Berlin (band)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Berlin
General information
Genre (s) New wave
founding 1979, 1999
resolution 1988
Website www.berlinpage.com
Founding members
Terri Nunn (1979, 1981–1988)
John Crawford (1979-1987)
Keyboard, guitar
David Diamond (1982-1984)
Current occupation
singing
Terri Nunn (since 1999)
guitar
Carlton Bost (since 2004)
Drums
Chris Olivas (since 2000)
Keyboard
Dave Schulz (since 2009)
former members
singing
Toni Childs (1979)
singing
Virginia Macolino (1980)
Rod Learned (1979–1982)
Drums
Rob Brill (1982-1987)
guitar
Ric Olsen (1982-1984)
Keyboard
Matt Reid (1982-1985)
Keyboard
Mitchell Sigman (2002-2009)

Berlin is a Californian pop band that was founded in 1979 by John Crawford and Terri Nunn under the influence of the group Blondie and the synthesizer pioneers Kraftwerk and Ultravox .

Berlin celebrated its greatest commercial success in 1986 with the song Take My Breath Away from the soundtrack of the movie Top Gun . Other hits were The Metro , later covered by +44 , System of a Down and the Alkaline Trio , and No More Words .

In 1988 the group separated. It was not until 1999 that Terri Nunn re-formed the band with other musicians.

Band history

1979–1980: beginnings

Berlin was founded as a new wave band in 1979 when John Crawford answered an ad from singer Terri Nunn. Already in the founding year Nunn got out because she wanted to devote herself to her acting career. She was initially replaced by Toni Childs , but after only one month Childs cleared the place for Virginia Macolino. The band's first single, A Matter of Time , was released in 1980 on the band's own label, Zone H Records.

1981–1985: Brief separation and first chart successes

In 1981 the band split, only to reunite a few months later with the returned Nunn. Alongside Mötley Crüe, Berlin was the first band to be signed by Enigma Records. There - after the label Geffen Records had rejected a contract with the group - the EP Pleasure Victim was released in 1982 , which sold 25,000 times within a month. Geffen Records then bought the rights to the work and re-released it in 1983. A gold record was the result. This work contains the early hits Sex (I'm a…) and The Metro .

In 1984 the album Love Life produced by Giorgio Moroder was released. The album reached number 28 in the US charts, the single No More Words came to number 23.

1986–1987: breakthrough

In the summer of 1986 Berlin achieved their greatest commercial success with the Oscar- winning Top Gun Love theme Take My Breath Away , also produced by Moroder : The song topped the charts in several important music markets. Contrary to expectations, the following album, Count Three and Pray, turned out to be significantly less successful. In 1988 the group separated.

1988–1998: Dissolution and solo projects

Bandleader Crawford and drummer Brill formed the group The Big F, which released the album Is in 1993 . Crawford also played two solo albums. Terri Nunn released the solo album Moment of Truth in 1991 .

Since 1999: Various comeback attempts

In 1999 Terri Nunn put together a new line-up, with which she has since released two studio albums and several live records. On the first of the studio albums, Voyeur , Billy Corgan was involved in the songwriting of the song Sacred and Profane .

A reunion took place in 2004 when VH1 reunited the members from the 1980s for a concert as part of the Bands Reunited series . In 2005 Berlin released a cover version of the Prince song Erotic City (1984) on their album 4play . In September 2013 the album Animal was released with the new keyboardist Dave Schulz.

Discography

Albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US US
1983 Pleasure Victim - - - - US30th
platinum
platinum

(34 weeks)US
First published: November 1982
1984 Love life - - - - US28
gold
gold

(30 weeks)US
First published: September 1984
1986 Count Three & Pray DE61 (3 weeks)
DE
- - UK32
silver
silver

(11 weeks)UK
US61 (20 weeks)
US
First published: October 1986

More albums

  • 1980: information
  • 2000: Live: Sacred and Profane
  • 2002: voyeur
  • 2005: 4play
  • 2009: All the Way In (with Terri Nunn )
  • 2013: Animal
  • 2019: Transcendance

Compilations

  • 1987: Dancing in Berlin
  • 1988: Best of Berlin 1979–1988 (US:goldgold)
  • 1997: Master Series
  • 2000: The Greatest Hits Remixed
  • 2004: Metro Greatest Hits
  • 2009: Greatest Hits

EPs

  • 1999: Fall into Heaven
  • 1999: Fall into Heaven 2

Singles

year Title
album
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US US
1983 Sex (I'm a ...)
Pleasure Victim
- - - - US62 (7 weeks)
US
First published: February 1983
The Metro
Pleasure Victim
- - - - US58 (10 weeks)
US
First published: April 1983
Masquerade
Pleasure Victim
- - - - US82 (3 weeks)
US
First published: September 1983
1984 No More Words
Love Life
- - - - US23 (17 weeks)
US
First published: February 1984
Now It's My Turn
Love Life
- - - - US74 (4 weeks)
US
First published: June 1984
1986 Take My Breath Away
Count Three & Pray
DE3 (18 weeks)
DE
AT4 (14 weeks)
AT
CH2 (14 weeks)
CH
UK1
gold
gold

(30 weeks)UK
US1 (21 weeks)
US
First published: June 1986
Like Flames
Count Three & Pray
DE36 (12 weeks)
DE
- - UK47 (3 weeks)
UK
US82 (5 weeks)
US
First published: October 1986
1987 You Don't Know
Count Three & Pray
- - - UK39 (10 weeks)
UK
-
First published: December 1986

More singles

  • 1979: A Matter of Time
  • 1980: Fascination
  • 1982: Pleasure Victim
  • 1984: Dancing in Berlin
  • 1984: Selections from Love Life
  • 1986: Pink and Velvet
  • 2003: With a Touch

Video albums

  • 1984: Berlin (VHS)
  • 1987: Wam Bam, Live in Japan (Laserdisc)
  • 2003: Intimate (DVD)

Awards for music sales

Note: Awards in countries from the chart tables or chart boxes can be found in these.

Country / Region Silver record icon.svg silver Gold record icon.svg gold Platinum record icon.svg platinum Sales swell
Awards for music sales
(country / region, awards, sales, sources)
United States (RIAA) United States (RIAA) 0! S.- Gold record icon.svg 2 × gold2 Platinum record icon.svg platinum1 2,000,000 riaa.com
United Kingdom (BPI) United Kingdom (BPI) Silver record icon.svg silver1 Gold record icon.svg gold1 0! P- 460,000 bpi.co.uk
All in all Silver record icon.svg silver1 Gold record icon.svg 3 × gold3 Platinum record icon.svg platinum1

swell

  1. Facts and Works
  2. a b Chart sources: Singles Albums UK Billboard 200
  3. ^ The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .

Web links