Breathe (Midge Ure album)
Breathe, is the fourth solo album by former Ultravox frontman Midge Ure. The album was released 25 March 1996 in Continental Europe, 20 May in the U.K. and 18 June in the U.S. It was produced by the American producer Richard Feldman. The recording of the album was already finished in early 1995, but the release was postponed by the record company.[1] The recording took place in various studios in Dublin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and in Ure's own studio in Bath. Ure first recorded some of the tracks with producer Julian Mendelsohn, but they were later re-recorded.[2]
| Breathe | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1996 | |||
| Label | BMG | |||
| Producer | Richard Feldman | |||
| Midge Ure chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1998 the single "Breathe" became a hit-single in several European countries, boosted by its use in a Swatch TV advert campaign, two years after its original release.[1] The single charted at No.1 both at the Italian and the Austrian charts, No.10 in Spain and No.12 in Germany.[3][4] "Guns And Arrows" and "Fields Of Fire" were also released as singles.
The album offer a rich mixture of musical influences inspired by Ure's own Scottish background. With The Chieftains Paddy Moloney on Uilleann pipes and Hothouse Flowers Liam Ó Maonlaí on Bodhrán, Didgeridoo and Gaelic vocals, tracks like "Fallen Angel", "Sinnerman" and "Live Forever" pulse with the organic vibrancy that Ure had long wanted to capture.
Ure called "Breathe": "More of a Midge Ure album than any other album I´ve done." "In a way", he adds, "Breathe is a much more honest and open record". Ure traces the origins of "Breathe" to a U.S. Tour he did with other songwriters in 1992. Once the other songwriters convinced him to try playing "Vienna" on acoustic guitar, Ure realized he could make music without the wealth of electronics or other musicians backing him up. "That turned my whole perception of what I was doing musically", he says.[5]
Track listing
1,5,10 & 11: written by Ure / 2 & 6: Ure, Feldman / 3: Ure, Feldman, Bazilian / 4: Ure, Feldman, Klein / 7 & 9: Ure, Mitchell / 8: Ure, Feldman, Shipley
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Breathe" | 4:28 |
| 2. | "Fields Of Fire" | 4:31 |
| 3. | "Fallen Angel" | 3:53 |
| 4. | "Free" | 4:42 |
| 5. | "Guns And Arrows" | 4:44 |
| 6. | "Lay My Body Down" | 3:58 |
| 7. | "Sinnerman" | 3:38 |
| 8. | "Live Forever" | 4:20 |
| 9. | "Trail Of Tears" | 3:38 |
| 10. | "May Your Good Lord" | 4:04 |
| 11. | "The Maker" | 4:45 |
Personnel
- Midge Ure - Vocals, acoustic guitar
- Soundcape Guitar (on tracks 5 and 11) – Robert Fripp
- Double Violin, Vocals (on track 8) – L.Shankar
- Mandolin, Melodica – Eric Bazilian
- Vocals (on track 5) – Sally Dworsky
- Uilleann Bagpipes – Paddy Moloney
- Backing Vocals – Jackie Sheridan, Kate Stephenson, Monalisa Young, Matthew Hager, Maxaynne Lewis
- Gaelic Vocals, Backing Vocals – Eleanor McEvoy
- Fiddle – Frank Gallagher
- Hurdy Gurdy, Harmonium – Ethan James
- Accordion – Frank McNamara, Pat Crowley
- Bodhrán, Didgeridoo, Vocals [Celtic] – Liam O'Maonlai
- Guitar – Dean Parks
- Bass Guitar – Larry Klein, Jeremy Meehan
- Drums – David Palmer, Andy Kravitz,
- Cello – Ofra Harnoy
- Celtic Harp – Noreen O'Donoghue
- Percussion - Mike Fisher, Iki Levy
- Programming, Keyboards, Percussion – Richard Feldman
- Keyboards - Charles Judge, Jamie Muhulrick
References
- "Interview".
- "Extreme Voice Fanzine 14".
- "Chart".
- "homeland".
- Blond, Susan (April 19, 1996). "Midge Ures Breathe Catches Celtic Folk Spirit". Breathe Press Kit.
- Liner Notes