get a record deal in the notion that the tune would be released as Currie & Payne but this didn't work out. Billie continued with Ultravox. Midge Ure got to hear Toot City and he transformed this tune into what is now Fade To Grey.
But don't take my word for it . Use the LINK below to watch Chris Payne explain about Fade to Grey🙂
m.ua-cam.com/video/AmF_jeokUX8/v-deo.html
this video wasn't about fade to grey..... it was abut Vienna! Midge pretty much said everything you just did but in a much more condensed way. you do understand how editing for television works right?
🤔 That maybe so but when referencing Fade to Grey, Midge missed out mentioning Chris Payne's name which gives out a false impression to the uninitiated, that it was just midge & billie currie that composed FTG 🙂
Paul Lycett you don’t know that he missed it out!!! This piece was edited to less than 15 mins total! That is how tv editing works... chris Payne wasn’t pertinent to the creation of Vienna Billy Currie was! For someone so obsessed with fine detail, you would think you would have the decency to spell BillY Currie’s name correctly! 🙄
Your right Chris payne should get more credit...
Everyone wants a part of the pie... Gerry Rafferty's sax player too claimed he came up with the most iconic sax riff in pop history.
Curse you Joe Dolce !!!!!
I wish we could all go back in time and live those exciting years again.
One of the most Beautiful haunting peices ever written, pure genius
2 of the greatest bands ever… ultravox and visage.
That was fab! Thanks for sharing!
Still gives goosebumps ❤
brilliant upload! thank you
Kept off the #1 slot by Joe Dolce’s novelty record ‘shaddupa ya face’.....
Us Australians already feel bad for bringing the world Rupert Murdoch, and now this!
Yeah, what a bloody insult!, anyone who thought "Shaddupa Ya Face" was better than "Vienna" has absolutely no taste!
Simply unimaginable isn't it.
Mind you it was the early 80's so not suprised looking back:).
If I could be permanently stuck in the 80's I would.
Much better than these shite times.
As a kid i was just AMAZED shaddap (notably a song NEVER played on the radio anymore since 1981) was at number one back then , kinda reveals how the top 40 works, i recently watched the story of top of the pops and back then the Gallup Poll company compiling the charts would not be able to monitor ALL sales in the UK apparently so took sales counts just at certain record shops, sometimes record producers found out which shops these were and sent people to buy up remaining stock to keep there own record high up in the top 40, maybe that had something to do with it....:)
I remember when I first heard Vienna on the radio. ❤️
Awesome video 😊 I first heard the song in episode 1 of Ashes To Ashes when Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes, Lara Croft's old voice) arrives back in the 80's after being shot in the head. Love the 80's (born in 85) and also that show, a better follow-up to Life On Mars. Gotta re-watch the DVD box set.
My favourite song ever. But really made an impact when it was used in that first Ashes to Ashes episode!
Billy Currie's comment about finally working witha singer who writes music is odd, considering John Foxx wrote all the Ultravox songs, previously.
John Foxx and the original Ultravox were just brilliant in there genre, Midge Ure changed that genre and is brilliant in his own right. You are correct about John Foxx, he is enormously talented, his latest stuff all these years later is classic
Ah, but Currie speaks about Songs... With a capital S, not about "songs", with brackets around the word. Pre Ure Ultravox is not A and probably not even B-class. And that is not because it has been also commercially rewarding. Even if these songs would not have become big hits, they would have been A class.
Vienna and Fade to Grey were big hits in Australia also. My 2 favourite songs at the time.
What about "Visions in Blue" too ?
No credit given to Chris Payne for fade to grey,it was him and Billy that came up with the famous tune on downtime whilst touring with Numan,
Could do one more better, Live Aid
A great music career that has made him very relevant to 70s to 80s music.
In 1984, in Segovia (Spain), a techno - pop group called Mecano was in a live concert recording their album (Mecano en Concierto). They invited Warren Cann to play the drums, and other guy to play keyboards called Hans Zimmer.
Tubeway Army & Gary Numan also great bands back then
Gary Numan (who hates Ultravox with Ure ) and Jonh Foxxx can only dream about writing such songs like Fade to Grey and Vienna
B side “Passionate Reply” on vinyl ❤
I absolutely love the song but I don't get what the video is about or the song 🤔
It means nothing to you?
THIS MEANS NOTHING TO ME!
This means nothing to me too.
You obviously didn't pay attention when the Bowie part was told. It doesn't have to mean anything, it just has to sound great and set your own creativity at work to come up with your own explanation what it could mean. The lyrics of 1970's band Yes too don't mean anything. In stead of going from A to Z, those lyrics go from F to K, than back to C, B, A, make an odd jump to X etc. And even will throw in figures or letters only used in other languages.
Would be nice if they credited Chris Payne in the interview.
ULTRAVOX....EPIC...EPIC...EPIC....PERIOD....LOVED ALWAYS AND FOREVER....
I love this band. Vienna is a great LP but I think Rage In Eden is their masterpiece.
This I agree with 100%. Something about Rage in Eden keeps drawing me back. A real masterpiece.
Nah, I think Vienna and Quartet.
For ever Ultravox ❤
Masterpiece
Genius👍🏻❤️
Ultravoxs Vienna and OMDs Maid of Orleans are for me THE mood of the 80's.... god, i love the melancholy in these 2 songs
A little synthesizer recognition with We Are The Robots/Kraftwerk @ 3:34.
so in the early 1980's i was 11 yrs old and living in the USA. Now MTV comes on and would only show a piece of this video like in a commercial and I always wondered what it was. of course now I know UltaVox
My wife did not know the band i showed her today vienna and a few more songs. She was enchanted. Never seen her like that with "my" musicm
A song that gives me shivers, it's that good believe me. Ultravox 👏
Magic music some of the all time greats .
Midge has changed so much...I remember that Slik record, around my tenth or eleventh year. I wonder what that spider is doing now- maybe he has started his own group , LOL
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars? lol
Awesome Song !
Requiem by Slik was another track I remember!
Yeah, that came out about now in 1976, I liked "The Kid's A Punk" from July more and by some kind of a coincidence punk rock started a month after its release. Slik's last record was in the autumn, "Don't Take Your Love Away" then they packed it in and Midge resurfaced in The Rich Kids, Visage and Ultravox then solo. Midge also co-wrote "Yellow Pearl" with Philip Lynott in 1980.
Those were the days….
best band ever.
Vienna was brilliant
Anyone knows which drum machine they used?
Fairly certain it was a Roland CR-78, heavily modified by Warren Cann. The "thunder" sound was made with a Synare drum synth I think, it's a handclap sound tuned very low with some echo added.
💖💖💖
I loved and still love them and my heart is melting when I hear IF I WAS
...and "If I Was" deservedly got to No.1.