Ultravox frontman Midge Ure is to release his own photobook, in a picture frame, which captures the beginning of Ultravox’s chart topping ascent and throughout their period as a hugely successful band, on locations around the world for video shoots, as well as well-known fellow musicians, artists and friends.
Ure first purchased a Canon A1 camera in 1980 and took it everywhere with him documenting the rise of Ultravox, whether this be in the studio, on tour, directing promotional videos for Ultravox and other bands (Phil Lynott, Fun Boy Three, Bananarama), road trips and more.
These trips include photos taken in Isle of Lewis, Berlin and Cologne, Germany (in Conny Plank’s studio and featuring the producer and Can’s Holger Czukay); Tokyo, Japan; Austria on the Vienna video shoot (featuring video director Anton Corbijn and visiting Record Mirror reporter, Paula Yates); Montserrat (with Peter Saville and Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory); California; Egypt (with Japan’s Mick Karn); New York; Air Studios, London & Montserrat (feat. George Martin); on a Royal Mail aeroplane with Spandau Ballet, as well as Steve Strange on the set of Midge’s other band, Visages’ video shoot.
The results are a fascinating travelogue of a working musician, with a gift for capturing the naturalism of places and his subjects. Every photograph has been carefully scanned and re-touched from the original negatives to produce the images in their glorious best and every element of this book will be produced to the highest specification.
The hardback, 240-page in a picture frame will be published by Ure on November 18.
