More like Bits and Pieces than Very Best
olivermcp | Phoenix, AZ USA | 11/01/2000
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This album is more of a Bits & Pieces collection from the first two Midge Ure solo records. I would have saved the "Very Best of..." title for another release since it contains no material from "Pure" or "Breathe". However, for the true fan it contains some hard-to-find material such as a live version of "The Chieftain/Dancer" and "Fade to Grey" which originally appeared on the "Wasteland" 12" single. Also a live version of "Strange Brew" is included which is more of a novelty than a "Best of" track, and "Textures" (an obscure instrumental from the B-Side of "After A Fashion" is no where near the best Midge has produced. It's interesting but seems out of place. Basically someone at EMI took Midge's early solo single releases and their B-sides, put them together in a "Studio Tracks" and "Live Tracks" order and released them as an album. Most of the tracks such as "If I Was", "Call of the Wild", "After A Fashion", "No Regrets", etc. have already been featured on "If I Was: The Best of Midge Ure & Ultravox." Again this album is worth it to the true fan for the few songs that haven't previously been released on Compact Disc. As a "true" fan I can appreciate this release even if it isn't quite The Very Best of Midge Ure."