Measure for Measure (album)

1986 studio album by Icehouse

Measure for Measure

Australian cover

Studio album by

Icehouse

Released| April 1986
Recorded| August 1985
Studio|

* Crescent Studios (Bath)
* Whitehouse (Livingston)
* Air Studios (London)

Genre|

* Rock
* new wave

Length| 51:55
Label| Regular
Producer|

* David Lord
* Rhett Davies

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 ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [2]

Measure for Measure is the fourth studio album by the Australian rock band Icehouse, released in 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

[edit]

Lead vocalist 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 the soundtrack album Boxes (1985).

## Release and critical reception

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

Australian releaseNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Paradise"| Iva Davies| 4:47
2.| "No Promises"|  | 4:40
3.| "Mr Big"|  | 3:33
4.| "Angel Street"|  | 4:46
5.| "The Flame"| Davies| 5:11
6.| "Regular Boys"|  | 3:30
7.| "Cross the Border"|  | 4:25
8.| "Spanish Gold"| Davies| 4:17
9.| "Lucky Me" aka "American Way"|  | 4:38
10.| "Baby, You're So Strange"|  | 3:59

1993 reissue bonus tracksNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

11.| "Too Late Now"| Davies| 3:11
12.| "Into the Wild"|  | 4:53

2002 remastered reissue bonus tracksNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

13.| "Just a Word"|  | 4:26
14.| "The Perfect Crime"|

* Davies
* Kretschmer
* Andy Qunta
* Masaki Tanazawa

| 3:38
15.| "The Flame" (live)| Davies| 5:26
16.| "No Promises"|  | 5:25
17.| "Sister" (live)|

* Davies
* Michael Hoste

| 3:48
25.| Untitled (live)|  |

American releaseNo.| Title| Length

|
|

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

[edit]

Credited to:[8][9]

Icehouse

* Iva Davies – vocals, guitar, keyboards (Fairlight CMI), drum programming, bass guitar
* Simon Lloyd – reeds, brass, trumpet, keyboard programming, Fairlight CMI
* Robert Kretschmer – guitar
* Guy Pratt – bass guitar, fretless bass guitar
* Andy Qunta – keyboards, backing vocals
* Steve Jansen – drums, percussion (on "No Promises", "Cross the Border" and "The Flame")
* Masaki Tanazawa – drums, percussion

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

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Weekly chart performance for Measure for Measure | Chart (1986)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[5] | 8
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] | 64
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] | 37
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12] | 2
US Billboard 200[13] | 55

### Year-end charts

[edit]

Year-end chart performance for Measure for Measure | Chart (1986)  | Position

|

Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[14] | 38
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] | 19

## Certifications

[edit]

Certifications for Measure for Measure Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

New Zealand (RMNZ)[16] | Gold  | 7,500^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

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 20 November 2024.

### Bibliography

[edit]

* Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

## External links

[edit]

* Measure for Measure at Discogs (list of releases)

* v
* t
* e

Icehouse

* Iva Davies

* Guy Pratt
* Andy Qunta
* Paul Gildea

Studio albums|

* Icehouse (as Flowers)
* Primitive Man
* Sidewalk
* Boxes
* Measure for Measure
* Man of Colours
* Code Blue
* Big Wheel

Soundtracks|

* The Berlin Tapes

Remix albums|

* Full Circle
* Meltdown

Compilations|

* Great Southern Land
* Masterfile
* The Singles
* Love In Motion
* No Promises
* Heroes
* White Heat: 30 Hits

EPs|

* Fresco EP
* Spin One

Singles|

* "Can't Help Myself"
* "We Can Get Together"
* "Walls"
* "Icehouse"
* "Love in Motion"
* "Great Southern Land"
* "Hey Little Girl"
* "Taking the Town"
* "Don't Believe Anymore"
* "Dusty Pages"
* "No Promises"
* "Crazy"
* "Electric Blue"
* "My Obsession"
* "Love in Motion" (feat. Chrissy Amphlett)
* "Great Southern Land" (remix)
* "Hey Little Girl '97 remixes"

Related articles|

* Discography

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

*[No.]: Number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template