A remix album is a slightly more refreshing alternative to the cumbersome greatest-hits packages. Eight years after the remix album Full Circle, Meltdown offers various takes on Icehouse classics by the cream of Australia's DJs. Great efforts are made to update the Icehouse sound to a dance rather than art-obsessed generation and, as Iva Davies was one of the first Australian electro-pop pioneers, he is better placed than most for the treatment. However, only a few of these pieces reall   [ read more ]

CD $31.33

As an oboe/guitar player involved in electro popular music, it's no surprise Iva Davies took to Roxy Music, especially on "Street CafT" and the mega-hit "Hey Little Girl," which duly landed in no less than 13 European Top Ten singles charts, going all the way in Switzerland. An album of atmospheres, "Great Southern Land" evokes images of Australia's arid interior, while "Trojan Blue" conjures up medieval Italy or France. "Mysterious Thing" continues Primitive Man's mood, and produces   [ read more ]

CD $18.03

This was Iva Davies' return from courtroom hell with former label Chrysalis. Someone should annoy Davies more often, because the result is the most energizing, electric music of his career. From their opener, Icehouse -- essentially the trio of Davies, Paul Wheeler, and David Chapman -- treat us to a frenzy of guitars, loops, filmic links, and drumming, likened to John Bonham. Though lyrically weak, the title song bounces along in jolly mode. David Bowie affiliations come again in   [ read more ]

CD $18.03

CD $18.03

CD $18.03

On its original release in 1984, Sidewalk was a marked disappointment in comparison to its predecessor, Primitive Man. This reissue is made more notable due to additional bonus tracks: "Java," a slice of Oriental ambience and one of Iva Davies' strongest pieces of that period, makes its long-overdue debut on CD. Also new are "Dance On," a delightful snapshot of '80s pop-funk that at the time would have been better served as an A-side; a single take on "Dusty Pages"; and the cruisy, exte   [ read more ]

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On their fifth album, the smooth pop style of Australia's Icehouse is garnished with even more bouncy synthesizers and lavish melodies than their earlier work. Lead singer Iva Davies elaborated slant is immediately forthcoming in all the tunes on this album, but is truly the best working part behind the group. Man of Colours' first two tracks attached themselves to the Top 40, with "Crazy" peaking at number 17 in 1987 and "Electric Blue" reaching number seven in 1988, a song co-written by    [ read more ]

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Based on the principles of balance, Measure for Measure is half-produced by David Lord, half by Rhett Davies. American and European editions benefit from a better track list, which opens with the Davies-produced "No Promises." A little too close to Bowie and Metheny's "This Is Not America," perhaps, but very nice all the same. "Cross the Border" resembles and continues the close relationship with Simple Minds, and features a strong Brian Eno back vocal motif. Another of the    [ read more ]

CD $18.03