VIVABEAT "One of the great lost bands of the 80's."

VIDEO
House Is Burning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rh21y82bsQ


Members:
Terrance Robay- Lead Vocals
Alec Murphy- Guitar
Rob Dean- Guitar ( who played guitar on early albums by the British band Japan.)
Steve Lynch- Guitar
Jeff Gilbert -Guitar
Mick Muhlfriedel- Bass/ Songwriter
Marina del Rey- Keyboards/ Vocals
Consuelo DeSilva- Keyboards/ Vocals
Doug Orilio- Drums
Chris Schendel- Drums
Peg McClellen- Additional vocals
Cindy Hope Bernstein- Additional Vocals


PARTY IN THE WARZONE (1980)

Tracklist :

01 Working For William
02 From The Bop
03 To The Heart
04 Not Dead Anymore
05 Pop Girl
06 Man From China
07 Wild World
08 Enemy Fire
09 I Know Your Room
10 Jet Set

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/30570767/party_in_the_war_zone_224_kbs.html



THE GOOD LIFE 1979 - 1986

Tracklist :

01 1. Working for William
02 From the Bop
03 Blue Guitars
04 Man from China
05 What We Talk About (When We Talk About Love)
06 House Is Burning
07 I Know Your Room
08 Gray Gray Gray
09 Dreaming of Tigers
10 Napalm Springs
11 Tents
12 House Is Burning (Jane Version)
13 Henry James
14 2000 Light Years from Home

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/30568143/the_good_life_192_kbs.rar.html

"A retrospective of one of the 80's most interesting and illusive bands. Repeatedly billed in the era, in concerts with the likes of The B-52s, Human League, Depeche Mode and The Psychedelic Furs; Vivabeat, dealt a slightly different hand, would have easily found itself in the ranks of their success. Definitely one to check out." Vivabeat's is the uncanny story of a band that helped define the sound of an era; a band that experienced remarkable strokes of good fortune and tragic twists of fate; got a taste of the best the record industry could offer... and also, the very worst. They left behind a hit dance single, an album on Charisma Records, an impossibly rare European EP, and a clutch of unreleased tracks. A collection of their best work, ironically titled "The Good Life: 1979-1986" was released in Spring 2001 on Permanent Press Records, The roots of the band are in late-70's Boston. "
To continue reading this review check this :http://cdbaby.com/cd/vivabeat

"One of the great lost bands of the 80's. Fell in love with their first album "Party in The War Zone" years ago and then, never heard a peep from them again . Until now that is. From the wacky techno pop of 'The House is Burning (But There's No One Home)", to the brooding menace of "I Know Your Room". this CD is a must have for any serious student of music from the 1980's."

"Vivabeat's "The Good Life" is like a classic from the 80s that somehow hovered beneath the radar and never saw the acclaim it deserves. Think Psychedelic Furs, Roxy Music, Bananarama, Human League -- they'd fit right in. It's really fun and incredibly well produced. I could imagine hearing about half of these songs on the radio. All have a great beat. I love Vivabeat's signature "Man From China", "What We Talk About" and the techno cover of The Stone's "2,000 Light Years From Home"."

More Review:
http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/v/vivabeat-good.shtml

http://www.ink19.com/issues/april2001/wetInk/musicV/vivabeat.html

Biography

California synthpop band from the early part of the decade.Vivabeat was, at the time, the only American band on Charisma Records, signed largely at the urging of Peter Gabriel who had heard the band's early four song demo tape and was instantly hooked. Their sound was a conglomeration of Roxy Music and Ultravox, with a dash of Devo thrown in for good measure. Lead singer Terrance Robay combined the suave swagger of Bryan Ferry with the barely controlled lunacy of "Psycho Killer"-era David Byrne. But most importantly, Vivabeat didn't seem to take themselves too seriously. Witness, for example, the deadpan "my my, uh oh/the house is burning but there's no one home" lyrics from Vivabeat's first dance club hit, "The House is Burning (But There's No One Home)". It may be utterly absurd, but that matters little when you're shaking your ass on the dance floor. The Good Life collects the best from Vivabeat's two albums with various and sundry singles. "Working for William" is an odd melding of reggae and synthpop topped off with Robay's Gary Numan-esque vocals that somehow works. The funky, hypnotic "Man From China"'s lead whistle allegedly inspired Gabriel to write "Games Without Frontiers." On "Blue Guitars," Marina del Rey's detached vocals invoke Bananarama fronting Depeche Mode. Definitely one of the more esoteric releases so far this year; The Good> Life is an exhilarating blast of synthpop for 80's people. -- Rick Schadelbauer http://wwww.twomp.com/amplifier/_023/023_cd_reviews.htm

Bio from All Music:
Peter Gabriel was responsible for bringing the synth pop outfit Vivabeat to the new wave forefront in late 1979. They combined elements of new romanticism and glam rock for an ambience quite similar to the likes of Roxy Music, Alphaville, and Visage. The band, which consisted of Mick Muhlfriedel, Terrance Robay, Consuelo Desilva, Doug Orilio, Alec Murphy, and Marina Del Ray, were also the first group to be signed to Charisma Records. They issued Party in the War Zone in 1980 and the single Man From China sparked success for the band overseas, mostly in dance clubs in Europe. By 1982, however, other sorts of work entailed more responsibility for other band members. Robay began his flirtation with films and newcomers Cindy Hope, Peggy McClelland, and Rob Dean joined the group. Vivabeat's second effort The House Is Burning (But There's No One Home was released and tours with Depeche Mode, Gang of Four, and the Human League followed. But other passions and interests plagued the group. Robay departed by 1984 for a career in acting, whereas Dean joined the Gary Numan band. Name changes also riddled them: Muhlfriedel opted for See Jane Run or Neko Maka, for the underlying musical swagger of Vivabeat could no longer be possible without the songwriting of Terrance Robay. See Jane Run was the moniker of choice and a new sound resembling a dramatic B-52's and ABC was now part of the image. Vivabeat couldn't stand the test of time to outlast contractual pressures and expectations. Muhlfriedel left the band by the end of the decade, also pursuing a career in film documentaries. The new millennium did recognize the work of the band, paying tribute to Vivabeat with the release of the greatest hits collection The Good Life: 1979 - 1986, issued on Permanent Press Recordings in early 2001. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide

"The band's experiences in writing songs for movies, led Mick to becoming a composer of music for films, TV, commercials and documentaries. He has a new band project, Buff Roshi, which will be releasing a CD in summer. Marina meanwhile, works as a writer/producer in film and TV. They are both liiving in Los Angeles and raising their son there. Doug returned to Utica, New York where lives to this day. Rob settled in the Costa Rican Cloud Forest where he works as a naturalist painter and leads bird-watching tours."

More info:
http://www.vivabeat.com/

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