Visage : Fade To Grey
On November 10, 1980 Visage released the UK#8 single "Fade To Grey", one the 80's ultimate synth pop hits. The band's debut album came out the same day. How could anyone watching the Godley and Creme directed video not believe they were witnessing the future, when men wore makeup and beautiful French women crouched suggestively? Everything that was great about 80's pop is right here, just a matter of month into the new decade.
Who is Visage? It's a who's who of UK pop. There's vocalist Steve Strange who may have first attracted attention as an extra in David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes" video. There's Ultravox's Midge Ure on guitar and syths and violinist Billy Curie . From Magazine, there's guitarist John McGeoch and from Rich Kids there's drummer Rusty Egan.
Midge Ure would say in 1983 there was no way the band would get back together to record a second album.
The trouble with Visage was that there were too many chiefs, six characters all wanting an equal say without putting in an equal amount of work. I was doing most of the writing and producing, and we all knew Steve [Strange] was the frontman, but when it became successful, jealousy and the nasty side of the business crept in. That was never the way it was intended.
But for one album and its exceptional single Visage captured the essence of the decade. A crossroads: one way leading to the synth pop of Human League and Heaven 17; the other way leading to the New Romantic music of Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran.
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