The Gift (Midge Ure album)
Encyclopedia
The Gift, released in 1985, is the first solo album by former Ultravox
frontman Midge Ure
. The album was released while Ultravox was taking a break; the band would go on to release U-Vox
before splitting. The album reached #2 in the UK Albums Chart
thanks in part to the large attention drawn to it by the single "If I Was
" which reached #1 in the UK Singles Chart
.
Bonus tracks for 1996 UK re-release:
Ultravox
Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....
frontman Midge Ure
Midge Ure
James "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter...
. The album was released while Ultravox was taking a break; the band would go on to release U-Vox
U-Vox
U-Vox is an album by Ultravox, released in 1986. This was the eighth full album and the fifth of the band's most-recognisable incarnation, fronted by Midge Ure...
before splitting. The album reached #2 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
thanks in part to the large attention drawn to it by the single "If I Was
If I Was
"If I Was" is a popular song written by Midge Ure and Danny Mitchell. It reached #1 on the UK singles chart for a single week in October 1985. This was Ure's third number one, coming after his success with Slik in 1976 and Band Aid in 1984...
" which reached #1 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Track listing
- "If I WasIf I Was"If I Was" is a popular song written by Midge Ure and Danny Mitchell. It reached #1 on the UK singles chart for a single week in October 1985. This was Ure's third number one, coming after his success with Slik in 1976 and Band Aid in 1984...
" (Midge Ure, Daniel Mitchell) – 5:22 - "When the Winds Blow" (Ure, Mitchell) – 4:07
- "Living in the PastLiving in the Past (Jethro Tull song)"Living in the Past" is the title of one of British progressive rock group Jethro Tull's best-known songs. It is notable for being written in the unusual 5/4 time signature...
" (Ian AndersonIan Anderson (musician)Ian Scott Anderson, MBE is a Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work as the leader and flautist of British rock band Jethro Tull.-Early life:...
) – 4:35 - "That Certain Smile" (Ure, Mitchell) – 4:08
- "The Gift" (Ure) – 5:00
- "Antilles" (Ure) – 4:08
- "Wastelands" (Ure, Mitchell) – 4:40
- "Edo" (Ure) – 3:24
- "The Chieftain" (Ure) – 4:45
- "She Cried" (Ure, Mitchell) – 4:12
- "The Gift (Reprise)" (Ure) – 1:45
Bonus tracks for 1996 UK re-release:
- "Mood Music" – 3:30
- "Piano" (Ure) – 2:28
- "The Man Who Sold the WorldThe Man Who Sold the WorldThe Man Who Sold the World is the third studio album by David Bowie. It was originally released on Mercury Records in November 1970 in the United States and in April 1971 in the UK. The album was Bowie's first with the nucleus of what would become the "Spiders from Mars", the backing band made...
" (David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
) – 5:37 - "The Gift (Instrumental)" (Ure) – 5:11
Personnel
- Midge Ure – vocals, instrumentation, and production
- Mark KingMark King (musician)Mark King is an English musician. He is most famous for being the lead singer and bassist of the band, Level 42. In the early 1980s King popularized the 1970s-era slap and pop style for playing the bass guitar by incorporating it into pop music.-Early life:King was brought up on the Isle of Wight,...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
on tracks 1, 3, and 9 - Mae McKenna, Lorenza Johnson, Jackie Challenor – backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on tracks 4 and 7 - Mark BrzezickiMark BrzezickiMark Brzezicki is a rock drummer, who is primarily known for his work with Big Country, and was a member of the groups The Cult, Ultravox, and Procol Harum. He has also played with Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Midge Ure, Fish, The Pretenders and many others...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
on track 7 - Nigel Ross-Scott – bass on tracks 4 and 10
- Lindsay Elliott – drums on track 4
- Glenn GregoryGlenn GregoryGlenn Gregory is an English musician. A founding member of Heaven 17, he was partly responsible for hit records such as "Temptation"....
– backing vocals on track 6 - Paul Mosby – mizmarMizmarIn Arabic music, a mizmar is any single or double reed wind instrument. In Egypt, the term mizmar usually refers to the conical shawm that is called zurna in Turkey....
on track 10 - Brian Tench – mixing engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Rik Walton – recording engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- John HudsonJohn HudsonJohn Hudson may refer to:* John Hudson , older brother of actor William Hudson* John Hudson , former NFL player* John Hudson , former American basketball player...
– co-producer for track 12 - George HurrellGeorge HurrellGeorge Hurrell was a photographer who made a significant contribution to the image of glamour presented by Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s.-Early life:...
– PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film... - Peter Saville Associates – DesignDesignDesign as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...