Went tonight to see former Ultravox frontman James 'Midge' Ure do a solo 'storytellers' gig, which meant he was taking questions from the audience between songs. It was kind of funny seeing him with just an acoustic guitar, as Ultravox was the epitome of futuristic synth pop in the early 80's. I was a big fan of the band back then, even the earlier incarnation with John Foxx; they prompted me to explore synth bass even though I had no keyboard training. But the old songs held up in the stripped down manner, as well as his incredible voice. When asked who were the best musicians he had ever worked with, his answer began and ended with two bass players, King and Karn. This is from a guy who collaborated with a who's who of British musicians in the 70's and 80's, not to mention that he created, along with Bob Geldolf(who always gets the credit)Live Aid, as well as being involved with the UK Prince's Trust charity performances. Pretty amazing. As he said, even though he reached a certain stature in the(British)music business, he still remained a fan of everyone he encountered.
. And a huge hit all over the world. Except in America.
