Best of Berlin 1979-1988

Album Review

Berlin's electro-pop sound is salvaged only by the enduring and assertive voice of Terri Nunn, which is why The Best of Berlin is the most preferable place to hear this Los Angeles-based group's music. The synth-soaked punch of "No More Words" from 1984's Love Life album and the week-long number one ballad "Take My Breath Away" from the film Top Gun are the album's high points, while the other tracks are made up of clean and bright techno pop/rock with heavy emphasis stemming from three different keyboard players employed throughout the band's career. Berlin's '80s poignancy provided some rather palatable music, even if the charts didn't say so. Songs like "For All Tomorrow's Lies" and "Blowin' Sky High" could compete with anything Soft Cell or A Flock of Seagulls spouted at the time, and the range of Nunn's vocals elevated most of Berlin's efforts above the norm of the run-of-the-mill synthesizer glitz, but only marginally. A compressed lineup of their most accomplished material is definitely the best way in which to enjoy Berlin, avoiding all the inessentials that crept through their albums.