Koo De Tah

Koo De Tah
OriginSydney, Australia
GenresSynthpop, new wave
Years active1984–1987
LabelsMercury Records
Past membersTina Cross
Leon Berger
Peter Radnai
John Bettison
Capree Morris
Roger Faynes

Koo De Tah (also Koo Dé Tah or Koo Dee Tah)[1] was a New Zealand/Australian pop music band of the 1980s. The core band members were New Zealander Tina Cross and Russian-Australian Leon Berger;[2][3] the group was based in Sydney.

In 1984 Cross, who was a successful singer in New Zealand (having four top 50 singles[4] and won the 1979 Pacific Song Contest), moved to Australia and formed the band with Berger. Berger was born in Russia and studied at the Moscow Conservatory of Music.[5] He had moved to Australia in 1973 and released two albums.[6] Prior to forming the group, Berger and Cross had met at a song contest in New Zealand.[5] Koo De Tah scored a hit in 1985 with their debut single, "Too Young for Promises", which reached Number six in the Australian singles charts[7][8] and Number 48 in New Zealand music charts.[9][10]

The band's self-titled debut album was released in 1986. Four singles were released, but aside from the high-placing "Too Young For Promises" only one other single, "Body Talk", entered the top 40 in Australia.[citation needed]

Cross went on to have a successful career in musical theatre in New Zealand appearing in Cats, Chicago, The Rocky Horror Show and many other productions. Berger later produced and co-wrote all but one song for the 1992 debut album by Melissa Tkautz, and went on to establish a recording studio.[citation needed]

As of April 2024, Koo De Tah is available for streaming on Spotify. [citation needed]

Personnel

[edit]
  • Tina Cross – vocals
  • Leon Berger – keyboards, songwriting, production
  • Peter Radnai – drums
  • John Bettison – guitar, violin
  • Capree Morris – keyboards
  • Roger Faynes – bass

Discography

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Albums

[edit]
Year Album details Peak chart positions
AUS
[11]
1986 Koo De Tah
  • Released: September 1986
  • Label: Mercury Records (830 267-2)
  • Format: LP, cassette, CD
54

Singles

[edit]
Year Title Peak chart positions Album
AUS
[11]
NZ
[12]
1985 "Too Young for Promises" 6 48 Koo De Tah
"Body Talk" 27
1986 "Think of Me" 69
"Missed You All Along"

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Koo Dé Tah Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  2. ^ Продюсер Данил Масловский о спросе на винил, редких находках и дружбе со звездами. In Russian
  3. ^ CD: Koo Dé Tah — «Koo Dé Tah» (1986/2021) 2CD Expanded Edition
  4. ^ "Discography – Tina Cross". New Zealand Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Canberra braces for musical Koo De Tah". Canberra Times. National Library of Australia. 28 August 1986. p. 11 Supplement: The Good Times. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  6. ^ Don Groves (14 October 1979). "Leon Berger, star of the turntables". Sydney Morning Herald.
  7. ^ "Billboard". 97 (41). Billboard Publications Inc. 12 October 1985: 69. ISSN 0006-2510. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ "Top 10 Australian Hits of 1985". Oz Net Music Chart. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  9. ^ "Tina Cross – New Zealand Musicians & Bands". Muzic.net.nz. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Discography – Koo De Tah". New Zealand Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  11. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives: Australian Chart Book. p. 169. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | the Official New Zealand Music Chart". Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
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