''Pure'', released 16 September 1991, is the third solo album by former
Ultravox
Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...
frontman
Midge Ure. It was the first release by Ure with a new record label
BMG-Arista. The first single "Cold Cold Heart" reached number 17 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in August 1991. "I See Hope in the Morning Light" and "Let It Go?" were also released as singles. The album has a blend of ethnic rhythms and clean
album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock.
Album-orien ...
pop, pervaded by catchy hooks.
Background
It took Midge Ure two years to hammer together the material for ''Pure'', both at his home studio in London and in the basement in his house on the Caribbean island of
Montserrat, once he cleared away the damage wrought by the passing of
Hurricane Hugo.
The album opens with "I See Hope in the Morning Light", a mixture of African rhythms and a gospel choir coupled with Uilliean pipes played by Paddy Moloney.
"I See Hope in the Morning Light'", was written about the possible release of
Nelson Mandela, and recorded as a celebration. Ure said: ''"I hit a block and didn't finish the song until way after his release. That's the way it happens sometimes."''
The song "Tumbling Down" was inspired by the fall of the
Berlin Wall 1989.
Midge Ure filmed the promo-videos to "Cold, Cold Heart" and "I See Hope" in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
.
Midge explained 1991:
"Let it Go?" question the idea of personal responsibility in the face of the worlds mountain of problems. Midge explained 1991:
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ure except 1 & 8 : Ure/Danny Mitchell, 6 & 10: Ure/Mitchell/Katherine Stephenson
Personnel
*Midge Ure - Vocals, guitars, keyboards
*Bass – Jeremy Meehan (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6 to 10),
Steve Brzezicki (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 10, 11)
*Drums –
Mark Brzezicki
Mark Michael Brzezicki ( , ; born 21 June 1957) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for the Scottish rock band Big Country. He has also played with the Cult, Ultravox, From the Jam, Procol Harum, Rick Astley, the Crazy World of ...
(tracks: 1, 3, 7 to 9, 11),
Simon Phillips (tracks: 5, 6, 10)
*Keyboards – Robbie Kilgore (tracks: 1, 3, 6 to 11)
*Percussion – Steve Williams (tracks: 4, 7, 8)
*Uilleann pipes and Tin Whistle -
Paddy Moloney
Paddy Moloney ( ga, Pádraig Ó Maoldomhnaigh; 1 August 1938 – 12 October 2021) was an Irish musician, composer, and record producer. He co-founded and led the Irish musical group the Chieftains, playing on all of their 44 albums. He was part ...
(track 1)
*Background vocals (track 1) - Chris Ballin, Gwen Dupree, Michael McCloud, Phil Gannon, Ricci P. Washington, Sheylah Cuffy, Sylvia Mason-James, Vicki St James
*Background vocals (track 5) - Angie Brown, Jackie Sheridan, Kate Stephenson, Sheylah Cuffy
*Background vocals (track 10) - Jackie Sheridan, Kate Stephenson
*Co-producer and engineer – Rik Walton
*Design, Illustration – Una Fagan
References
External links
AllMusic
{{Authority control
1991 albums
Midge Ure albums
Albums produced by Midge Ure