Berlin - The Best Of Berlin: 20th Century Masters - Millennium Collection

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Free Music Notes for The Best Of Berlin: 20th Century Masters - Millennium Collection

Free Music Review: Best of Berlin contains all essential hits
Hit: 5 Stars

The new song "Blowin' Sky High," more in the hard-edged mode of their Count Three And Pray album, is a bitter song about two powers at war: "My weapon won't fail when the button's pressed-dynamite" and "I don't like you and you don't like me." Terri really belts it out towards the end along with Jimmy Z's harmonica. The song ends like it begins, with a quiet sober guitar.

"No More Words", on an insincere love that's on its way out, sports a funky bass synth backbeat while louder keyboards and electric guitars snarl. It can't be sincere if "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." [Love Life]

The guitar that roars throughout the powerful "Like Flames" signals the hard rock sound producer Bob Ezrin used when he produced KISS. There's a generally defeatist downbeat feel in the lyrics: "We can't defeat it/like flames reaching out from the sun" and "Heaven's died and gone to Hell." One of their best songs. [Count Three And Pray]

The immortal "Take My Breath Away" with that memorable throbbing bass keyboard, was their only #1 single and began life on the Top Gun soundtrack. Another favourite. [Count Three And Pray]

Then comes their most notorious song and the one that gave them a record deal--the dance floor synth exercise of "Sex (I'm A...)" resplendent in its new wave synth glory. How many things follows the words "I'm a", e.g. teaser, virgin, one night stand? More than enough, including some of the racier ones. [Pleasure Victim]

The danceable "Now It's My Turn" has a simple message with the chorus: "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." [Love Life]

As fast as "Sex" but with a higher-pitched synthesizer is "Masquerade," of the unrewarding city night-life and night clubs particularly. The backbeat synth is the same pitch as Kim Wilde's "Kids In America." Guitar chords lace this song throughout. [Pleasure Victim]

Three Japanese instruments, the biwa (lute) shakuhachi (vertical bamboo flute), and koto (long zither) found their way on the ballad "You Don't Know."

"The Metro", also from Pleasure Victim, is in the same vein as "Masquerade", with the fast-paced synthesizer mimicking the effect of a subway train zipping through the underground.

"Will I Ever Understand You" from Count Three And Pray has the same harder-edged sound like "Like Flames."

The version of "For All Tomorrow's Lies" is a slower ballad version instead of the original on Love Life and makes it a more sobering number. I like this one better. The message: "Stay close and live as one/Through rain and darkened skies/You have the love you need/for all tomorrow's lies."

The songs serve as a retrospective of Berlin's eight year career. Terri Nunn would release a much-ignored solo album, Moment Of Truth, in 1991, and Berlin would be hired to do cover songs on various tribute albums, an ignominious function after their contribution, but this compilation at least gives them their due.

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