Pleasure Victim cover

Pleasure Victim

Released

Even though Giorgio Moroder briefly made them the biggest band in the world with a massive hit single about asphyxiation for a military propaganda film, Los Angeles synth-poppers Berlin initially made a splash with their own take on the Moroder sound: the cheekily explicit (for the 80s) dirty dancing ditty “Sex (I’m a…).” They knew what sold. It was all a put-on, of course – singer Terry Nunn was literally an actress – but a fun one. Side B contains the two bona fide new wave classics. “Masquerade” thrills as a bombastic Duran Duran rave-up, while the Gary Numan minimalism of “The Metro” still chills. Not a lot of original ideas but Nunn’s charisma makes the listener a willing victim.

Jeff Treppel

Recommended by

Suggestions
Reproduction cover

Reproduction

The Human League
Sleep No More cover

Sleep No More

The Comsat Angels
A Flock of Seagulls cover

A Flock of Seagulls

A Flock of Seagulls
The Raven cover

The Raven

The Stranglers
Let’s Dance cover

Let’s Dance

David Bowie
Piano Bar cover

Piano Bar

Charly García
Technique cover

Technique

New Order
The Cars cover

The Cars

The Cars
Vienna cover

Vienna

Ultravox