The Anvil (album)

Infobox Album
Name = The Anvil|

Type = Album
Artist = Visage


Released = March 1982
Recorded = Mayfair Studios, London, 1981
Genre = New Romantic
Length = 40:33
Label = Polygram Records
Producer = Midge Ure, Visage
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0ukxikz6bb59 link]
Last album = "Visage"
(1980)
This album = "The Anvil"
(1982)
Next album = "Fade to Grey - The Singles Collection"
(1983)

"The Anvil" is the second album from British New Romantic pop group Visage, released in March 1982. The album reached #6 in the UK and was certified "Silver" by the British Phonographic Industry in April 1982.

History

This album sparked a brief controversy at the time of its release for being named after New York's infamous gay club.

The only musician of the first album line-up that didn't participate in this album's recording was John McGeoch. McGeoch commented in an interview [http://shotbybothsides.com/zig_0284.htm] : "One time I was in Spain ["touring with Siouxsie and the Banshees"] at the same time as Visage were recording the second album in London. Rusty wanted me to put a guitar solo on something or other but I only had one day off and there was no way that I could fly home on my one day off. Rusty is not a man to be put off by such things and he was actually trying to put together a satellite linkup from Madrid to London for this one guitar part. Not surprisingly it didn't come off but I was sorry not to have been as involved on "The Anvil" as I had been on the first album".

"The Anvil" was also the last Visage project to feature Ultravox frontman Midge Ure who left the band after its release.

The original vinyl release of "The Anvil" came in an embossed/textured sleeve (considered as deluxe packaging for the time), and a limited number of copies came with a free poster of Steve Strange posing in front of a hotel with a number of models (the same models can be seen on the cover of the single "The Damned Don't Cry").

The album saw a re-release on the CD format in 1997 with bonus tracks, albeit odd ones, as they are tracks from the 1980 "Visage" era and not that of "The Anvil". For a long time, this was the only official CD version and was extremely rare, allegedly selling for hundreds of dollars over trading websites.

'The Anvil' was re-released on CD again on 17 March 2008, containing more bonus tracks and detailed liner notes.

Personnel

Visage members at the time of the album's recording were:
*Steve Strange - vocals
*Midge Ure - guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals
*Billy Currie - electric violin, synthesizer
*Rusty Egan - drums, electronic percussion, backing vocals
*Dave Formula - synthesizer

Guest musicians included:
*Barry Adamson - bass
*Gary Barnacle - saxophone
*Perry - backing vocals
*Lorraine - backing vocals

Track listing

Original release (Polydor): 28MM 0151

Side A
#"The Damned Don't Cry" – 4:43
#"Anvil (Night Club School)" – 4:39
#"Move Up" – 4:25
#"Night Train" – 4:29

Side B

5. "The Horseman" – 4:41
6. "Look What They've Done" – 4:49
7. "Again We Love" – 4:44
8. "Wild Life" – 4:24
9. "Whispers" – 5:39

* "Anvil (Night Club School)" is known as "The Anvil" elsewhere, including various compilation albums and singles.

Credits:

* Tracks 1-9 and 12-14 by Strange/Ure/Currie/Egan/Formula.
* Tracks 10 and 15 by Strange/Ure/Currie/Egan/McGeoch/Formula.
* Track 11 by Strange/Ure/Currie/Egan/McGeoch/Formula/Adamson.

Singles

# "The Damned Don't Cry" – 3:55 (Jan. 1982) UK #11
# "Night Train" – 4:02 (Jun. 1982) UK #12

References

* [http://shotbybothsides.com/zig_0284.htm John McGeoch interview on ZigZag magazine, February, 1984 as reproduced in the 'Shot by Both Sides' site.]

Media

This section includes music samples of B-sides composed by Visage during this album period: