Initially, the band was comprised of Steve Strange, Rusty Egan and Midge Ure (also previously of The Rich Kids). Also in there, and credited as a co-writer of FADE TO GREY was Chris Payne,a member of Gary Numan's band. The trio recorded a demo which included a cover of the Zager and Evans hit "In the Year 2525". Ultravox's multi-instrumentalist Billy Currie and the core of post-punk band Magazine – bassist Barry Adamson, guitarist John McGeoch, and keyboardist Dave Formula – joined the studio-only band later. Visage signed to Radar Records and released their first single, "Tar" (which was originally composed whilst Strange was in The Photons), in September of 1979. The single failed to chart, but the band managed to secure a deal with a larger record company, Polydor, the following year.
1980 saw the release of their second single, "Fade to Grey". The single became a huge hit (making the top ten in the UK and topping the chart in several other countries) and was quickly followed by the release of their self-titled debut album which was also a chart success.
After further Top 40 hits with "Mind of a Toy" and the title track "Visage", Strange struggled to reunite the band's members again to record a second album because of their commitments with their respective bands (Ure and Currie with Ultravox; Formula and Adamson with Magazine; and McGeoch with Siouxsie and the Banshees). However, in the autumn of 1981 all musicians (except McGeoch) went into the studio again and recorded The Anvil. The album was released in March of 1982 and became Visage's first (and only) UK top ten album, producing two top twenty singles with "The Damned Don't Cry" and "Night Train". The Anvil earned Silver disc status in the UK, as did the band's first album.
Following this, Ure left the band to concentrate on his work with Ultravox, who were by now becoming even more successful than Visage were. Creative differences with Strange were also cited as reasons for his departure at the time. Visage, now without Ure and Adamson but with the addition of bassist Steve Barnacle, recorded the stand-alone single "Pleasure Boys", which was released in October of 1982. Unfortunately, the single failed to prolong their string of hits and peaked just outside the UK top 40.
Although still recording, Visage then took a two year hiatus from releasing any new material due to contractual difficulties.
With their contractual problems resolved, 1984 saw the return of Visage for what would become their third album and final released for many years. Beat Boy was released in September of 1984 but was a critical and commercial failure, peaking at #79 in the UK. Two singles from the album, "Love Glove" and "Beat Boy", also failed to make the UK top 40. By this time, Billy Currie and Dave Formula had also departed the band (though they received a "special thanks" credit on the album sleeve for their input), leaving only Strange and Egan from the original line-up along with newer musicians Steve and Gary Barnacle and Andy Barnett. A decision to make Visage a live band instead of a strictly studio-based project also failed to meet with success and the band subsequently split in 1985. Their final release was a Visage VHS video compilation of the band's renowned promotional videos and also included footage of Strange's trip to North Africa the year before. The compilation does not, however, include the original video for the "Love Glove" single which was filmed at a late-night Dockland location in London in 1984.
Following the demise of Visage, Strange then formed the short-lived band Strange Cruise. They released one album in 1986, though this too proved unsuccessful. Visage returned to the charts once more when a Bassheads remix of "Fade to Grey" was a UK Top 40 hit in 1993.
In 2004 Steve Strange reformed Visage with an entirely new line-up. The line-up included Steven Young, Sandrine Gouriou and Rosie Harris from Seize and Ross Tregenza from Jetstream Lovers/Goteki. The new line-up released the track "Diary Of A Madman" in 2007, written by Strange and Tregenza.
Strange released another album using the moniker Visage in 2013 called "Hearts and Knieves.
In December 2014, Visage released Orchestral, a mostly live album containing twelve Visage songs remade with a Czech symphony orchestra.
On 12 February 2015 Steve Strange died due to heart attack while visiting Egypt, He died at 55.
There is another band that use the same name:
2) Visage (ヴィサージュ) was a Japanese visual kei band, who was signed to the Undercode VK label.
Pleasure Boys
Visage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's nothing I can tell you
But that's something for me to know
And something for you to do
Put yourself in my position
Think about it everyday
Give you solid facts, I want to hear the words
You know my situation
The reality is true
But it's leisure time for the pleasure boys
And the pleasure boys are you
? Leisure and conversation
All the boys are on the phone
Pleasure and relaxation
Everyone for everyone
Put yourself in my position
Think about it everyday
Give you solid facts, I want to hear the words
I want to hear what you have to say
You know my situation
The reality is true
But it's leisure time for the pleasure boys
And the pleasure boys are you
You know!
This is a fun house
Some say a mad house
It's leisure, pleasure
And the boys are out the front
"Pleasure Boys" is a song by British new wave band Visage. The lyrics of the song describe the singer's situation, urging the listener to put themselves in their position and consider their situation. The singer asks for solid facts and wants to hear the words from the listener. The chorus repeats the line "But it's leisure time for the pleasure boys, and the pleasure boys are you," suggesting that the listener is a "pleasure boy" and is part of a group of boys who enjoy leisure and pleasure.
The song seems to be about the youth culture of the time, particularly the hedonistic lifestyle of young men who enjoyed their free time and lived for pleasure. The lyrics also seem to suggest a sense of dissatisfaction and a desire for something more, perhaps implying that there is more to life than just pleasurable leisure time.
The song's upbeat and catchy melody, along with its memorable chorus, helped make it a hit for Visage in the UK. It also became a club classic in the US, where it was remixed by various DJs and played in underground clubs.
Line by Line Meaning
I really don't know much better
I don't have any superior knowledge
There's nothing I can tell you
I can't give you any advice
But that's something for me to know
But there are things that I keep to myself
And something for you to do
And things for you to figure out
Put yourself in my position
Imagine yourself in my circumstances
Think about it everyday
Consider it thoroughly every day
Give you solid facts, I want to hear the words
Present you with reliable information, I want to hear your response
I want to hear what you have to say
I am interested in your opinion
You know my situation
You understand my predicament
The reality is true
The situation is real
But it's leisure time for the pleasure boys
However, it's free time for those who seek pleasure
And the pleasure boys are you
And that would be you
Leisure and conversation
Unhurried time with others talking
All the boys are on the phone
All the young men are on the phone
Pleasure and relaxation
Satisfaction and calmness
Everyone for everyone
All for one and one for all
You know!
You get it!
This is a fun house
This is an enjoyable place
Some say a mad house
Others say it's crazy here
It's leisure, pleasure
It's all about carefree enjoyment
And the boys are out the front
And the young men are outside
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVE BARNACLE, BILLY CURRIE, RUSTY EGAN, STEVE STRANGE, DAVID TOMLINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tamyrhodes
I love Visage, Steve Strange!!!! essa música é d+!!!amoooo
totaltwit
This is cutting edge art/music. The Tube was superb, it fuelled a 1000 bands, fantastic times. As for doing that today, I think attitudes have changed. It is difficult to be that radical today where everything has been done before.
Chuck D
Of the few New Romantic Bands that existed in its brief heyday, Visage was probably the best! They had the perfect Futuristic sound!
Nick Sant Nicola Piacquadio
Visage....fantastic !! Rusty and Billy Currie were at least 10 years ahead of everyone in the global music scene... they were musical profits..... true futurist visionaries
areplica
One of the best Visage tracks..Ahead of times..
Shadowplay
This was heavily influenced by the underground NY dance scene, but with a european flair. Very precise and stark. A pity they didn't follow this direction and instead delievered the disastrous "rock" album Beat Boy.
CazMcbain
Absolutely fantastic, good memories of the 80's, I loved Steve Strange!
Brian Powell
Still have the vinyl. This song will be one of my faves til the day I drop dead.
Andrew JS
Those drums right at the end sounded more like late 80s than early 80s.
Xavier Wmz
A sweet perfume from New-wave we never hear on the radio!! 👍