Koo De Tah Explained

Koo De Tah
Background:	group_or_band
Origin:	Sydney, Australia
Genre:	Synthpop, new wave
Years Active:	1984 - 1987
Label:	Mercury Records
Past Members:	Tina 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.

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.

As of April 2024, Koo De Tah is available for streaming on Spotify.

Personnel

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

Discography

Singles

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

External links

• Gusworld.com.au
• Sergent.com.au
• Tina Cross official website
• Stereolove.com.au

Notes and References

1. Web site: Koo Dé Tah Discography . Discogs.com . 2015-10-07.
2. https://riamo.ru/article/501970/prodyuser-danil-maslovskij-o-sprose-na-vinil-redkih-nahodkah-i-druzhbe-so-zvezdami.xl?fbclid=IwAR0aQHeN6CJUQ9piaq_BvuxnVQfCM8qNU6j8Ofa-oQsOAMr7sZbGaDJWSHg Продюсер Данил Масловский о спросе на винил, редких находках и дружбе со звездами. In Russian
3. https://maschinarecords.com/CD-Koo-D%C3%A9-Tah-Koo-D%C3%A9-Tah-1986-2021-2CD-Expanded-Edition-p267829678 CD: Koo Dé Tah — «Koo Dé Tah» (1986/2021) 2CD Expanded Edition
4. Web site: Discography – Tina Cross. Hung Medien. New Zealand Charts. 8 October 2015.
5. News: Canberra braces for musical Koo De Tah . . 28 August 1986 . 8 October 2015 . 11 Supplement: The Good Times . National Library of Australia.
6. News: Leon Berger, star of the turntables. Don Groves. 1979-10-14. Sydney Morning Herald.
7. Billboard. Billboard Publications Inc . 12 October 1985. 97. 41. 69. 0006-2510 .
8. Web site: https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20040616140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/42709/20040617-0000/www.onmc.iinet.net.au/AUS/85.htm. Top 10 Australian Hits of 1985. Oz Net Music Chart. 16 June 2004. 8 October 2015.
9. Web site: Tina Cross – New Zealand Musicians & Bands . Muzic.net.nz . 8 October 2015.
10. Web site: Discography – Koo De Tah. Hung Medien. New Zealand Charts. 8 October 2015.
11. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian)

    . David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. St Ives. 1993. 169. 0-646-11917-6.

12. Web site: NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | the Official New Zealand Music Chart . 13 January 2013 . dead . https://archive.today/20130114082751/http://nztop40.co.nz/ . 14 January 2013 .