Midge Ure - Gift (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

If I could give it 6 stars, I would

Craig L. Nicholls | Littleton, CO United States | 07/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"His first solo outing (during a break from Ultravox), this album is simply brilliant, top to bottom, made even better by the inclusion of 4 additional tracks (the last 4, courtesy of Cerise Reed and the official Ultravox Web site ultravox.org.uk).Not a klinker in the bunch, from the UK #1 "If I Was" to two of the best pop instrumentals "Antilles" and "Chieftan" to a vast improvement on Jethro Tull and David Bowie tunes ("Living in the Past" and the extra track " The Man Who Sold the World") this disc is a winner."

A very rare talent

Lisa Chu | CA | 07/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of all the singer/songwriters/musicians in the world (and how many do all three?), Midge Ure is nearly unrivaled, and my personal all-time favorite. Many rank him equally with Peter Gabriel in terms of talent, and is not as well known only because he always remains true to his music and does not write for the sake of popularity. Anyone who doubts the depth of his talent need only to see him perform live to understand. I was once honored to see him play in San Francisco, along with 4 other guitarists - he blew them all away, just a man and his guitar, and a talent far surpassing anyone on his class. If there are others in his class. From the first note that left his mouth, it became a joke among the other performers that no one was really there to see them at all. Midge Ure's skill, talent, and sincerity as a composer are worlds above the rest. His voice is flawless and full of heart. Why he is not more well known isn't a mystery; he puts his energy into his music instead of into marketing. And we are all the luckier for that."

Midge Ure is an angel brought to earth.

Lisa M. Mims | Austin, TX United States | 03/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this cd, thinking for some reason, that it was a decade later release called, "Breathe". I continued in that misapprehension even when I listened to the cd for a few days--that's how timeless it is. This cd could have been recorded today, and it would top the charts.Musically, it is a mixture of the synthesizer style used by earlier Ultravox; the synthesizer is used as both a drone and a melodic instrument. However, this cd includes some particularly inventive forays into Japanese instrumental music. Like "Little Orphans",..., Edo, and The Chieftains, are brilliant examples of rhythmic wizardry. In short, "The Gift" is a can't-be-missed addition to any fan of this New Wave icon's extensive musical career."

Midge Ure - The Gift

rhu1@cableol.co.uk | Hertfordshire, England | 06/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was Midge's first solo outing and a successful one it was too. Spawning a number of successful singles including "If I Was", a British number 1. It was written and released whilest Midge Ure was still fronting Ultravox and it is not hard to hear the influences. It came out before Live Aid and after Ultravox's "The Collection". This CD is a fine example of professional pop and even manages to do a good cover of Jethro Tull's "Living In The Past". Worth every cent, a must for Ultravox fans and a rewarding purchase for anyone else."

The boy is listening to those records from the past...

Si Wooldridge | Chippenham, Wiltshire England | 09/10/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's debateable what Midge Ure is more recognisable for today - solo artist or Ultravox leader. While Ultravox were consistent chart entries in the early to mid-80's, Midge has had a bit of an up and down solo career. This album was the first of a few and was released around the time of Live Aid which he helped organise with (Sir) Bob Geldof. The first single went to # 1 for a single week aided by a video with an executive toy (on of those square things with lots of silver pins that you could leave imprints on by pressing onto it). The rest (She Cried, Wastelands, That Certain Smile) unfortunately didn't fare so well. You can now judge for yourself on this EMI re-issue that had a lot of input from the Extreme Voice (Ultravox) fanzine.
This is quite a strong album and is a more accessible version of Ultravox's music, definitely more poppy and opened up Midge to a wider audience. The one surprise on this album is that it contains three instrumentals (Antilles, Edo & The Chieftain - a glorious track with ferocious percussion and bass-playing), not that they're not good - it's just unusual to see this many on what is obviously an attempt at the mainstream. Some of Midges contemporaries appeared on this album - Mark Brzezicki (Drums - Big Country), Mark King (Bass/Vocals - Level 42), Glenn Gregory (Vocals - Heaven 17) and Mae McKenna who sang the gorgeous Gaelic vocals on Man Of Two Worlds from the previous Ultravox album Lament.
Extra tracks are b-sides and include a brilliant version of the old Bowie track The Man Who Sold The World. Midge best singles fell either side of this album by a couple of years : No Regrets, Yellow Pearl (although this found a home of Phil Lynott's Solo In Soho) and Call Of The Wild. This doesn't detract from this album though, some powerful performances from the Ultravox man.
Fav tracks : If I Was, The Chieftain, That Certain Smile, The Man Who Sold The World."

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