Ultra Vivid Scene was formed in 1986 in New York by guitarist Kurt Ralske, who had previously played with Nothing but Happiness and Crash. Ralske wrote, produced and performed the band’s early releases, while bassist Richard Melville Hall-later known as Moby-joined for the single "Mercy Seat". The group’s debut EP She Screamed appeared in 1988 under 4AD, followed by the self‑titled album Ultra Vivid Scene the same year, which reached Number 14 on the UK Indie Chart. In 1990 the duo released the album Joy 1967‑1990 and the EP Staring At The Sun, and toured Europe and the United States; the single "Special One" featured Kim Deal of the Pixies. The 1992 release Rev saw a new lineup with drummer Julius Klepacz and bassist Jack Daley, and the album was later reissued by Columbia Records’ Chaos imprint. The band performed a brief U.S. tour in 1993 supporting the final EP Blood And Thunder before disbanding. Kurt Ralske continued solo work and production for artists such as Ivy and Charles Douglas, with his last known release Amor 0 + 01 in 2001; he has since focused on visual art. The band’s catalog remains a noted example of late 1980s and early 1990s alternative rock.
