Old Enough to Forget

The song "Fade to Grey" I always figured came out in the mid '80s, and it was one of those rare examples of a nearly perfect balance of new wave and techno elements. It wasn't until fairly recently that I found out this was actually recorded back in 1979 and released in 1980. I'm guessing the band waited just to have their album come out in the new decade. To add to my pile of trivia, both Midge Ure and Billy Currie would go on to join a resurrected Ultravox. Oddly though, Midge wasn't the front man here; it was Steve Strange who sang lead. I know I keep repeating myself when writing about this era of new wave, but I have always loved the integration of organic and synthesized instrumentation. The presence of acoustic drums along with early drum machines, and guitar and bass is a wonderful blending of two worlds. The results have always had more tension and energy than much of the later techno work that was to come. I can't say it isn't dated, but it h...