Midge Ure - If I Was: The Very Best of Midge Ure & Ultravox

Definitely the very best....

This CD is definitely the very best of Midge Ure & ULtravox. This compilation covers the best songs of Midge Ure's solo career as well as his work with Visage and Band Aid... and of course Ultravox. I mainly purchased this CD because I loved the song "If I was" which I consider Midge Ure's finest solo hit... and a great love song. Yes, this compilation is missing other great hits of Ultravox like "Hymn" or "Love's Great Adventure" but I still highly recommend this CD. Every time I listen to this CD, it definitely brings back a lot of memories of the 80s. A must have for fans of British New Wave/synth pop music. March 30, 2008

Used so much had to buy another

Bought it thanks to hearing their Xmas tune about Africa/Fedding the world. Loved all the songs over time, but took me a bit to appreciate them as they are eclectic. An old band worth your ears. April 21, 2006

flawles album

Midge urr is the king of synth. I love all his stuff. I like his ultravox music alot. Standout song for me is breath I love it. October 31, 2005

If I Was: The Very Best of Midge Ure & Ultravox ~ Midge Ure

If I Was: The Very Best of Midge Ure & Ultravox~ Midge Ure is a good compilation of Midge Ures best tracks. However, it is a bit odd as it is lacking some major tracks like the thin wall, the hymn. Yet this seems to be a more a compilation of all the bands that he has been in (like Ultravox, Visage and others). The cover is fair enough, but he does look a bit haggard and quite old. Still and all this a fair compilation that gets the 4 stars that it deserves. September 30, 2005

Some Great Moments... Some Misses

This "hit & miss" collection should have been called, "If I Was: An Awkward Collection of Songs by Midge Ure, Ultravox, Visage, Rich Kids and Feed The World". Ultravox had a number of good songs without Midge (when John Foxx sung). The best song on here might be the new wave synth classic "Fade To Grey" by Visage (neither Midge Ure solo nor Ultravox). That song alone plus the Ultravox staples "Vienna" and "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes" makes the CD worth owning and ensures a decent rating at least. The disc doesn't quite give the listener enough material to fully appreciate what Ultravox was all about. You get a couple of great ones, but you never are fully aware that they were at the height of late 70's/early 80's style pop in the same milieu as Roxy Music and the more esoteric moments or Bowie. There is a smattering of Ure's solo works, but none really match up to the aforementioned. His covers never were very good as he loses the purpose of the originals and never claims them as him own either. Basically he just ruins a couple of songs done better by the original artists. These were done at the point where he was trying to rival Bryan Ferry as a legendary crooner. Needless to say, he failed miserably. Ferry could sing the McDonald's menu and make it unforgettable; Midge Ure doesn't have such powers. Furthermore, why would anyone put "Do They Know It's Christmas?" on their comp? Disastrous to say the least. In sum though, this album has enough decent material to make it worthwhile. However I've got to imagine there's a better way to get to know Ultravox and Visage. June 2, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...