Midge Ure - Wastelands (Chrysalis)

Pretty heavy stuff here as our Midge unfolds some of the horrors of 1980's Britain. Now, normally with Midge Ure this means not finding the right size Yamomoto jacket, but this time it refers to some of Britain's urban "wastelands" and the miseries of living there. Starts with a solitary cello and builds itself into a crashing crescendo of every instrument they could find in the ruddy studio. (Simon Braithwaite, Smash Hits, February 12, 1986)

'The boy is listening to those records from the past. . . They are the voices of the faces on the wall. . . One day he even cut their names upon his skin, they mean that much to him'. . Will anyone ever cut Midge Ure's name on their skin? For ten years he's shown a remarkable gift of survival, being in most of the right places at the right time with Slik, Rich Kids, Ultravox, Band Aid . . . but he's never been the sort of pop star a fan could die for, despite his likeable personality, powerful music and ever-changing facial hair. In fact, of course, the likeability and facial hair have always worked against Midge's music. Nobody ever took him seriously like they did, say, Gary Numan (to whom facial hair and likeability are equal sins) - which is no doubt why Midge has lasted longer. No one felt let down when Midge stopped acting like a Viennese aristocrat (unlike Numan's fans, who ditched him the day they realised he wasn't a robot after all). Anyway, sometimes he makes jolly good records like "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes", and sometimes he doesn't. "Wastelands" is Midge at his most pompous, but as long as being a No.1 solo artist doesn't go to his head, fair enough. (Phil McNeill, No 1, February 8, 1986)