by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Riding the wave of MTV-friendly synth pop of the mid-80s, Animotion took the coldly catchy Obsession to the Top Ten in the beginning of 1985. After that, success was elusive — the follow-up, Let Him Go, barely cracked the Top 40 just four months later. In 1988, over half of the band left the lineup, including the leaders Bill Wadhams and Astrid Plane; actress Cynthia Rhodes and former Device member Paul Engemann became the lead vocalists. (Fortunately, the personnel changes apparently didnt cause any animosity — Plane married Charles Ottavio, Animotions bassist and one of the founding members of the group.) The new lineup was lucky enough to score a Top Ten hit with Room to Move, a lightweight song from a Dan Aykroyd movie that was even more lightweight (My Stepmother Is an Alien). After that brief flash of success, Animotion disappeared from the picture.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Riding the wave of MTV-friendly synth pop of the mid-80s, Animotion took the coldly catchy Obsession to the Top Ten in the beginning of 1985. After that, success was elusive — the follow-up, Let Him Go, barely cracked the Top 40 just four months later. In 1988, over half of the band left the lineup, including the leaders Bill Wadhams and Astrid Plane; actress Cynthia Rhodes and former Device member Paul Engemann became the lead vocalists. (Fortunately, the personnel changes apparently didnt cause any animosity — Plane married Charles Ottavio, Animotions bassist and one of the founding members of the group.) The new lineup was lucky enough to score a Top Ten hit with Room to Move, a lightweight song from a Dan Aykroyd movie that was even more lightweight (My Stepmother Is an Alien). After that brief flash of success, Animotion disappeared from the picture.