Ultravox - Vienna

Huge in the UK and Europe and relatively unknown in the U.S., Ultravox were an influential band that helped lay the foundation for synth pop.  The group formed in London in 1973, and was originally called Tiger Lilly.  The name was changed to Ultravox! when the act signed with Island Records in 1976, and the ! was dropped a few years later.

For all practical purposes, there were two versions of the band.  From the early days until 1979, Ultravox was led by John Foxx, and had an artsy synth-rock sound (to my ear, the sound is in the same genre as Devo).  Foxx left in '79 to start a solo career, and was replaced by Midge Ure, who pushed the band's sound in a lush, artistic direction.

The revitalized Ultravox would go on the have significant success in the 1980s in the UK, with 5 top 10 LPs and 16 top 40 singles, led by "Vienna," which hit #2 on the UK charts.  However, they made barely a ripple in the U.S., where only one album broke the top 100, and no singles reached the top 40.

I don't recall seeing the video on my favorite video music channel, but it is quite strong, especially for an early clip. Influenced by the 1949 movie The Third Man (which takes place in Vienna),  it was mostly shot in London, primarily at Covent Garden.  Interestingly, the band paid for the video, as their label at the time (Chrysalis) didn't think it was worth it.  [How things would change a few years later.]

As previously mentioned, Ultravox was successful through the eighties in Europe - and Midge Ure even co-wrote "Do They Know It's Christmas."  However, artistic difference led the Ure leaving the band in 1988, and the group broke up a few years later.  They did re-form (with Ure) in 2008, and played until 2017, but appear to have disbanded for a second time as of this writing.

Cool trivia fact "Vienna" was the 135th video played on MTV's first day.