The first two solo albums by former Ultravox frontman Midge Ure — 1985’s The Gift and 1988’s Answers to Nothing — are set to be reissued next month in expanded 2CD editions, each featuring digitally remastered versions of the original album and a full contingent of B-sides, 12-inch mixes and live tracks, some of which are previously unreleased.
Both sets are due out Oct. 4 in the U.K., and to sweeten the deal for longtime fans, British outlet Townsend Records is throwing in “an exclusive artwork print” with each of the reissues, and each order will be entered into a drawing to win one of 200 signed prints — and one actual meet-and-greet with Ure himself.
Ure’s first solo album, The Gift, released while he was still in Ultravox and featuring the U.K. No. 1 single “If I Was” (see video below), comes with a 15-track bonus disc featuring the B-sides of the album’s three singles and the non-album single “Call of the Wild,” plus an extended mix of “That Certain Smile” previously only available on a promo single and unreleased live versions of “That Certain Smile” and “The Gift.”
Answers to Nothing, issued after Ultravox’s breakup and bearing the U.S. modern-rock radio staple “Dear God” (see video below) — which in no way can be confused with the XTC classic, of course — also features a 15-track bonus disc loaded up with the B-sides to that album’s two singles, plus five unreleased tracks: “Music #2,” presumably a companion to the “Dear God” B-side “Music #1,” plus “work in progress” mixes of “Sister and Brother,” “Answers to Nothing” and “Just for You.”
See full tracklists for Midge Ure’s reissues and music videos after the jump…
Tracklist: Midge Ure, The Gift
DISC 1: ORIGINAL ALBUM
1. “If I Was”
2. “When The Winds Blow”
3. “Living The Past”
4. “That Certain Smile”
5. “The Gift”
6. “Antilles”
7. “Wastelands”
8. “Edo”
9. “The Chieftain”
10. “She Cried”
11. “The Gift (Reprise)”
DISC 2: BONUS MATERIAL
1. “No Regrets”
2. “Mood Music”
3. “If I Was” (Extended Mix)
4. “Piano”
5. “The Man Who Sold The World”
6. “That Certain Smile” (Extended Mix) *
7. “The Gift” (Instrumental)
8. “Fade To Grey” (Live)
9. “Wastelands” (Extended Mix)
10. “When The Winds Blow” (Live)
11. “After A Fashion” (Live)
12. “The Chieftain/The Dancer” (Live)
13. “Call Of The Wild” (Extended Mix)
14. “That Certain Smile” (Live) **
15. “The Gift” (Live) **
* Previously available on promo-only release
** Previously unreleased
Tracklist: Midge Ure, Answers to Nothing
DISC 1: ORIGINAL ALBUM
1. “Answers To Nothing”
2. “Take Me Home”
3. “Sister And Brother”
4. “Dear God”
5. “The Leaving (So Long)”
6. “Just For You”
7. “Hell To Heaven”
8. “Lied”
9. “Homeland”
10. “Remembrance Day”
DISC 2: BONUS MATERIAL
1. “Answers To Nothing” (Extended Version)
2. “Honorare”
3. “Oboe”
4. “Dear God” (Extended Version)
5. “Music #1”
6. “Sister And Brother” (Alternate Single Edit)
7. “All Fall Down” (Live)
8. “Strange Brew” (Live)
9. “Dear God” (Live)
10. “Just For You” (Live)
11. “Sister And Brother” (Work In Progress Mix: No Vocals) *
12. “Music #2” *
13. “Answers To Nothing” (Work In Progress Mix) *
14. “Just For You” (Work In Progress Mix) *
15. “Sister And Brother” (Work In Progress Mix: With Vocals) *
* Previously unreleased
