Customer Reviews

The Berlin Tapes

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Iva Davies goes back to cover some of obscure songs of the artists that he emulated in the early days of Icehouse. In this effort he bends these songs to his own unique style instead of being bent by them, and does a tasty job of rearranging them. This is not a rock and roll album per se. The tunes are generally mellow, subdued, and create a sexy blue mood. Notable components of these compositions is the use of a cello in place of a bass guitar, and melodic piano lines. Iva provides incredible vocals, rich and clear.

Included are tunes by David Bowie, the Talking Heads, Roxy Music, Frank Sinatra, Killing Joke, the Psychodelic Furs and The Velvet Underground. The renditions of Bowie's "Loving the Alien" and David Byrne's "Heaven" brought tears to my eyes. I put this album in my car CD player and listened to it over and over for 2 weeks when I first got it. There's a lot there and I recommend it.

I was introduced to this disc by a friend over a year ago. Since then it has become more treasured than my MOFi disc of Pink Floyd's "Meddle". It is the most emotional, delicate music I've ever had the pleasure to listen to. I am a regular theater goer and I enjoy the sound of a full scale symphony orchestra going from loud to soft in a half second. It raises the hair on the back of your neck. The spacious-ness at the symphony is so much part of the music. The atmosphere is real not projected. Never has a CD given me this feeling before, until the Berlin Tapes. I do have the advantage of a audiophile approved Hi-Fi rig but so do all my other 1000 CDs. This disc puts you 10th row center at the Berlin ballet. Iva is standing front and center with dancers behind him. The orchestra creating a liquid pool of sound. The atmosphere is all here folks. Listen to it and just appreciate the sound.

I recently bought this CD, and it's the only one I've been listening to since I first put it in my computer. It has an awesome ensemble of tracks, and my favorites are Heaven, Love Like Blood, At Night, and All Tomorrow's Parties. This collection is different than what Iva Davies has done in the past, since this is a compilation of remakes, but his arrangement of these songs makes it worth listening to. If you're a true Icehouse fan, this is one CD you can't be without!

First of all..I bought this well recorded Japanese import for a total of [price] dollars(shipping included)..yes thats correct ! ...this is a great cd for the older crowds.I highly recommend ! Beautiful music and Icehouse scores again in my book.I have been a fan since 1981

This is a truly great soundtrack... if you ever get the chance to see the show life make the effort as it is worth it.

Iva Davies does it again.

Now the lead singer, song writer from the famous band Icehouse, guides our minds and souls to a journey through time, giving us special out of the box, undusted rock classics from the new wave of the seveties.
Classics like "Belin" from Lou Reed, find their soul match with a song from Frank Sinatra.
David Bowie, Taking Heads and other classic are perform with a master voice from Davies. He gives each performance a reason to beleive, a reason to exist, a reason to be heard again.

Knowing the Icehouse discography this CD comes as one of the best works from the group, a work that has every inch of details in its notes, arrange, mix, recording and selecction of songs.

Iva Davies does it again. Literally. He keeps surprising me with outstanding material every time.

REVIEW FROM 2001: It's too bad Icehouse never found the following they had in the rest of the world. This makes for an interesting addition to their discography. Moody, accoustic versions of songs originally done by new wave and progressive bands. For the most part, it works very well. Althgouh it's hard to take Talking Heads "Heaven" as seriously as they might want us to, Roxy Music's "Really Good Time" and Bowie's "Heroes" have an certain honesty behind them. Even PIL's "Disappointed" still rocks unplugged. Definetely recommended. NOTE: Since this review, the album has been remastered with bonus tracks. The new version is more recommended & is available on Amazon...

Icehouse never made a big splash and was often regarded as a one hit wonder in the US with "Crazy" and a few minor hits like "No Promises" and "Cross The Border". The Berlin Tapes attempts to illustrate Ira Davies and the band's influences from the early days by doing mostly accoustic versions from bands they grew up with. Some are surprisingly successful (PIL's "Disappointed", Roxy Music's "Really Good Time", The Cure's "At Night", Simple Minds "Let There Be Love"), other's just leave you scratching your head (Talking Heads "Heaven", Bowie's "Heores"). Fortunetely the album hits more than misses, and the remastering is a noticable improvement. If you're looking for an innovative album to chill to, especially as it's a midpriced disc, you'll enjoy this album.