Pleasure Victim
Pleasure Victim is the second studio album by American new wave band Berlin. It was originally recorded in 1982 and released in October of that year by M.A.O. Records and Enigma Records.[3] After the second single, "Sex (I'm A...)", received considerable attention, the album was re-released on January 26, 1983 by Geffen Records in the United States and by Mercury Records internationally. The album marked the return of lead singer Terri Nunn to the group. To date, it is Berlin's best-selling album and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 9, 1993, becoming the band's only album to be certified platinum.[4]
Pleasure Victim | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1982 | |||
Genre | Synth-pop[1] | |||
Length | 29:07 | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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Berlin chronology | ||||
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Singles from Pleasure Victim | ||||
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"Sex (I'm A...)" peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100, while subsequent singles "The Metro" and "Masquerade" reached numbers 58 and 82, respectively.[5] The album itself peaked at number 30 on the Billboard 200 in May 1983.[6]
Release
Originally including seven tracks on both vinyl and cassette, Pleasure Victim is sometimes listed as being an EP album. Subsequent cassette and CD versions of Pleasure Victim include the extended version of "Sex (I'm A ...)" as a bonus track.[1] According to John Crawford, the album's reissue on Geffen was identical to the original Enigma release aside from "a little remixing".[7]
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The album's original release on Enigma sold 25,000 copies, an exceptionally high amount for an independent release.[7]
In a joint review of Pleasure Victim's 1983 reissue and Soft Cell's The Art of Falling Apart, Michael Goldberg of Record panned the album, saying that Berlin's use of sex to sell their music (particularly noting the track "Sex (I'm A...)" and the inner sleeve photo of Terri Nunn wearing nothing but a mink stole) is unintentionally humorous, and that the instrumentation is riddled with synthpop cliches. He concluded, "Like bad pornography, comic books and a Top 40 hit like 'Rosanna', one can wallow in the sheer trashiness of Pleasure Victim, though you wouldn't really want to call this stuff 'music'".[8]
Track listing
All tracks are written by John Crawford, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Tell Me Why" | 5:34 | |
2. | "Pleasure Victim" | 3:50 | |
3. | "Sex (I'm A...)" |
| 5:08 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Masquerade" | Chris Ruiz-Velasco | 4:04 |
2. | "The Metro" | 4:07 | |
3. | "World of Smiles" | 3:50 | |
4. | "Torture" | 2:36 | |
Total length: | 29:07 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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5. | "Sex (I'm A...)" (Extended Version) |
| 8:10 |
Total length: | 37:17 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Pleasure Victim.[9]
Berlin
- John Crawford – bass, synthesizer, vocals
- David Diamond – synthesizer, guitar, vocals
- Terri Nunn – vocals
- Daniel Van Patten – drums, electronic percussio
- Chris Ruiz-Velasco – guitar
- Ric Olsen – guitar
- Rod Learned – drums (track 1)
Technical
- Daniel R. Van Patten – production (tracks 2–7); engineering
- The Maomen – production (track 1); remix (tracks 3, 4, 7)
- Charles Ramirez – engineering assistance
- Jon St. James – engineering assistance
Artwork
- PWR – still photography
- Mark Ulves – art direction, design
- Martin Mann – insert photographs
Charts
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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New Zealand (RMNZ)[14] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[15] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
References
- Mason, Stewart. "Pleasure Victim – Berlin". AllMusic. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- "Berlin – Masquerade". 45cat. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- "Vinyl Album – Berlin – Pleasure Victim – Enigma". 45worlds. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- "American certifications – Berlin". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- "Berlin Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- "Berlin Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- Meyer, Marianne (June 1983). "We Now Take 'Sex' Seriously, Thanks to a Shot in the Dark". Record. Vol. 2 no. 8. p. 6.
- Goldberg, Michael (June 1983). "The Art of Falling Apart/Pleasure Victim review". Record. Vol. 2 no. 8. pp. 28–29.
- Pleasure Victim (liner notes). Berlin. Enigma Records. 1982. Enigma 3.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6272a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- "Charts.nz – Berlin – Pleasure Victim". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1983". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "Top Selling Albums of 1984". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- "New Zealand album certifications – Berlin – Pleasure Victim". Recorded Music NZ. January 20, 1985. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- "American album certifications – Berlin – Pleasure Victim". Recording Industry Association of America. February 9, 1993. Retrieved July 8, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.