Measure for Measure (album)

Measure for Measure
Australian release (Regular Records)
Studio album by Icehouse
Released	21 April 1986 (1986-04-21)
Recorded	August 1985
Studio	Crescent Studios, Bath and Whitehouse, Livingston and Air Studios, London
Genre	Rock, new wave
Length	51:55
Label	Regular / Chrysalis
Producer	David Lord, Rhett Davies
Icehouse chronology
Boxes (1985)Boxes1985 Measure for Measure (1986) Man of Colours (1987)Man of Colours1987
Singles from Measure for Measure
"No Promises" Released: November 1, 1985 "Baby, You're So Strange" Released: March 10, 1986 "Mr. Big" Released: June 15, 1986 "Cross the Border" Released: October 20, 1986 "Paradise" Released: 1986 US / UK only release
Measure for Measure
US release (Chrysalis Records)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Measure for Measure is the April 1986 studio album by Australian rock/synthpop band Icehouse and was the third album in the world to be recorded entirely digitally.^[2] The album, which peaked at #8 on the National albums charts,^[3] 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" vinyl single in November 1985, it peaked at #30 on the Australian singles charts.^[3] 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 percussonist Masaki Tanazawa.^[4]

Both "No Promises" and "Cross the Border" were remixed and released as 12" 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.^[5] "Cross the Border" did not see as much club play in the US, but was a Top 20 rock hit there.^[5] In Australia, the two further singles lifted from the album, "Baby, You're So Strange" and "Mr. Big", both reached the pop Top 20,^[3] 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 (see infobox) and track running order while the 2002 Australian remastered version features bonus tracks.

The title Measure For Measure refers to the Shakespearean play of the same name, which in turn derives from a Bible verse: "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Track listing

Songwriters according to Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA).^[6]

Australian release

1. "Paradise" (Iva Davies) – 4:47
2. "No Promises" (Davies, Robert Kretschmer) – 4:40
3. "Mr Big" (Davies, Kretschmer) – 3:33
4. "Angel Street" (Davies, Kretschmer) – 4:46
5. "The Flame" (Davies) – 5:11
6. "Regular Boys" (Davies, Kretschmer) – 3:30
7. "Cross the Border" (Davies, Kretschmer) – 4:25
8. "Spanish Gold" (Davies) – 4:17
9. "Lucky Me" aka "American Way" (Davies, Kretschmer) – 4:38
10. "Baby, You're So Strange" (Davies, Kretschmer) – 3:59
11. "Too Late Now" (Davies) – 3:11 **
12. "Into The Wild" (Davies, Kretschmer) – 4:53 **

(**) Not on original pressing, eventually on 1993 re-release and on all re-releases since.
The 2002 reissue also featured bonus tracks:^[7]

13. "Just a Word" (Davies, Kretschmer) – 4:26
14. "The Perfect Crime" (Davies, Kretschmer, Andy Qunta, Masaki Tanazawa) – 3:38
15. "The Flame" (live) (Davies) – 5:26
16. "No Promises" (live) (Davies) – 5:25
17. "Sister" (live) (Davies, Michael Hoste) – 3:48

American release

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

Credited to:^[7][8]

Icehouse

• Iva Davies – vocals, guitar, keyboards (Fairlight CMI), drum programming, bass guitar
• Simon Lloyd – reeds, brass, trumpet, keyboard programming, Fairlight
• 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
• Brian Eno – backing vocals, piano, keyboards

Note that all releases of Measure For Measure credit all eight of the above as band members. For the North American cover, only six group members are pictured (Jansen and Eno are omitted), but the credits still list the group as an octet.

Additional musicians

• 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

Weekly charts

Singles

"—" denotes did not chart.

References