Measure for Measure (album)

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."{{cite magazine| magazine= Countdown Magazine | title=What's in the Box, Iva?|author=David Rowley |issue=30|date=January 1986}} "No Promises" and "Regular Boys" are re-recorded tracks that were originally from the soundtrack album Boxes (1985).

The album, which peaked at number eight in Australia,{{sfn|Kent|1993|p=147}} 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.{{sfn|Kent|1993|p=147}} 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.{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofau00mcfa |format=doc |last=McFarlane |first=Ian |author-link=Ian McFarlane |publisher=Allen & Unwin |year=1999 |isbn=1-86448-768-2 |access-date=2008-06-11 |url-access=registration}}

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.{{cite magazine | title = Billboard Music Charts – Search Results – Icehouse | magazine = Billboard| url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4538|pure_url=yes}} | access-date = 2008-07-03 }} "Cross the Border" did not see as much club play in the US, but was a Top 20 rock hit there. In Australia, the two further singles lifted from the album, "Baby, You're So Strange" and "Mr. Big", both reached the top 20,{{sfn|Kent|1993|p=147}} 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

| all_writing = Iva Davies and Robert Kretschmer, except where noted

| headline = Australian release

| title1 = Paradise

| writer1 = Iva Davies

| length1 = 4:47

| title2 = No Promises

| length2 = 4:40

| title3 = Mr Big

| length3 = 3:33

| title4 = Angel Street

| length4 = 4:46

| title5 = The Flame

| writer5 = Davies

| length5 = 5:11

| title6 = Regular Boys

| length6 = 3:30

| title7 = Cross the Border

| length7 = 4:25

| title8 = Spanish Gold

| writer8 = Davies

| length8 = 4:17

| title9 = Lucky Me" aka "American Way

| length9 = 4:38

| title10 = Baby, You're So Strange

| length10 = 3:59

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 1993 reissue bonus tracks

| title11 = Too Late Now

| writer11 = Davies

| length11 = 3:11

| title12 = Into the Wild

| length12 = 4:53

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 2002 remastered reissue bonus tracks

| title13 = Just a Word

| length13 = 4:26

| title14 = The Perfect Crime

| writer14 = {{hlist|Davies|Kretschmer|Andy Qunta|Masaki Tanazawa}}

| length14 = 3:38

| title15 = The Flame

| note15 = live

| writer15 = Davies

| length15 = 5:26

| title16 = No Promises

| note25 = live

| length16 = 5:25

| title17 = Sister

| note17 = live

| writer17 = {{hlist|Davies|Michael Hoste}}

| length17 = 3:48

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = American release

| title1 = No Promises

| title2 = Cross the Border

| title3 = Spanish Gold

| title4 = Paradise

| title5 = The Flame

| title6 = Regular Boys

| title7 = Mr. Big

| title8 = Angel Street

| title9 = Lucky Me

| title10 = Baby, You're So Strange

| title11 = Too Late Now

| title12 = Into the Wild

}}

Credited to:{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r619588/review|pure_url=yes}} |title=Measure for Measure (bonus tracks) credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2008-07-02 }}{{cite web | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130929120725/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/i/icehouse.html | url = http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/i/icehouse.html | title = The Flowers / Icehouse | last1 = Holmgren | first1 = Magnus | publisher = Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren) | archivedate = 29 September 2013 | url-status = usurped | access-date = 21 March 2014 }}

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

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Measure for Measure}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=album|artist=Icehouse|title=Measure for Measure|award=Gold|relyear=1986|id=1986-10-31|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|certyear=1986}}

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• {{cite book |last=Kent |first=David |author-link=David Kent (historian) |title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |edition=illustrated |location=St Ives, N.S.W. |publisher=Australian Chart Book |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6}}

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Category:1986 albums

Category:Albums produced by Rhett Davies

Category:Chrysalis Records albums

Category:Icehouse (band) albums

Category:Regular Records albums