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Measure for Measure (album)

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Measure for Measure
Australian cover
Studio album by
Icehouse
Released21 April 1986 (1986-04-21)
RecordedAugust 1985
Studio
Genre
Length51:55
LabelRegular
Producer
Icehouse chronology
Boxes
(1985) 		Measure for Measure
(1986) 		Man of Colours
(1987)
Singles from Measure for Measure
  1. "No Promises"
    Released: 28 October 1985[1]
  2. "Baby, You're So Strange"
    Released: 10 March 1986
  3. "Mr. Big"
    Released: 16 June 1986
  4. "Cross the Border"
    Released: 20 October 1986
  5. "Paradise"
    Released: 1986 (US and UK only)
Alternative cover
US cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

Measure for Measure is the fourth studio album by the Australian rock/synth-pop band Icehouse, released on 21 April 1986 in Australia by Regular Records and in the United States by Chrysalis Records. It was one of the first three albums to be recorded entirely digitally.[3]

Recording

Frontman Iva Davies said the album was the first time he had worked with producers he could "get on with" and also the first time they had a surplus of songs to choose from. "We've actually got more songs than we'll ever be able to use. It's very strange. It's created problems because they've all turned out really well and I'm loath to give anything away."[4] "No Promises" and "Regular Boys" are re-recorded tracks that were originally from Boxes (1985).

Release and critical reception

The album, which peaked at number eight in Australia,[5] features the singles "No Promises", "Baby, You're So Strange", "Mr. Big", "Cross the Border" and "Paradise". "No Promises" had been released as a 7-inch vinyl single in October 1985, it peaked at number 30 on the Australian singles chart.[5] It was used for the Boxes ballet created by Icehouse members Iva Davies and Robert Kretschmer together with Sydney Dance Company's choreographer Graeme Murphy, Davies and Kretschmer performed the score with guest percussionist Masaki Tanazawa.[6]

Both "No Promises" and "Cross the Border" were remixed and released as 12-inch singles, and while a major US pop hit would elude them until the following year, "No Promises" went Top 10 on both the Billboard Rock tracks and Dance/Club charts.[7] "Cross the Border" did not see as much club play in the US, but was a Top 20 rock hit there.[7] In Australia, the two further singles lifted from the album, "Baby, You're So Strange" and "Mr. Big", both reached the top 20,[5] higher than the Australian chartings of the singles which achieved international success. "Paradise" was released as a late 1986 US/UK single but achieved no notable chart success in either market.

There are various versions of this album; the Australian and American releases each feature different artwork and track running order while the 2002 Australian remastered version features bonus tracks.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Iva Davies and Robert Kretschmer, except where noted

Australian release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Paradise"Iva Davies4:47
2."No Promises" 4:40
3."Mr Big" 3:33
4."Angel Street" 4:46
5."The Flame"Davies5:11
6."Regular Boys" 3:30
7."Cross the Border" 4:25
8."Spanish Gold"Davies4:17
9."Lucky Me" aka "American Way" 4:38
10."Baby, You're So Strange" 3:59
1993 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Too Late Now"Davies3:11
12."Into the Wild" 4:53
2002 remastered reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Just a Word" 4:26
14."The Perfect Crime"
3:38
15."The Flame" (live)Davies5:26
16."No Promises" 5:25
17."Sister" (live)
  • Davies
  • Michael Hoste
3:48
25.Untitled (live)  
American release
No.TitleLength
1."No Promises" 
2."Cross the Border" 
3."Spanish Gold" 
4."Paradise" 
5."The Flame" 
6."Regular Boys" 
7."Mr. Big" 
8."Angel Street" 
9."Lucky Me" 
10."Baby, You're So Strange" 
11."Too Late Now" 
12."Into the Wild" 

Personnel

Credited to:[8][9]

Icehouse

Additional musicians

  • Brian Eno – backing vocals, piano, keyboards
  • Stuart Gordon – strings
  • Maurice Green – backing vocals
  • Gasper Lawal – percussion
  • David Lord – keyboards, string arrangement, percussion
  • Shena Power – female voices
  • Glen Tommey – percussion

Recording

  • Engineer – Rhett Davies, David Lord, Andy Lyden, Iva Davies, Warne Livesey
    • Assistant – George Shilling, Matt Howe
  • Mastering – Paul Ibbotson
  • Mixing – David Hemmings, Warne Livesey, Glen Tommey
    • Assistant – Raine Shine
  • Producer – Rhett Davies (2,3,4,7,10,11,12), David Lord (1,4,6,8,9)
  • Digital remastering (2002) – Iva Davies, Ryan Scott

Artwork

  • Brett Cabot – Cover Photography
  • David McKenzie – Artwork

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Measure for Measure
Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[16] Gold 7,500^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Singles: New Releases". Kent Music Report. No. 590. 28 October 1985 – via Imgur.
  2. ^ AllMusic review
  3. ^ "Artist: Icehouse". Warner Music Australia. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
  4. ^ David Rowley (January 1986). "What's in the Box, Iva?". Countdown Magazine. No. 30.
  5. ^ a b c d Kent 1993, p. 147.
  6. ^ McFarlane, Ian (1999). Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop (doc). Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
  7. ^ a b "Billboard Music Charts – Search Results – Icehouse". Billboard. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  8. ^ "Measure for Measure (bonus tracks) credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 July 2008.
  9. ^ Holmgren, Magnus. "The Flowers / Icehouse". Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Icehouse – Measure for Measure" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  11. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Icehouse – Measure for Measure" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Charts.nz – Icehouse – Measure for Measure". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Icehouse Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  14. ^ Kent 1993, p. 438.
  15. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1986". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  16. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Icehouse – Measure for Measure". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 18 October 2021.[dead link‍]

Bibliography

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