Icehouse (album)

Infobox Album
Name = Icehouse
Type = studio
Artist = Icehouse


Caption = 1980 Australian release (Regular Records)
Released = Start date|1980|10|10 June, 1981 Start date|2002|10|11
Recorded = Studio 301 & Paradise Studios
Genre = Post-punk/New Wave
Length = 39:43 37:24 65:33
Label = Regular Records Chrysalis Warner Music
Producer = Cameron Allan, Iva Davies
Reviews =
*Allmusic (1980) Rating|3.5|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jvfoxqujldhe link]
*Allmusic (1981) Rating|4|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3ifexq85ldde link]
Last album =
This album = "Icehouse" (1980)
Next album = "Primitive Man" (1982)
Misc = Singles
Name = Icehouse
Type = single
Single 1 = Can't Help Myself
Single 1 date = Start date|1980|5|13
Single 2 = We Can Get Together
Single 2 date = Start date|1980|10|6
Single 3 = Walls
Single 3 date = Start date|1981|1|1
Single 4 = Icehouse
Single 4 date = June, 1981 (US/UK release only) Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = "Icehouse"
Type = album


Cover size =
Lower caption = 1981 UK/US release (Chrysalis Records)
Border = |

"Icehouse" was the debut album released by Australian rock synthpop band Flowers, later known as Icehouse, on the independent label Regular Records in October 1980.cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20030517224039/www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=937 |format=doc |last=McFarlane |first=Ian |authorlink= Ian McFarlane |publisher=Allen & Unwin |year=1999 |isbn=1-86448-768-2 |accessdate=2008-06-11] The title and the artist are sometimes incorrectly swapped, because the band changed their name from Flowers into Icehouse after this album was released. Containing the Top 20 Australian hits "Can't Help Myself", "We Can Get Together" and "Walls"; the album made heavy use of synthesisers, which would continue to be used throughout the band's career.cite web |url=http://www.countdownmemories.com/exclusive_interviews/iva_davies_interview.html |title="An interview with Iva Davies" |last=Grech |first=Jason |date=2004-07-23 |publisher=Countdown Memories |accessdate=2008-06-16 ] cite web |url=http://www.warnermusic.com.au/artist,w_artist,49247 |title=Artist: Icehouse |publisher=Warner Music Australia |accessdate=2008-06-16 ] Founder Iva Davies wrote all the tracks including four co-written with keyboardist Michael Hoste, however Hoste was replaced during recording sessions by Anthony Smith.cite web |url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/i/icehouse.html?k |title=The Flowers / Icehouse |publisher=Australian Rock Database |editor=Magnus Holmgren |accessdate=2008-06-11 ]

Flowers (1980)

Flowers were formed in Sydney in 1977 by Iva Davies (vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, oboe), a classically trained musician, and their main creative force; with bass player Keith Welsh. Davies was working as a part-time cleaner at a squash court managed by Welsh's mother, they lived nearby and were both interested in forming a band.cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/songlines/2005/11/01/1130720527778.html |title=City Songlines |last=Kruger |first=Debbie |publisher="The Sydney Morning Herald" |date=2005-11-02 |accessdate=2008-06-21 ] Additional musicians used by Flowers in 1978 were Anthony Smith, who was some times called Adam Hall, on keyboards and Don Brown on drums. The band built up a strong following as a live act around the pub circuit, providing distinctive cover versions of songs by Roxy Music, David Bowie, Lou Reed, T-Rex, Ultravox and Brian Eno.

The lead track "Icehouse" had been written by Davies [cite web |url=http://www.apra.com.au/site/public/searchworksresult.stm?worktitle=ICEHOUSE&switchdet=Y |title="Icehouse" search result |publisher=Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) |accessdate=2008-06-24 ] when he lived at 18 Tryon Road, Lindfield in an old, cold flat of a two-storey mansion - across the street was a dishevelled house which had its lights on all night peopled by short-term residents.cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/songlines/2005/11/01/1130720527778.html |title=City Songlines |last=Kruger |first=Debbie |publisher="The Sydney Morning Herald" |date=2005-11-02 |accessdate=2008-06-21 ] Davies only learned it was a half-way house for psychiatric and drug rehab patients after he wrote the song.

Icehouse (1981)

Following their signing with Chrysalis Records in early 1981 for the European, Japanese, UK and US releases Flowers had to change their name due to legal restrictions preventing confusion with a Scottish group The Flowers.cite web |url=http://www.spellbound-icehouse.org/storybitsandpieces.html |title="The Icehouse story - bits and pieces" |publisher="Spellbound: a fanzine for Icehouse" |editor=Kristion Lines and Cheryl Krueger |accessdate=2008-06-11 ] Therefore when the album was released on the international markets, in June 1981 by Chrysalis, it was released under the band's new name, Icehouse.

Russell Mulcahy, an expatriate Australian living in London, directed the music video for "Icehouse",cite web |url=http://www.mvdbase.com/artist.php?last=Icehouse&first= |title=Icehouse artist videography |publisher=mvdbase.com |editor=Alex S. Garcia |year=2008 |accessdate=2008-06-19 ] which was released as a single in Europe and North America. The Top 10 single "Love in Motion" c/w "Goodnight Mr Matthews" was recorded by Davies in London after the band had changed their name from Flowers to Icehouse.

Re-release (2002)

In October 2002 Warner Music released remastered and expanded copies of all Icehouse's albums [cite web|url=http://www.warnermusic.com.au/product,w_prod,0927489812AU |title=Flowers- Icehouse |publisher=Warner Music Australasia |accessdate=2008-06-25] The 2002 re-release includes a number of tracks that were not on the original "Icehouse" album, including the 1981 single "Love in Motion" and its B-side "Goodnight Mr Matthews".

Track listing

All songs written by Iva Davies, except where noted.cite web |publisher=APRA |title=APRA search engine |url=http://www.apra.com.au/site/public/searchworksresult.stm |accessdate=2008-06-24 Note: requires user to input song title e.g. ICEHOUSE]

Original Australian release

#"Icehouse" - 4:23
#"We Can Get Together" - 3:47
#"Fatman" - 3:53
#"Sister" (Iva Davies, Michael Hoste) - 3:24
#"Walls" - 4:22
#"Can't Help Myself" - 3:10
#"Skin" (Iva Davies, Michael Hoste) - 2:44
#"Sons" - 4:32
#"Boulevarde" (Iva Davies, Michael Hoste) - 3:12
#"Nothing To Do" (Iva Davies, Michael Hoste) - 3:20
#"Not My Kind" - 3:36

This release was re-issued on CD in 2002 with the following bonus tracks:
#

"Send Somebody" (B-side to "Can't Help Myself") (Iva Davies, Michael Hoste) - 3:42
#"All the Way" (B-side to "Walls") - 3:50
#"Paradise Lost" (Instrumental) (B-side to "We Can Get Together") - 5:53
#"Love in Motion" (Original Single Mix) - 3:41
#"Goodnight Mr Matthews" (B-side to "Love In Motion") - 4:21
#"Can't Help Myself" (Original 10" Mix) - 3:41

Tracks 15 and 16 were recorded by Iva Davies in 1981 and credited to Icehouse.

UK/US release

Released in June 1981, under band name Icehouse, with several tracks remixed and with re-recorded vocals.

#"Icehouse" - 4:13
#"Can't Help Myself" - 3:52
#"Sister" (Iva Davies, Michael Hoste) - 3:28
#"Walls" - 4:02
#"Sons" - 4:35
#"We Can Get Together" - 3:41
#"Boulevarde" (Iva Davies, Michael Hoste) - 3:17
#"Fatman" - 3:52
#"Skin" (Iva Davies, Michael Hoste) - 2:47
#"Not My Kind" - 3:36

ingles

*"Can't Help Myself" c/w "Send Somebody" (#10 AUS)
*"We Can Get Together" c/w "Paradise Lost" (#16 AUS; #62 US)
*"Walls" c/w "All The Way" (#20 AUS)
*"Icehouse" c/w "Cold Turkey" (#28 US Rock tracks)cite web |title = Billboard Music Charts - Search Results - Icehouse |publisher = "Billboard" |url = http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=ICEHOUSE&sql=11:aifexqe5ldae~T51 |accessdate = 2008-06-20 ]
*"Love in Motion" c/w "Goodnight, Mr. Matthews" (#10 AUS) Originally a single-only release.

Chart positions

The album charted at number 4 in Australia and remained in the charts for a 45 weeks. It eventually achieved quadruple platinum status (in excess of 300,000 albums sold). In New Zealand the album also achieved quadruple platinum status. [cite web |url=http://www.icehouse-iva.com/frameset.html |title=Biography at official Iva Davies and Icehouse website |accessdate=2008-04-26]

Personnel

Flowers members
*Iva Davies – vocals, guitar, oboe
*Michael Hoste – keyboards, piano on "Sons" (replaced by Smith during recording sessions)
*John Lloyd – drums, vocals
*Anthony Smith – keyboards, vocals
*Keith Welsh – bass, vocals

Additional musicians
*Ian Moss – guitar solo on "Skin"
*Geoff Oakes – saxophone on "Sons"

Recording details
*Engineer: John Bee, David Cafe, Gerry Nixon
*Producer: Cameron Allan, Iva Davies
*Studios: Studio 301 except "Can't Help Myself" and "Send Somebody", recorded at Paradise Studios.
*Mastering: David Hemming, Rick O'Neil
*Digital re-mastering (2002): Iva Davies, Scott Ryan, Tim Ryan

Art work
*Cover art: John Lloyd
*Inside art: Geoff Gifford
*Photography: Grant Matthews

References