Berlin - Pleasure Victim

Originally released by the fledgling Enigma Records in 1982 and picked up by Geffen in early 1983, Pleasure Victim is a great time capsule for fans of early 1980s Synth Pop & New Wave. The album's stand-outs would easily be the essential 80's New Wave singles "The Metro" with its rhythmic structure, "Masquerade" with Terri Nunn's sensual and soaring vocals, and the lascivious novelty single "Sex (I'm A...)”. Much of the attention surrounding Berlin was elicited by their provocative vocalist Terri Nunn, as well as the lyrics for the first single "Sex (I'm A…)", which plays like a modernist update of Donna Summer's "Love To Love You Baby". The other four songs (not to mention the tiresome eight-minute remix of "Sex" on the CD version) are much weaker. Surprisingly though, for a record that was completely unfashionable within months of its initial release, Pleasure Victim actually has more to offer than many might remember.
However, Pleasure Victim is frankly an exploitative slab of synth pop cynicism, so boldly crass in its positioning of lead singer Terri Nunn as a sex kitten, and lyrically obsessed with the seedy side of the Los Angeles demimonde that criticism of such becomes nearly beside the point. Lyrical obsessions aside, Pleasure Victim actually holds up quite well as a piece of early-'80s Synth Pop, with the gimmicky and atmospheric "The Metro," the one song where Nunn's limited vocal abilities are put to their best use.
The exploitation nature of Berlin’s songs keeps this from being essential, but then, Pleasure Victim is very much a product of its time.

Berlin - The Metro 7”

Any fan of new wave should already be familiar with Berlin, the Los Angeles based band led by Terri Nun and John Crawford. If you are unfamiliar with the band, please direct your attention here. While it’s their later ballads and more commercial wave tracks that seem to be remembered, it’s prudent to note that the band’s first few releases were fantastic and rare entries to the US minimal synth scene. Information, the band’s first LP released only in Germany, was the closest thing to Ultravox in the west coast scene, while songs like “The Metro” and “Sex (I’m A)” from 1982’s Pleasure Victim were fast paced, sexually driven synth tracks that still remain classics to date.

Berlin = ベルリン* – Dancing In Berlin = ダンシング・イン・ベルリン

A bit of a mixed bag this time from the beat combo called Berlin. As an obvious post for this lil blog, I present the follow on from T’Girls and Teri Nunn with a Teri Nunn featurette. Released for the Japanese market in 1987 this is a collection of extended versions and re-mixes. There really isn’t much to say this time except that if you find yourself yearning for an old girlfriend, you know, the one who broke your heart when you were in collage/university, then Teri Nunn is a fantastic replacement who you can keep as your screen saver for those special days when you need a lift in your undercarriage. The ultimate siren of the 80’s hanging onto your arm as you walk slowly, so everyone can see you, down to buy some bread n milk from the 7-11 on the corner. Destiny is calling you all to a higher place, male or female and all deviants in-between, Teri is the woman for that special minute in your life, if you can last that long…