New Wave Outpost Forum

...BUT, it's not THAT Berlin. In the used vinyl store today I found an album by a band called Berlin, titled "Information" (no, the band is not called Information - the band IS called Berlin). 1980 release date. Pretty credible new wave, with synth (typical of that year). Even more interesting, they were a 5-member group with a female singer. NO, this is NOT the group we all know fronted by Teri Nunn!! The band members listed are totally different so I don't believe it's an early version of 'the' Berlin.

On the back cover the band members are dressed in very-circa-1980 new wave-styled clothing. From the info on the sleeve, I think they were from California, yet the release seems to be a German release (band member names were typical american-ish names). This has been killing me all day.

WHY have I never seen or heard of this group before? More importantly, do YOU have any %#@%$#@ing idea what I've come across here?? HELP!!

(I've already tried allmusic and only found the group we all know)...

Looks like an early incarnation of what would become the well known "Berlin". If it's anything like they put out in their first few releases it should be pretty good.

John Crawford (musician)
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John Crawford (born John Buckner Crawford on January 17, 1960) is a musician, singer and songwriter whose efforts with the band Berlin were an essential part of their rise to fame in the early 1980s. Crawford's career as a musician began in junior high after breaking his leg during a basketball game. In an attempt to fight off the boredom of being injured, he picked up a guitar and began taking lessons at a musical instrument retailer in nearby Fullerton, California, where his teacher put him in touch with future Berlin band members Dan Van Patten and Chris Velasco.

The three soon formed a band called The Toys with vocalist Ty Cobb at the helm. The band’s first performance was at a Sadie Hawkins dance at Crawford’s high school of the time. Crawford, Cobb and the others were influenced by then-current punk rockers like the Sex Pistols along with techno rockers Ultravox, though Crawford has cited KISS as an early influence as well. (top two paragraphs cited from Crawford's website, [1].)

After a name change to Berlin, Cobb was out and a string of vocalists ensued. In 1980 Berlin released Information on Zone H. Records with Virginia Macolino fronting the group. The band signed to I.R.S. records briefly in 1980, releasing the single A Matter of Time, before suddenly disbanding in 1981. (cited from [2] and [3])

Contents [hide]
1 The in-between days
2 Rising star
3 End of "the Berlin Era"
4 A Return to grace
5 Discography



[edit]
The in-between days
With Berlin on indefinite hiatus, Crawford set to work building up his bass chops with another Orange County, CA -based band, The Videos, and as a vocalist for Fahrenheit, a synthesizer pop quartet in the order of Depeche Mode and Ultravox, for which he also played occasional bass and acoustic guitar. Along with Van Patten as synthesist and drum machine programmer, Fahrenheit included Rich West (later of Stacey Q’s band) and Keith Walsh, both on synths as well.

Sometime around the formation of Fahrenheit in late 1981, the Los Angeles-based independent label M.A.O. Records released a new Berlin single, featuring the songs The Metro and Tell Me Why, with Terri Nunn on vocals. It wasn’t until 1982’s Pleasure Victim, however, that Crawford’s music gained the audience it deserved. Crawford had a hand in penning all of the disc’s songs except for Masquerade, a song written by guitarist Chris Ruiz-Velasco.

Crawford attributes the album’s themes of love gone wrong to post-adolescent heartache. Whatever the case may be, the formula seemed to work, with the platinum-selling Pleasure Victim becoming the most successful independent EP ever released, at least for a while. (this section from author's personal knowledge

http://www.berlinpage.com/albums.html

Scroll all the way down. Look familiar?


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Ha! Thanks so much for the information!! I was wr-wr-wrong, it is indeed an early version of "the" Berlin. I never knew they had anything out prior to the ep w/ "Sex", "metro", etc....very cool!

Wow, I didn't know that either, aside from this one and "Voyeur" I have all their stuff. Does anyone know if "Voyeur" is any good?

On a similar note, I also have a vinyl by a band that I'm pretty sure isn't the band people think of when they hear the name. It's "The Box" and the album is "Living Colour" (not sure about the British spelling, but I'm pretty sure it is.) I'm almost positive this is not the same "The Box" that came out of Canada and had the hit "Closer Together" but does anyone know for sure?

I'd really like to hear that first Berlin LP. One of my big regrets is passing it up in the used bin about 15 years ago. I think it had a price tag of $1.90.

I have the lp,it's really great! Picked it up recently,and was very curious of what this mysterious band was.At first seemed like a german band,but now i'm sure about them.It has a killer synthi attack all over the album(at times seems like punk rock)under some darky-not very loud vocals.

heh, I stumbled across this today at the record store, $1.99, looks like it has never been played! Pretty cool.

Should I still go in to work tomorrow or have I stumbled upon my ticket to retirement?