Passing through my bedroom the other day (where SomaFM’s Underground 80s channel is frequently playing), I heard Icehouse’s Electric Blue. This caused me – inescapably – to think of Iva Davies.
Iva Davies (born Ivor Arthur Davies) is an Australian singer, songwriter, composer, musician and record producer. Most importantly (in my world at least), Iva is known for his distinctive singing voice… Oh God – that voice, that incredible, beautiful, emotive voice…
If you’re not familiar with Iva Davies, just take a listen to any of the old Icehouse albums and singles. There, you will find that remarkable voice, haunting you. His music career spans more than 40 years, and he’s also made music for TV series and films, most recently composing the soundtrack for the film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Some of his most recent, and best, tracks are on the soundtrack album The Berlin Tapes with Icehouse.
Icehouse Videos
Check out some of Icehouse’s videos. Once you get past the bad mullets and ridiculous 80s fashion and focus on the voice, these are great songs:
The Berlin Tapes
If you’ve made it this far, you must listen to Iva’s version of David Bowie’s Heroes on The Berlin Tapes album to fully appreciate this man’s voice. Goosebumps are guaranteed. This is my absolute favourite track of Iva Davies/Icehouse and is on my list of Desert Island Songs. Unfortunately YouTube pulled the original video, but here’s a static version with the same vocal:
