I have a complicated relationship with Berlin: When my brother brought their "Pleasure Victim" EP home from college, I fell in love with "The Metro." (I was a pretentious New Wave suburban teenager who also dreamed of world travel to foreign capitals, so how could I not?) And while "Sex (I'm a)" was memorable if not embarrassing, "Masquerade" was also pretty infectious. Then "No More Words" -- which I might have liked -- rubbed me the wrong way because it was virtually the same music Giorgio Moroder had written for Debbie Harry's solo comeback (“Rush Rush") the year before ... only it got way more attention, with Terri Nunn's reverse ombre and its fun Bonnie and Clyde video. But a couple years later "Take My Breath Away" pretty much stripped them of any credibility -- Martha Davis and the Motels recorded a demo but reportedly had the good sense to turn it down -- and the decades that followed saw Terri touring with none of the original band members, rendering Berlin a place I no longer wanted to visit. Still, I love a good '80s reunion. So seeing her back together with John Crawford and David Diamond -- they're releasing a new album, "Transcendance," on Friday -- was enough to get my nostalgia juices flowing to share this.
P.S. It helped that I recently saw Terri be treating like a piece of garbage on an episode of "James at 15" called "Girl With a Bad Reputation"! (She also auditioned with Harrison Ford to play Princess Leia!)
2 comments:
Such a complicated relationship you have had with Berlin!
I loved everything from ‘Pleasure Victim.’ ‘Love Life’ was a mixed bag. And then...
‘Take Your Breath Away’ was great... at first. Then, like ‘Thriller,’ the over-play killed it for me.
I do adore Terri!
I did not know about her on ‘James at 15.’ Lance Kerwin was an early crush!!
About 15 years ago, VH1 had a show called "Bands Reunited", which brought together members of mainly 80s bands that had broken up long ago, like A Flock of Seagulls and Dramarama. (I remember actually tearing up during a particularly touching moment during the Romeo Void segment).
Time can be unkind, especially if you live a musician's lifestyle.
Seeing people you remember from their peak physical beauty when they were in their 20s after a couple of decades have passed can be a melancholy event.
And then there was the Berlin episode. The male Berliners looked pretty good, allowing for the effects of time and gravity. But Terri Nunn...
My god! She was drop-dead gorgeous! She looked like she'd never aged a day, and was hotter and more beautiful than ever.
PS The reunited band played "The Metro" and "No More Words". Geat show.
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