Formed in 1976 as The Toys, by founding members John Crawford (bass guitar), Dan Van Patten (drums), Chris Ruiz-Velasco (guitar), and Tyson A. Cobb (vocals) and later becoming Berlin, the group would amass an audience of New Wave fans across the globe through their heavily sexualize lyrics and stage persona. This in part was due to lead singer Terri Nunn, and John Crawford having a very public relationship which was the jumping point for a lot of their material. Through the ups and downs of their love lives, these points in time served to inspire songs of love, passion, and anger.
Nunn would ultimately replace both Cobb, and Toni Childs, who spent a brief period as the lead singer of the band, but leading up to their debut album, 1980's Information, would actually leave the band to pursue an acting career. Virginia Macolino would take lead vocals for their first album. However, with the departure of Nunn, record labels which initially showed interest suddenly were not. This led to Berlin breaking up.
After a brief period, Nunn would express interest in rejoining, and the group was somewhat reformed, and released the one-off single, Tell Me Why / The Metro. Crawford was working with a new band, Fahrenheit, and wasn't invested in a long term project with Berlin. However, when The Metro became a success, the group signed to Enigma Records, with the proceeds from the single helping to fund their first EP, Pleasure Victim.
The album would feature their next hit, Sex (I'm a ...), which was promptly banned by many radio stations. The band didn't seem to care much, as the song was intentionally written with the intentions of being played on stations which specialized in broadcasting songs others wouldn't.
Geffen Records would sign the band, and would re-release their EP along with their next record, 1984's Love Life. The album featured hard hitting producers, Mike Howlett, Giorgio Moroder, and Richie Zito, but despite this, failed among critics initially. The group's biggest success would ultimately come from New Zealand, where the album ranked number three.
As I played through the album, I actually found it to be rather enjoyable. I ended up grabbing the first three tracks, When We Make Love, Touch, and Beg, Steal Or Borrow, for my shuffle list. However, for me, it was No More Words, which I picked it up for, and which probably stands out the most on the entire record.
The CD version includes two additional tracks which were not included on the original LP release, Fall, and Lost In The Crowd. While it's great to get a couple more tunes, these really don't make or break, or ultimately add anything to it as a whole.
Overall, though, I enjoyed Love Life. If I didn't already own the band's discography from 1982 to 1986, it would definitely hype me up to get dig further. Though, I may eventually get around to giving their debut a chance, despite not having Nunn on it.
Berlin would go on to release their 1986 album, Count Three & Pray, which would include their most successful single, Take My Breath Away, as also featured in the film, Top Gun. Despite its success, the band would be split by it. Being written by Giorgio Moroder, many didn't feel the song represented Berlin, and with it becoming so popular, would also serve to anger the members who now felt forced to perform it. Though certainly not the final nail in the coffin, it was just one more which would lead to the band disbanding.
Things only got worse from there when Nunn purchased the rights to the band's name, and informed founding member Crawford that if he wanted to perform as Berlin that he would in essence be working for him. Nunn would go on to release Berlin albums on her own in 2002 (Voyeur), and 2005 (4Play).
It would take VH1, with their show, Bands Reunited, to finally bring the classic lineup back together for a reunion and one-off concert. While the entire band would reunite and play together, not all of them stuck around for the long haul or future albums, 2013's Animal, 2019's Transcendence, and 2020's Strings Attached.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS March 20, 1982 |
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