From Electric Blue To Code Blue...And Beyond

In June 1987 Icehouse released the first single from their forthcoming album. ‘Crazy’ was about as far into commercial pop-rock territory as Icehouse had ventured thus far, and soon found the band venturing once more into the Australian top 10 singles chart (for the first time in almost five years), peaking at #4. ‘Crazy’ finally broke Icehouse on the U.S. Hot 100 charts (#14) and also reached a respectable #38 in Britain a few months later.

The follow up single ‘Electric Blue’ was released in August 1987 and immediately made an impact on the Australian charts. By November it had reached the coveted #1 position, becoming the only chart topper of Icehouse’s long career. ‘Electric Blue’ also went on to electrify the U.S. Hot 100 (#7), but only had enough charge in Britain to reach #53 in early 1988. The track was another catchy pop-rock number, co-written by Davies and John Oates (Oates had already visited the U.S. Top 10 an impressive fifteen times as part of the hugely popular pop-soul duo Hall & Oates, including six number ones). John Oates joined Icehouse on stage at an October ‘87 Madison Square Gardens show to perform ‘Electric Blue’ with the band. Shortly after ‘Electric Blue’ hit the Australian charts, Icehouse unveiled their landmark album ‘Man Of Colours’. It would represent the high watermark, both commercially and critically, for Davies and the band. It debuted on the Australian charts during September ‘87 and by October had reached the #1 spot. ‘Man Of Colours’ spent a mammoth eleven weeks at the summit, eventually selling a staggering 540,000+ in Australia alone. Only the second coming of John Farnham proved more popular on the Australian music scene than Icehouse during 1987/88. ‘Man Of Colours’ was Davies’ tour de force and showcased a songwriter and musician in total command of his craft. The album earned ‘Best Album’ and ‘Highest Selling Album’ gongs at the 1987 A.R.I.A.’s, and remains won of the all time biggest selling albums in Australia by an Australian artist. It reached #43 in the U.S. (mainly on the back of the hits ‘Crazy’ and ‘Electric Blue’) but didn’t paint quite the same picture of success in Britain (#93).

‘Man Of Colours’ yielded three other top thirty hits in Australia during the first half of 1988, with my favourite track ‘My Obsession’ (#12/US#88), the majestic ballad ‘Man Of Colours’ (#28) and the high energy ‘Nothing Too Serious’ (#29), achieving the honour of being the first Australian album to yield five top thirty singles on the local charts. By comparison 1989 was a relatively quiet year for Iva and the boys. A double album compilation titled ‘Great Southern Land’ was released late in the year (OZ#2), featuring two newly recorded tracks, which were both released as singles. ‘Touch The Fire’ was another strong pop-rock number (OZ#15/US#84) in late ‘89, and it was followed by ‘Jimmy Dean’ (OZ#41) in early 1990. During this period long time guitarist Robert Kretschmer left the band.

After reaching the apex of commercial and critical achievement in Australia with ‘Man Of Colours’, anything that Iva Davies and Icehouse released subsequently was a fair bet to suffer by comparison. Before work commenced on the band’s next album, keyboardist Andy Qunta left the fold, leaving Davies to be supported in the studio by Simon Lloyd, Paul Wheeler and Stephen Morgan, whilst Paul Gidea (guitar) and Roger Mason (keyboards) were later added for touring duties. The advance single was the slightly top heavy ‘Big Fun’ (#51) in August 1990, quickly followed by the more radio friendly ‘Miss Divine’ (OZ#17). The eagerly awaited album ‘Code Blue’ was revealed to the world in October 1990. It reflected a songwriter and performer, in Davies, who wasn’t afraid to push the stylistic envelope. But as good as ‘Code Blue’ was, and as a stand alone album it’s very, very good, it was never going to satisfy an appetite conditioned by the five star experience offered by its predecessor. Though ‘Code Blue’ reached #5 on the Australian charts, and sold in excess of 70,000, it was considered pale by comparison to the vibrancy of ‘Man Of Colours’. The third single ‘Anything Is Possible’ (#46) proved to contradict its title in early 1991, whilst my personal choice of best album track ‘River Meets The Sea’ sailed past the ‘port of chart’ shortly after. Davies apparently considered ‘Code Blue’ as the album he’d most like Icehouse to be remembered for. The title ‘Code Blue’ originates from something that Iva Davies came across whilst researching material for the song ‘Charlie’s Sky’ - it was used as a verbal code by pilots in the Royal Australian Air Force.

Iva Davies kept a low profile over the next couple of years, and the next official Icehouse material to be released was the compilation ‘Masterfile’ (OZ#25) on CD and video (of which I bought both at the time) in late 1992. ‘Masterfile’ covered the Flowers/Icehouse hits/singles from ‘Icehouse’ to ‘Measure For Measure’, with one new track included. A reworked version of the 1981 Icehouse hit ‘Love In Motion’ with Divinyls siren Chrissie Amphlett. The tempo was slowed right down with Davies’ original and Amphlett’s newly recorded vocals trading shots throughout. Apparently Iva Davies had no direct involvement with that recording, which was produced by Bill Laswell. I recall initially not really liking the reworked version , but over time I’ve come to actually prefer it to the original, though the 1992 release didn’t even crack the top 75.

By November 1993, it had seemed like an eternity since the last Icehouse album, and it had in fact been three years since ‘Code Blue’. With the album ‘Big Wheel’ Davies kick started Icehouse back into motion again. Accompanying him this time were Lloyd, Wheeler and guitarist David Chapman. Despite ‘Big Wheel’ being every bit as deserving of its place in the Icehouse discography, the album stiffed big time in commercial terms (not even cracking the top 40), with none of the three singles lifted - ‘Satellite’, ‘Spin One’, or ‘Big Wheel’ - troubling chart statisticians. It must have been a bitter pill for Iva Davies to swallow, having produced such a quality collection of songs, only to find the fickle record buying public had moved on to grunge and hip hop in place of finely crafted pop-rock. The ‘Big Wheel’ CD also reflected Iva Davies ongoing love affair with cutting edge computer technology, this time in the form of a limited edition run of the album featuring one of the first deal interactive computer disk/CD packages released in Australia. If you happened to own an Apple computer and loved Icehouse, you could access lyrics, album credits, animated graphics, artwork , a written history of Icehouse, complete discography and even the storyboard graphics for the ‘Satellite’ promo clip. All of that mightn’t sound special by today’s standards, but circa 1993 it was pretty special - sadly I didn’t own an Apple computer though, so have never seen first hand what was on offer.

During 1995 Iva Davies undertook another project with the Sydney Dance Company, this time recording an album of cover songs as the score for the ballet production of ‘Berlin’. The album release was simply titled ‘The Berlin Tapes’ - repackaged in 2004 as ‘Heroes’ to coincide with the Athens Olympic Games - and though under the Icehouse banner (well Iva Davies and Icehouse), it was essentially a solo project for Davies (collaborating with pianist Max Lambert). Almost twenty years into the Icehouse journey, Iva Davies returned to some of his formative influences for the choice of material, including David Bowie, Lou Reed and Roxy Music, supplemented by the work of several of Icehouse’s ‘new wave’ peers including Psychedelic Furs, The Cure, Killing Joke (Guy Pratt’s old band), XTC and Simple Minds. I have to confess I don’t own a copy of ‘The Berlin Tapes’ - that’s a definite oversight I’ll have to remedy one day. During the ballet’s season Iva Davies gathered together his Icehouse cohorts to perform the score at each show. In 1997 the double album ‘Full Circle’ contained remixes of some of Icehouse’s earlier hits. The album had been completed back in 1993 but shelved at the time, aside from a low key EP release titled ‘Spin One’, featuring the track ‘Shakin’ The Cage’.

As mentioned in my first Icehouse post, Iva Davies revisited the band’s anthemic 1982 hit ‘Great Southern Land’ during 1999 with Richard Tognetti and Christopher Gordon. The original five minute track was expanded into a forty minute mini-pop opera titled ‘The Ghost Of Time’ (a line from the original lyrics). It was released on CD, then on New Year’s Eve 1999 Davies performed ‘The Ghost Of Time’ live on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. The performance, which also featured former Icehouse bassist Guy Pratt and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, was broadcast live across Australia. During 2001 Iva Davies began work on a planned Icehouse album, with the working title ‘Bi-Polar Poems’. When the official Iva Davies-Icehouse website was launched in 2004 several tracks were made available for download, including ‘Chemicals’ and ‘Your God Not Mine’, but at time of writing the album is still a work in progress. In the intervening years Davies worked on digitally remastering the Icehouse back catalogue for re-release on Warner Music Australia, and composed/performed the soundtrack music for the 2005 motion picture ‘The Incredible Journey Of Mary Bryant’. During 2008 Iva Davies lent his expertise as a judge on the TV talent show ‘Battle Of The Choirs’. On the show’s finale Davies led Icehouse in a rare appearance, performing ‘Great Southern Land’.

Icehouse were officially attributed icon status on the Australian music scene when they were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall Of Fame in 2006. My own humble view is that next to Neil Finn, Iva Davies is the finest popular music composer that Australasia has produced, and the music that he channelled through Icehouse, in terms of its consistent quality, truly stands at the limit of endless ocean.

If, like me, you love the work of Iva Davies and Icehouse, I can highly recommend the website Spellbound’s Icehouse (from the same people behind the Icehouse fanzine ‘Spellbound’) - it has some great features and provides a much more comprehensive (and undoubtedly more accurate) take on all aspects in the careers of both Iva Davies and Icehouse. You’ll find it here: http://www.spellbound-icehouse.org/index.html

A Sidewalk Leads Cross The Border

Having already collaborated with director Russell Mulcahy on several Icehouse music videos, Iva Davies was invited by the director to compose the soundtrack music for his latest motion picture ‘Razorback’, which premiered in April ‘84. During this project Davies employed a valuable technical ally in the studio with his pioneering use of the Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instrument), which he would use more extensively on his band’s next venture. Over the same period the prolific Davies found time to pen and record the tracks for the new Icehouse album ‘Sidewalk’. The lead out single ‘Taking The Town’ was released in April ‘84 and soon after debuted on the Australian charts, eventually peaking at #29. The promo video (this time directed by Stephen Hopkins) was an elaborate production, featuring lots of wild stunt work on motorbikes and high wires (a bit like the Duran Duran ‘Wild Boys’ video meets ‘Mad Max’). In June ‘Sidewalk’ (produced solely by Davies) was released, and though not shifting the same number of units as its predecessors, still managed to stroll to #8 in Australia.

The follow up single was the evocatively brooding ballad ‘Don’t Believe Anymore’. I can recall listening to this lavishly produced song over and over in the dark, absorbing every tiny detail, submitting myself completely to its spell. Part of the appeal lay in the sublime saxophone over the intro and at key points throughout. The saxophone was played by one Joe Camilleri, who must have a had a free five minutes in between disbanding Jo Jo Zep and forming the Black Sorrows. I remember seeing Icehouse perform the song on Countdown, with Camilleri, and just being mesmerized by the whole thing. ‘Don’t Believe Anymore’ reached a middle of the road #31 on the Australian charts, but deserved so much better. The Whitlams recorded a cover of ‘Don’t Believe Anymore’ for their 2002 album ‘Torch The Moon’. Tim Freedman’s vocals gave the song a different feel but overall it was a creditable version which flirted with the lower reaches of the top forty. The third single from ‘Sidewalk’ was ‘Dusty Pages’ (OZ#82), released in late ’84, another brilliantly constructed song, from the opening crisp strum of Davies acoustic guitar (re-recorded for the more acoustically based single version of the song). The version of the promo vid I have (from the ‘Masterfile’ video) features Davies laid out in a coffin with rose petals slowly being dropped across his face until it’s fully covered by the end of the song. There was another version of the video, with the different tempo album cut, kicking around as well. In the latter part of 1984 Icehouse hit the road, touring Scandinavia and Japan, and in October performed on the ‘Behind The Iron Curtain’ show, broadcast to 80 million throughout Europe.

During 1985 the acclaimed Sydney Dance Company commissioned Iva Davies to compose the soundtrack for their ballet production ‘Boxes’. Davies duly obliged and recorded the soundtrack with the assistance of Icehouse guitarist Robert Kretschmer. Davies and Kretschmer both helped perform the music at the ballet’s premiere in November 1985 at the Sydney Opera House. The accompanying soundtrack album has apparently become quite the collector’s item.

Davies then refocussed on Icehouse for the band’s next album project, though some of the album’s inspiration (and material) crossed over from the ‘Boxes’ project. Davies also took a back seat on the production side of things on ‘Measure For Measure’ (co-produced by Rhett Davies - no relation - and David Lord-Alge), and guitarist Robert Kretschmer stepped forward to co-write most of the album’s songs with Davies. The advance single ‘No Promises’ had featured in the ‘Boxes’ project and was remixed for the new ‘Measure For Measure’ set. The atmospheric ‘No Promises’ debuted on the Australian charts in November ‘85 and reached a respectable #30. It became the first Icehouse/Flowers single to also chart in both the U.S. (#79) and U.K. (#72), and a remixed 12” version of the track reached the top 10 on the U.S. Dance/Club charts (that’s one version I’m glad I haven’t heard). ‘Measure For Measure’ debuted on the charts in April ‘86 and made a measured trek all the way to #8 by mid year (US#55). The second single ‘Baby, You’re So Strange’ (OZ#14) was released to coincide with this, the more guitar driven rock song also featured Davies delivering an unusually hard edged vocal performance. The promo vid is one of my favourite of this Icehouse age, and Davies had some fun playing around with his image (alternating between short haired straight laced look and a long maned rock star image). ‘Measure For Measure’ also yielded the hit singles ‘Mr. Big’ (OZ#18) and ‘Cross The Border’ (OZ#65), ensuring Icehouse maintained a presence on the airwaves and on the charts throughout 1986. The promo video for ‘Mr. Big’ featured an appearance from singer Carol Hitchcock (who had a hit with ‘Get Ready’ the following year, which coincidentally also reached #18 in Australia).

During this period, in the studio guitarist Robert Kretschmer was Davies’ right hand man, whilst bassist Guy Pratt and keyboardist Andy Qunta had stayed on since ‘Sidewalk’. The band roster for the ‘Measure For Measure’ sessions also featured Simon Lloyd (sax/ keyboards) and Steve Jensen (drums), whilst former Roxy Music member and Bowie collaborator Brian Eno guested on several tracks (keyboards and backing vocals). Joining Icehouse on the road were bassist Vito Portolesi (later replaced by Glen Krawezyk, later replaced again by Stephen Morgan) and drummer Paul Wheeler. During this period the band undertook extensive tours taking in Japan and the U.S.. On August 14th 1986 Icehouse performed at New York City’s Ritz Hotel, from which the video ‘Icehouse: Live at the Ritz’ was produced.

Despite the still consistent album sales and string of charting singles, there had been nothing earth shattering in commercial terms from Iva and the lads for sometime. All of that would change with the release of Icehouse’s next album in 1987.

Flowers Blossom Into Icehouse

Without doubt one of my all time favourite artists are the mercurial Australian pop-rock band Icehouse, led by the musical genius Iva Davies. From their very earliest incarnation as Flowers, through to the era during which the name Icehouse was ostensibly just a vehicle for the creative articulation of Davies, this brilliant pop-rock entity helped to shape the Australian music-scape for well over a decade. I was fortunate that same decade or more coincided with my own formative years, and from my very early teens through mid twenties, not a year went by without at least one Davies conceived gem providing a magical musical haven to retreat to, overtime cultivating a collective sensory oasis to be enveloped by. Only a handful of artists have done likewise for me thus far, among them the Beatles, Genesis, E.L.O., Stevie Wonder, the career work of Neil Finn, Brian Setzer and more recently Ben Folds. But the career and works of Iva Davies are perhaps less well known to some, so it’s time to use this little backwater of cyberspace to explore the world of Icehouse and pay due homage to the brilliance therein.

Iva Davies (born Ivor Davies in 1955) began his love affair with music as a teenager. He studied the oboe, of all things, at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music, going on to play in The ABC National Training Orchestra. Davies taught himself the guitar as a teenager and quickly became swept up by a passion for popular music, leading him to record and submit several demos to record labels in the mid 70s. RCA signed Davies to a record deal before his 20th birthday, and the one time oboe player released his debut single ‘Leading Lady’ in July 1975. The single was incorrectly credited to ‘Iva’ Davies at the time (I guess the name stuck), and in keeping with the current wave at the time, it was a glam rock style song. In fact Davies was quoted during this period as citing some of his major influences as Led Zeppelin, Marc Bolan, Elton John, George Harrison and David Bowie. The follow up single was another glam rock effort titled ‘Back To California’, this time credited to Iva Davies and Afghan. Neither single sold enough to chart, or even pay the bills, so Davies made a living during this period writing transcripts for music publishing companies, as well as working as a cleaner at a squash court. It’s as well Davies kept the candle burning on his dreams to become a fulltime musician, otherwise a prodigious talent may have gone to waste.

When the punk-new wave movement swept into Australia during 76/77, Davies saw an opportunity to reinvent his sound and image. He bought himself a Les Paul electric guitar and a black leather jacket, and via a chance meeting with bassist Keith Welsh (through Davies’ job as a cleaner) found himself fronting a hard edged Sydney based glamour-punk band calling themselves Flowers (they jokingly dubbed themselves this as a comic counterpoint to their rough and tough visual image). They started out playing well oiled cover versions of rock standards by T-Rex, Lou Reed and David Bowie, being referred to at times as a virtual ‘punk jukebox’. The first Flowers’ line-up comprised Davies (vocals/guitar), Adam Hall (keyboards), Welsh (bass) and Don Brown (drums). During 1979 John Lloyd (ex-Paul Kelly and the Dots) took over from Brown on drums, and Michael Hoste replaced Hall on keyboards. The quartet were soon touring the country in support of established acts like The Angels and Cold Chisel, and found themselves opening for the likes of British punk-pop/new wave acts XTC and Magazine.

It was during that period Iva Davies began introducing original material into the Flowers’ live shows, most of which he penned. In January 1980 Flowers were signed to the Regular label and began work on their debut album. About half way through the sessions Anthony Smith assumed keyboard duties in place of Michael Hoste. Smith was actually the original keyboardist under the pseudonym Adam Hall, but went under his own name during this stint. In May 1980 Flowers issued their debut single ‘Can’t Help Myself’. The darker toned guitar-synth pop fusion was a great match for the lyrics which dealt with the unsettling internal mindset of an obsessive character who “can’t put the brakes on”. The song didn’t apply its brakes until it had reached #10 on the Australian charts mid year. It promised much for Flowers, who would soon go on to deliver on that promise, and more. The follow up single ‘We Can Get Together’ was released a couple of months later and debuted on the Australian charts in early October 1980. It was another first rate synth/guitar driven pop-rock track, very atmospheric again - a trait that Davies would regularly employ to great effect. I loved John Lloyd’s drum track on this one, and Davies’ vocal style was really coming into its own. ‘We Can Get Together’ peaked at #16 on the Australian charts late in 1980.

Around the same time that ‘We Can Get Together’ was climbing the charts, Flowers released their debut album ‘Icehouse’ (co-produced by Davies and Cameron Allan). The title refers to an Australian slang term for an insane asylum. The dark and brooding title track certainly reflected the meaning behind its name (and had in part been inspired by an old mansion used for a related purpose that Davies lived a short distance from). The third single ‘Walls’ was released in early 1981 and is my favourite track from the album, well second to favourite. ‘Walls’ also performed well on the charts (#20), helping to further propel the album ‘Icehouse’ up the Australian charts where it reached a peak position of #4 (US#82), going on to sell over 100,000 copies. Flowers were firmly planted alongside INXS as the next big thing on the Australian music scene. In March ‘81 they received the Countdown Award for ‘Best New Talent’ of 1980. The album also yielded the single ‘Sister’, which is my favourite track, though I’m not certain as to the release date (couldn‘t find it on any discographies) - I do recall it being released as a single because Flowers appeared on Countdown performing it (I know I’ve got an old video copy of that show I taped from when it was repeated on ABC’s Rage - but I haven’t got a lot of my old Countdown’s catalogued so haven’t found it yet to get a date).

Following their enormous success at home Flowers were signed up to an international distribution deal with Chrysalis. Due to legal restrictions they were forced to dispense with the name Flowers for their international releases (there was apparently another band by that name in Scotland). I guess they figured since their album was titled ‘Icehouse’ that would be a good choice to go with, and they may as well change their name at home to avoid confusion later on. And so during 1981 Flowers bloomed into Icehouse - actually the last time the band performed under the Flowers’ moniker was at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney during June ’81 (with the new Icehouse name announced to the audience at the end of the show). The single ‘We Can Get Together’ was released in both the U.K. and U.S., and did in fact reach #62 in the U.S., but Icehouse would have to wait a few years to break through in a big way Stateside. The band set off on an extensive European and North American tour during July ‘81 (including opening for Simple Minds), during which time the first fractures started to appear in the newly evolved house of ice. During the initial stages of recording their follow up album, a major split occurred in Icehouse, out of which bassist Keith Welsh and keyboardist Anthony Smith would depart for good (Welsh went on to manage both Do Re Mi and Boom Crash Opera - see future posts). Out of those early album sessions (recorded in London) was salvaged the single ‘Love In Motion’, a brooding slower tempo track that signalled a bit of a departure from earlier work. ‘Love In Motion’ hit the Australian charts in October ‘81 and managed to move as high as #10.

The departure of his band mates didn’t hinder Davies’ work on the album ‘Primitive Man’ during the first half of 1982, which though released under the Icehouse banner, was essentially a solo effort by Davies. With complete autonomy (and cutting edge recording technology) at his disposal, Davies set about creating a new scope to the Icehouse sound. The haunting ‘Great Southern Land’ was the lead out single, hitting the Australian charts during August ‘82. It was a stark contrast in style to Men At Work’s ‘Down Under’ which had been released a year or so earlier, but ‘Great Southern Land’ would soon assume the same iconic status on the Australian pop-rock landscape - becoming an unofficial anthem of sorts - and at the time staked a claim at #5 on the charts. ‘Great Southern Land’ would later be used in the hit 1988 film ‘Young Einstein’, and Davies would re-work the song in 1999. Drummer John Lloyd must have still been involved with things at this point, because he makes an appearance in the promo clip alongside a very Gary Numan-esque looking Davies.

The album ‘Primitive Man’ (co-produced by Davies and Keith Forsey) was released around the same time as ‘Great Southern Land’ was scaling the charts, and would soon evolve into a #3 album nationally (US#129), again breaking the 100,000 sales barrier. ‘Hey Little Girl’ proved a very strong follow up single, peaking at #7 in Australia in late ‘82, and it was the first song to break Icehouse in the U.K. (#17), where the new look band performed it on Top Of The Pops, and went on to reach #14 in Sweden, #13 in Holland, #5 in Germany, and #1 in Switzerland - the band’s first chart topper. A repackaged version of the album ‘Primitive Man’ was released shortly after in Britain and Europe as ‘Love In Motion’ (UK#64, Top 10 in Germany, Sweden and Switzerland). The third single lifted was the brilliant ‘Street Café’, which though my personal choice as the greatest Icehouse track of that era, performed relatively poorly on the charts in early ‘83 (OZ#57/UK#62) - maybe so many people had bought the album by that time, it impacted on the single’s sales. The promo clip for ‘Street Café’ was among my favourites from the early/mid 80s - the exotic locales (it was shot by Russell Mulcahy on location in Tunisia) were very reminiscent of the clip for Duran Duran’s ‘Hungry Like A Wolf’ and ‘Living On The Ceiling’ by Blancmange (see earlier post).

By early 1983 Icehouse were on the verge of the international big time, with really only the U.S. yet to succumb in a major way. During the same period Iva Davies had assembled a new Icehouse line-up, featuring class of ‘79 keyboardist Michael Hoste and Flowers’ era drummer John Lloyd. Added to the mix were guitarist Robert Kretschmer (ex-Parachute), bassist Guy Pratt (ex-Killing Joke/future Pink Floyd/Gary Moore), and keyboardist Andy Qunta. During 1983 the new roster released the EP ‘Fresco’, and embarked as the support act on the European leg of David Bowie’s ‘Serious Moonlight’ tour. Like INXS, the sky seemed the limit for Icehouse.