Search - Berlin :: Love Life

Polished second album for Berlin

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 02/21/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Love Life finds Berlin honing their brand of upbeat synth New Wave into something more polished, and it's an improvement, although there aren't any songs that are risque as their notorious single from Pleasure Victim.The raciest song by far is the leading one, "When We Make Love," from the POV of a stripper or performer in a risque act, or maybe a starlet in a triple-X movie. If it's the latter, that's quite a twist, as she labels the viewer as her fantasy. I detect influences from Blondie's "Atomic" here.The extramarital affair on "Touch" tells it from the woman's POV, where she learns that her date's married, and asks him if he'll remember her, only not to hear from him. The casualness of the affair is given when she says "You can take me home and tear my clothes off." The rapid-fire synths and blaring guitar is something Quarterflash would appropriate on "Walking On Ice" on their Back Into Blue. One of the best songs here. A similar tempo and sound can be found on "Pictures Of You""Beg, Steal Or Borrow" is notable for having a synth rhythm which may have been taken from "Boogie Shoes" with a rhythm guitar like "Every Breath you Take."Another standout tune comes with "Now It's My Turn." What does Nunn have to say about a lover who's deserted here: "Now it's my turn/You hurt me then/I'll never let you hurt me again." A further warning to the perpetrator: "Don't think you'll get away/The pain has just begun." This was included on their greatest hits album.Giorgio Moroder's association with Berlin began here, as he and Richie Zito produced two songs. The first is "Dancing In Berlin" on the divisions between mysterious Communist East Berlin and open and free-spirited West Berlin, including the line "Please, there's no wall in front of you." The other is the Top 30 single "No More Words" featuring a funky bass synth backbeat while louder keyboards and electric guitars snarl. The concept of all words but no action backing those words leads to the title being sung, followed by "you're telling me you love me while you're looking away." Nunn sings of "looking for a long romance/not a picture of passion or one time chance." "Rumor Of Love" is notable in its being sung by one of the male members of the band, and his delivery along with the rhythm section makes this like a Cars song.The shakiness of people in love is behind the bittersweet and cynical "For All Tomorrow's Lies." Although the song extols pairs to stay together as one, but things aren't that easy: "They tell you 'try to have hope.'/And fight for all you can/these words, you've heard them before/so easy to believe." The version included on their greatest hits is a ballad remix that matches the gloominess of the song, and not the upbeat synth version here."Fall" is a low-tempo number of coming alive in love. The guitars here echo the sound Berlin would encompass in Count Three And Pray. The frantic, giddy tempo of "Lost In The Crowd" rounds out the album and it rivals the tempo of "Touch." It too, has the same hard guitar of "Fall" while remaining true to its New Wave sound.The definitive Berlin sound is demonstrated here, with the last two songs a hint of things to come. Before that, Berlin would emulate Genesis, read "And then there were three." Guitarists Dave Diamond and Ric Olsen would leave, as would keyboardist Matt Reid leaving behind original members Terri Nunn and John bassist/synth-man Crawford, and Robert Brill (drums). All they had to was count three and...pray."

Berlin's Best

James Choma | 02/03/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After seeing Berlin on VH1's "Band's Reunited," I had to dig through my old tapes to see what I had on this great band. As it turns out, I had "Pleasure Victim" and this album, "Love Life." I put on "Love Life" and was amazed at how good the music still sounded. It's hard for me to believe this album and its predecesor were released 20+ years ago; it still sounds fresh! And Terri Nunn's voice... man, I was reminded what a great voice she had. On every song, from the pop hits ("No More Words") to the ballads ("Fall), her voice is picture perfect. Speaking of "Fall," I'd have to say this has become my favorite song on the album. It's not a song that many people single out on this album, but I feel it deserves merit. John Crawford's lyrics flow like poetry when sung by Terri Nun:"Colors all around;
Smile, cry, then laugh out loud
Feel the autumn breeze
Come alive..."But now I see it's out of print??!! C'mon. Well, at least there are some good deals on Amazon.com out there as far as used CDs are concerned. If you've never heard Berlin before, this is a good album to start out with. You'll get hits like "No More Words," "For All Tomorrow's Lies," "Dancing in Berlin," and "When We Make Love," as well as hidden gems like "Fall." Whether you're in an 80's mood or just want something "new" to listen to, this is a great place to start."

I love the '80s

Erica Anderson | Minneapolis, MN | 01/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having been a product of the '80s, I will always have a soft spot for the music that came out of that decade. Well most of it anyways. I grew up on new wave music. Unknowingly, I was getting my first taste of music that influence the goth scene by such bands like Depeche Mode and Erasure. Another favorite new wave band that I have always adored is Berlin. I loathed that treacly ballad that Terri Nunn and the gang did for the "Top Gun" soundtrack but otherwise I loved their brand of synth-pop. "No More Words" is by far my favorite song of theirs. I can never tire listening to that particular song. Although it is in dire need of a remastering job, "Love Life" still holds up quite well twenty years later. It is one of my personal favorite new wave albums. The songs are just incredibly catchy, especially on tracks like "Beg, Steal, or Borrow" and "When We Make Love". Think Depeche Mode with female vocals. Yeah some of the lyrics are corny but I still love them. Gotta love the '80s for all the cheesiness that it produced."