Billy Currie with Steve Howe - Transportation (1988)

From 1980–86, Ultravox released seven top 10 albums, including a live album and a "greatest hits" compilation and featured in Live Aid in Wembley Stadium on 13 July 1985. During the last days of the band, there were tensions between Currie and Ure. With an underwhelming response to their 1986 album U-Vox, the band effectively disintegrated. In 1988, Currie put out an instrumental solo album Transportation, released on the IRS NoSpeak record label. Steve Howe played guitar on some of the tracks.

This is my first solo album and was a fantastic experience! I had overseen the building of my own studio in the converted basement flat of my house in Notting Hill Gate and was ready to now do my own thing. I didn't just rush into it, because I felt I first needed to make music with some musicians who had a different angle on things (this was in 1987 when Ultravox had just disintegrated). I wrote and recorded three songs (I will release this stuff later on an album of unreleased music from that period) with the keyboard player Toby Anderson and percussionist Kadir Guirey. Toby worked in the band Curiosity Killed the Cat and both worked in Funkapoliton. One of the songs had vocals by Helena Ferrari, (she later sang on Traveller from my solo album) another of the songs called HOUSE, which was as it says - House Music (the new thing in 1987). This was dance music moving very fast and repetitive. The third song was called High Concentration - a very happy, funky song with Helena on vocals. The two differing keyboard styles and harmonic leanings of Toby's and mine began to start working well together. The third song was a very bluesy song called God Damn It's True sung by a guy called David Ogilvy. As well as being emotional and soulful it had a chorus that made you want to tune - in and sing along. Again the combination of mine and Toby's keyboard playing and Kadirs percussion really made an interesting fusion, Romantic Funk YEAH!!!!!
I need to inform you of this preparatory stage so you can see how the tracks like Perfect Flight, Traveller, Over-Soul, from my album, came into being.Tekapo Blue, one of the tracks that Toby and I did together, did not end up on the album. Listening to it now, I really do not know why. ~ Billy Currie







Track Listing

01. Airlift (6:03)
02. Traveller (3:21)
03. Transportation (8:14)
04. Rakaia River (Mountains To Sea) (5:14)
05. India (5:28)
06. Perfect Flight (4:45)
07. Over-Soul (3:21)
08. English Home (4:55)

Produced by Billy Currie

Line-up

• Billy Currie (John Foxx, Tiger Lily, Ultravox, Visage, Steve Strange, Midge Ure, Dave Formula, Barry Adamson, Gary Numan, Tubeway Army, Phil Lynott, Humania, Sam Blue, Vinny Burns, Steve Howe) - Keyboards, Viola
• Steve Howe (Yes, Asia, GTR, Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe, Bodast, Tomorrow, The Syndicats, Explorer's Club) - Electric Guitar, Fretless Bass, Steel Guitar, Mandolin, Ukulele, Sitar Guitar, Stepp Synth Guitar, Spanish Guitar
• Toby Andersen - Rhythm Brass Synth, Marimba Synth
• Kadir Guirey - Percussion
• Mel Wesson - Synth Rhythm Sequencer, Programming
• Derek Forbes - Bass
• Ray McVeigh - Guitar
• Ray Weston - Drums
• Mickie Fiat - 5-string Fretless Bass
• Helena Ferrari - Vocals
• Luis Jardin - Percussion

Notes

Released as NO SPEAK series nr. 005





Many thanks to the original uploader: orbster

SEE also:
Midge Ure 2001 Rewind: The Greatest Hits Tour [DVD]