Visage (Visage album)

Visage
Studio album by Visage
Released 10 November 1980
Recorded 1979–1980 at Genetic Studios, Reading, Berkshire, England
Genre Synthpop, dance-rock
Length 38:27
Label Polydor
Producer Midge Ure, Visage
Visage chronology
Visage
(1980)		 Visage EP
(1981)Visage EP1981
Singles from Visage
  1. "Tar"
    Released: 7 September 1979
  2. "Fade to Grey"
    Released: 10 November 1980
  3. "Mind of a Toy"
    Released: 2 March 1981
  4. "Visage"
    Released: 29 June 1981

Visage is the eponymous debut studio album by the British new wave band Visage. It was recorded at Genetic Sound Studios in Reading, Berkshire and released on 10 November 1980 by Polydor Records.

Release

Visage was released on 10 November 1980. It reached No. 13 in the UK and was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry in March 1981.[1][2] "Fade to Grey" was released as a single and became a hit, reaching No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart and Top 10 positions in Europe, including No. 1 in Germany and Switzerland. Further singles, "Mind of a Toy" and the title track "Visage" were also UK Top 30 hits.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Robert ChristgauB–[4]

Aaron Krehbie of Digital Audio commented that "Moon over Moscow" and "Blocks on Blocks" are "perfect examples of Visage at its best". However, Krehbie also opined that the album was not "the group's best effort", preferring the group's next album, The Anvil.[5]

In his retrospective review, Dan LeRoy of AllMusic wrote "this is the music that best represents the short-lived but always underrated new romantic movement", calling it "a consistently fine creation".[3]

Track listing

All tracks written by Visage (Billy Currie, Rusty Egan, Dave Formula, John McGeoch, Steve Strange and Midge Ure), except where noted.

Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Visage" 3:53
2."Blocks on Blocks" 4:00
3."The Dancer"Egan, Ure3:40
4."Tar"Barry Adamson, Currie, Egan, Formula, McGeoch, Strange, Ure3:32
5."Fade to Grey"Currie, Chris Payne, Ure4:02
Side B
No.TitleLength
6."Malpaso Man"4:14
7."Mind of a Toy"4:28
8."Moon Over Moscow"4:00
9."Visa-age"4:20
10."The Steps"3:14

Personnel

Visage
Additional personnel
  • Barry Adamson – bass guitar (1, 2, 4)
  • Chris Payne – synthesizer (5)
  • Cedric Sharpley – drums, electronic drums programming (5)
  • Brigitte Arens – voice (5)
Technical

Chart performance

Chart Peak
position		 Certification
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 17 -
Austria[7] 11 -
France[8] 2 Gold (100,000)[9]
Germany[10] 1 Gold (250,000)[11]
New Zealand[12] 14 -
Sweden[13] 22 -
United Kingdom[1] 13 Silver (60,000)[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Visage | Artist | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Certified Awards". BPI. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  3. 1 2 LeRoy, Dan. "Visage – Visage | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  4. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Visage". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  5. ↑ Krehbiel, Aaron (September 1984). "Visage". Digital Audio. 1 (1): 80. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  6. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. ↑ "Discographie Visage". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 2009-06-26.
  8. ↑ "Tous les Albums classés par Artiste". www.infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 5 June 2009. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
  9. ↑ "Les Certifications (Albums) du SNEP (Bilan par Artiste)". www.infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
  10. ↑ "Suche nach "visage"". www.officialcharts.de (in German). Retrieved 2012-09-25.
  11. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". www.musikindustrie.de (in German). Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  12. ↑ "Discography Visage". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  13. ↑ "Discography Visage". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
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