"Curiously, ‘Vienna’ was almost never released as a single. It was the title track of the band’s fourth studio album, released in 1980, where it precedes the much dancier and uptempo floor filler ‘All Stood Still’. The record company, Chrysalis, didn’t want to release ‘Vienna’ as a single. Too long, too slow, too atypical of the Ultravox ‘brand’, one suspects. But Ultravox themselves saw its potential, and they were proved to be right. It very nearly topped the UK charts when it was released in early 1981, and would have given the band their only number one single if it hadn’t been for Joe Dolce’s deathless classic ‘Shaddup You Face’."
It does lend itself to the old Cossack dance! I will always know it from 1981 cos my Dad had a ‘chartbusters’ k-tel type album with it on
Apparently Midge Ure originally wrote "This means tuppence to me! This means tuppence to me!" etc. Their manager thought tuppence was a bit arbitrary, so Ure rewrote it as "This means thruppence to me!" and so on. But they all agreed 'thruppence' was ridiculous; thus did they settle on "This means nothing to me!"
In my role of devil's advocate, I feel I should mention Midge Ure's presence in the wider British consciousness began as a member of Slik, trying to grab a piece of the Bay City Rollers market. At the least hint of Slik back then I put my fingers in my ears and went "La La La!" very loudly, while turning round and spitting; so while ultimately they seemed, to me, to fail, it might be they were actually a success in making a bit of seed money. What you get sucking music industry cock.
My “Boomerang wont come back”, and “Please Mr Custer” by Charlie Drake, “Don’t jump off the roof Dad” Tommy Cooper, their masterpieces, why aren’t there more comedy records made these days ?
Communist Italians as if?? Never knew Midge Yuuurgh was in Bay City Rollers? Shangalang. Apparentley Midge claimed to have wrote "Fade to Grey" and Steve Strange one pinched it. I still fancy the Belgian girl in the video though!
