Berlin - Biography
BY Scott Feemster
Berlin is a band that will be forever identified with the early 1980s when the band was led by Terri Nunn and the their version of synth-pop was at its most popular. Unlike many of their synth-pop contemporaries, Berlin didn’t hail from the U.K. or Europe, but rather from Orange County – a heavily suburban area south of Los Angeles.
Bassist/keyboardist John Crawford and keyboardist/guitarist David Diamond had played in different bands in the Orange County area in the late 1970s. Both Crawford and Diamond became enamored with the synthesizer-based pop and rock that was coming out of Europe around that time, especially bands such as Kraftwerk and the John Foxx-fronted Ultravox. The two met singer and actress Terri Nunn, and together they founded Berlin in 1978. The three wanted to combine the Euro-cool synthesizers and electronic percussion sound with Nunn’s blonde bombshell, sex kitten stage persona. The group – along with other founding members Dan Van Patten on drums and synthesizers, Chris Ruiz-Velasco on guitar, and Rod Learned on drums – played some shows in Orange County and Los Angeles before they came to the attention of I.R.S. Records, who signed them to a limited recording deal in 1980. Before the album was recorded, however, Nunn left the band to pursue her acting career (she appeared on several television shows during that era, including Lou Grant and T.J. Hooker, appeared in the movie Thank God It’s Friday, and even tried out for the role of “Princess Leia” in Star Wars) and was replaced by vocalist Virginia Macolino. Berlin released the single “A Matter of Time” in 1980 and released their debut album, Information (I.R.S.), that same year. The single got limited play in some new wave dance clubs, but generally the album fell on deaf ears and didn’t sell well at all.
Berlin was dropped from their contract with I.R.S., but regrouped once Nunn returned in 1981. With Nunn back in the band, the group realized that they should promote her sexy image and crafted new songs with that in mind. Berlin soon signed to Enigma Records (which later morphed into Restless Records) and released Pleasure Victim in 1982. Tracks from the album, including “The Metro” and “Masquerade,” got some airplay on new wave radio stations like KROQ in Los Angeles and in the dance clubs, but it was the provocative single “Sex (I’m A...)” that got the band noticed and became their first hit single.
Soon after the release of Pleasure Victim, Van Patten, Ruiz-Velasco, and Learned left the band, and were replaced by guitarist Ric Olsen, keyboardist Matt Reid, and drummer Rob Brill. The group toured heavily in support of the album, and made appearances on new wave dance shows and even at theme parks. Pleasure Victim did so well, that distribution for the album was picked up by Geffen Records and the band signed to the label in 1983. The group followed up with Love Life (Geffen) in 1984. Love Life basically used the same synthesizer-heavy formula as Pleasure Victim, though it was obvious that the band had more lush production values, helped on two songs by famed music producer Giorgio Moroder. The group scored another minor hit with the single “No More Words,” but Love Life didn’t live up to the potential Geffen had seen for the band after the success of Pleasure Victim.
After touring in support of the album, Diamond, Olsen, and Reid all left the band, leaving just Crawford, Nunn, and Brill to carry on with the Berlin name. The remaining trio decided that a change of direction was in order and recruited noted rock producer Bob Ezrin to help them craft what would become their 1986 album Count Three & Pray (Geffen). The lead single off of the album, “Take My Breath Away,” was included on the soundtrack to the 1986 Tom Cruise vehicle Top Gun. “Take My Breath Away” became a number one hit in the US and other countries around the world, making it Berlin’s biggest hit. Though the song had the familiar synthesizer and keyboard sound listeners had come to expect from a Berlin song, the rest of Count Three & Pray was more guitar oriented than the group’s previous output, a definite change in sound for the band. Although the group scored their biggest hit of their career, the album failed to catch on with the music buying public and didn’t sell to the level of Pleasure Victim or Love Life. In 1987, the group broke up.
Nunn went on to a mostly unsuccessful solo career, while Crawford and Brill continued working together for a while in the group The Big F. After legal wrangling with Crawford, Nunn retained the rights to the Berlin name and constructed a new version of the band in 1999. The new version of Berlin – featuring Nunn, drummer/multi-instrumentalist Chris Olivas, guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Mitchell Sigman, and touring keyboardist Carlton Bost – toured in 1999 and recorded the live album Berlin Live: Sacred and Profane (Time Bomb), released in 2000. The album was a mix of new material and old Berlin favorites. Berlin continued writing new material, including co-authoring some tracks with the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, and released an album of all new material called Voyeur (Artist Direct) in 2002.
In 2003, most of the classic lineup of Berlin came together for the VH1 show Bands Reunited and played at The Roxy nightclub in Los Angeles. The show was a sold-out success and the Berlin reunion episode became one of Bands Reunited most popular episodes. Nunn has continued with her new version of Berlin, releasing 4Play (Majestic Recordings) in 2005, which features a mix of originals and cover versions of other artists’ songs.