Visage - The Face [The Very Best Of Visage] (2010) EAC-FLAC

Not my rip thank you very much to the original poster..;)




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Who could have imagined that a few kids in the '70s, fed up with punk, would open a nightclub; The Blitz, in Covent Garden, that would pioneer a style of music that would become one of the most resilient and successful styles of the next few decades? As we head out of the '00s and into the '10s, Electropop is still one of the most successful styles around. MGMT, La Roux, Lady Gaga, Little Boots, Ladyhawke, these artists now top the year end polls just as Visage, Soft Cell, Human League and Depeche Mode did before them.

It's 30 years since Visage released the seminal Fade to Grey. It was a huge dance floor hit, topping the charts in the UK and Europe. ItΓΓé¼Γäós a track that defines the 80s, that instantly transports you back to the time of the Blitz Kids, that New Romantic vanguard whose painted faces and rococo attire littered the pages of Vogue and The Face.

To celebrate this anniversary, Universal Music are pleased to announce the release of this Greatest Hits package featuring 2009 remixes of Fade To Grey by Lee Mortimer and Michael Gray of The Weekend and Borderline fame, alongside their complete chart topping hit singles as well as some of the classic and highly sought after dance remixes. hmv.com



1.Fade To Grey (2009 Michael Gray mix)
2.Mind Of A Toy (original 12" dance mix)
3.We Move (original 7" dance mix)
4.Tar
5.Fade To Grey (original 7" dance mix)
6.In The Year 2525
7.The Anvil
8.Night Train
9.The Damned Don't Cry (original 12" dance mix)
10.Love Glove
11.Pleasure Boys (original 12" dance mix)
12.Visage (original 12" dance mix)
13.Fade To Grey (original 12" dance mix)
14.Der Amboss
15.Fade To Grey (2009 Lee Mortimer mix)



I was a child of the punk/new wave era, however my wife has leanings to the early 80's electronic sound of the new romantics. Right at the forefront of this movement was one Mr Steve Strange who with Rusty Eagen ran the trailblazing Blitz club in London. Still, the roots for Visage came firmly from the punk movement with Strange having worked for Malcom Mclaren. Aside from this he had been involved with several leading figures including Chrissy Hinde, Vince Ely and Topper Headon in the ill-named and ill-fated new wave band The Moors Murderers.

Stepping on from this he formed Visage with Rusty Egan and Midge Ure, both of whom at the time were in the new wave band Rich Kids. Other members included Billie Currie from Ultravox, and guitarist John McGeoch and keyboard player Dave Formula both from Magazine. After an initial deal with Radar Records in 1979, the band released the single ΓΓé¼╦£TarΓΓé¼Γäó. Although the single failed to have a commercial impact, Polydor Records snapped them up in 1980.

December 1980 saw the release of their second single, ΓΓé¼╦£Fade to GreyΓΓé¼Γäó. The single became a huge hit in early 1981, making the top ten in the UK and several other countries, and reaching no.1 in Germany and Switzerland. It was quickly followed by the release of their self-titled debut album which was also a chart success.

After further Top 40 hits with ΓΓé¼╦£Mind of a ToyΓΓé¼Γäó and the title track ΓΓé¼╦£VisageΓΓé¼Γäó, Strange struggled to reunite the bandΓΓé¼Γäós members again to record a second album because of their commitments with their respective bands (Ure and Currie with Ultravox, Formula with Magazine, and McGeoch with Siouxsie & the Banshees.) But in the autumn of 1981, all musicians (except McGeoch) went into the studio again and recorded The Anvil. The album was released in March 1982 and became VisageΓΓé¼Γäós first (and only) UK top ten album, producing two top twenty singles with ΓΓé¼┼ôThe Damned DonΓΓé¼Γäót CryΓΓé¼┬¥ and ΓΓé¼┼ôNight TrainΓΓé¼┬¥. The Anvilearned a Silver disc in the UK, as did the bandΓΓé¼Γäós first album.

Despite several attempts including the forming of Visage mk2, the band never reached the heights of former glories. However with the resurgence of electronic artists over the last few years, this best of album seems to hold greater relevance now. Having listened to it today it actually sounds fresh, especially the remixes of ΓΓé¼╦£Fade To GreyΓΓé¼Γäó. I kind of detached myself and approached it as I would a new artist hitting my radar. I came to the conclusion that I would of been raving about the band to Sean as ones to watch! This is a sea change of opinion for me as I was too set in my Punk roots back then to appreciate anything electronica. This drops March 8th on Polydor Records containing fifteen tracks including two new mixes of ΓΓé¼╦£Fade to GreyΓΓé¼Γäó. Maybe the wife has some musical taste after all!

All Artwork Included At 300dpi