Animotion

Not to be confused with animation.
Animotion
Animotion, c. 1984
Animotion, c. 1984
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresNew wave, synth-pop
Years active1983–1990, 2001–present
LabelsMercury Records, Polydor Records, Invisible Hands Music
MembersAstrid Plane
Bill Wadhams
Don Kirkpatrick
Greg Smith
Jim Blair
Chris Wadhams
Past membersPaul Antonelli
Charles (aka: Char) Ottavio
David O'Brien (deceased)
Kevin Rankin
Paul Engemann
Cynthia Rhodes
WebsiteAnimotion Web Site

Animotion is an American synth-pop band from Los Angeles, California, best known for the songs "Obsession", "Let Him Go", "I Engineer", and "Room to Move".[1] Formed in 1983 from the remnants of a retro science-fiction band called Red Zone, they signed a record deal with Mercury Records in 1984 and released four studio albums.

History

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Formation and rise (1983–1986)

[edit]

Animotion was founded by four former members of Los Angeles-based band Red Zone and the lead singer of the Billy Bond band.[2] Both Red Zone and the Billy Bond Band would play at the popular music venue Madame Wong's and knew of each other.[2] A manager who heard that Red Zone were considering breaking up suggested that Billy Bond Band vocalist Bill Wadhams look into working with them, and particularly their vocalist Astrid Plane. After Wadhams demonstrated some of his original material to the group, the two parties decided to form a new band with the name "Animotion" suggested by Astrid to convey energy and motion.[2][3]

The initial line-up was made up of dual lead vocalists in Wadhams and Plane, keyboardist Paul Antonelli, bassist Charles Ottavio, and drummer David "Frenchy" O'Brien. With Wadhams already handling some guitar duties, lead guitarist Don Kirkpatrick was brought into the band to supplement their sound. The now-six-piece lineup recorded their 1984 self-titled debut album, further augmented by session keyboardist Greg Smith.[4][3] Released near the end of the year, a single from this album, "Obsession", written by hit American songwriter Holly Knight and noted British singer/actor Michael Des Barres (who originally cut the song themselves as "Knight and Des Barres" for the 1983 movie A Night in Heaven), became a worldwide success and the band's first US Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten single, peaking early the following year. The follow-up single from this album, "Let Him Go", also cracked the US Top 40 after being remixed to sound more like its predecessor.

Following the departures of Antonelli and O'Brien, Smith became an official member of the band, along with new drummer Jim Blair, prior to the recording of the follow-up album, Strange Behavior (1986). While several singles were released from this album, its success in the US paled in comparison to the debut album, whereas the band became very famous in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Africa, thanks to the LP's single "I Engineer", another Holly Knight composition which was co-written with Bernie Taupin and Mike Chapman. "I Engineer" reached the Top 20 (and sometimes as high as the Top 5) in those countries. During 1986 and 1987 Animotion toured extensively, appearing alongside such performers as Phil Collins, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, Genesis, Howard Jones, INXS, and Simply Red.

Departures and decline (1987–1990)

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In the midst of recording their third album, Animotion went through personnel changes, as all three of the remaining founding members (Ottavio, Plane, and Wadhams) departed, along with Blair. The split was not amicable; Ottavio and Plane (who by this point were a couple, and later married) were fired from the band at the behest of the management, while Wadhams' departure was the culmination of a refusal of the record label to allow him to continue to write songs for the band (on their first album he had served as principal songwriter and, along with Kirkpatrick and Smith, had performed the same role on the second), a condition which he felt uncomfortable with.[5]

Actress/dancer/singer Cynthia Rhodes replaced Plane as female lead singer, and former solo artist/Device member Paul Engemann replaced Wadhams as the male lead for Animotion's second self-titled album, informally known as "Room to Move" (due to the success of this song) to distinguish it from their first LP. Incidentally, Engemann's former band, Device, had also included Holly Knight (co-writer of "Obsession"). By the time of this third album's release, only Kirkpatrick and Smith remained officially in the "band" along with Rhodes and Engemann, and a slew of session musicians contributed to the recording. The single "Room to Move", a remake of a 1988 song by the group Climie Fisher, became a radio hit in April 1989, and the band's second Top 10 hit in the US, aided by its inclusion in the movie My Stepmother Is an Alien. However, the album itself did not crack the top 100 on the charts, and Animotion broke up afterwards.

Reformation (2001–present)

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Animotion performing at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, July 27, 2012

Several of the original members reunited on February 8, 2001, in response to a request from Alex Hart and 94.7 NRK Radio Station in Portland, Oregon, performing for a sold-out crowd. Plane, Wadhams, Kirkpatrick, and Smith have continued to perform as Animotion since this time; with drummer Kevin Rankin joining them in 2002, and Bill's son Chris Wadhams joining as bass player in 2011. Don Kirkpatrick also plays in Rod Stewart's band. When he is unavailable, Portland, Oregon guitarist Kevin Hahn deputizes in the position. They have performed many shows with A Flock of Seagulls, Wang Chung, Berlin and the Motels in recent years.

In the summer of 2005, Ottavio made a guest appearance alongside Plane and Wadhams who appeared as Animotion in the American version of the TV show Hit Me Baby One More Time, performing their hit "Obsession" and a cover of Dirty Vegas' "Days Go By".

In 2014, Wadhams heard a remix of "Obsession" by a Colorado DJ named Joman. After reaching out to the DJ, Joman offered to remix new material from the band. Wadhams sent a recording of "Raise" and the remixed product was used to obtain a record deal with Invisible Hands Music in London.[6] After 26 years, the band—featuring core members Plane, Wadhams, Kirkpatrick, and Smith—released a new album entitled Raise, which was released in 2016[7] in the UK and a month later on January 20, 2017 (as Raise Your Expectations) in the US.[8] Joman's rendition of "Raise" along with Animotion's classic "Let Him Go" are featured on the album.[6] A music video, directed by producer Chuck Kentis' son Noah, was made for the song "Last Time";[9] it features a mix of live-action and animated elements. The album cover was created by Jay Vigon, who created Animotion's original logo and the logo for Prince's film Purple Rain.[10]

The band's original drummer, David "Frenchy" O'Brien (born May 23, 1947 in Worcester, Massachusetts), died on January 13, 2019, at age 71.[11]

In January 2023, a US show was announced: the band played at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California on May 20, 2023.[12]

Personnel

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Members

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Line-ups

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1983 1983–1985 1985–1988 1988–1990
  • Astrid Plane – lead vocals
  • Bill Wadhams – lead vocals, guitars
  • Paul Antonelli – keyboards
  • Charles Ottavio – bass
  • David "Frenchy" O'Brien – drums
  • Astrid Plane – lead vocals
  • Bill Wadhams – lead vocals, guitars
  • Don Kirkpatrick – lead guitar
  • Paul Antonelli – keyboards
  • Charles Ottavio – bass
  • David "Frenchy" O'Brien – drums
  • Astrid Plane – lead vocals
  • Bill Wadhams – lead vocals, guitars
  • Don Kirkpatrick – lead guitar
  • Greg Smith – keyboards
  • Charles Ottavio – bass
  • Jim Blair – drums
1990–2001 2001–2002 2002–2011 2011–present

Disbanded

  • Astrid Plane – lead vocals
  • Bill Wadhams – lead vocals, guitars
  • Don Kirkpatrick – lead guitar
  • Greg Smith – keyboards
  • Astrid Plane – lead vocals
  • Bill Wadhams – lead vocals, guitars
  • Don Kirkpatrick – lead guitar
  • Greg Smith – keyboards
  • Kevin Rankin – drums
  • Astrid Plane – lead vocals
  • Bill Wadhams – lead vocals, guitars
  • Don Kirkpatrick – lead guitar
  • Greg Smith – keyboards
  • Wyatt Blair – bass/guitar
  • Chris Wadhams – bass
  • Jim Blair – drums

Discography

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Studio albums

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Year Album details Peak chart
positions
US
[13] 		SWI
[14] 		CAN

[15]

GER

[16]

1984 Animotion 28 — 21 —
1986 Strange Behavior 71 21 — 19
1989 Animotion (Room to Move) 110 — — —
2017 Raise Your Expectations — — — —
— "—" denotes releases that did not chart

+ The band's self-titled debut album was re-titled The Language of Attraction for its Canadian release (which also omitted the song "Turn Around")[19]

Compilation albums

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Year Album details
1996 Obsession: The Best of Animotion
  • Release date: April 1996
  • Label: Mercury Records
2006 20th Century Masters: The Best of Animotion

Singles

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Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold) 		Album
US CB [20] US
[21] 		US AC
[22] 		US Dan
[23] 		CAN
[24] 		AUT
[25] 		GER
[26] 		NZ
[27] 		SWI
[28] 		UK
[29] 		SA
[30] 		NL

[31]

1984 "Obsession" 6 6 — 35 7 17 8 10 — 5 9 42 Animotion
1985 "Let Him Go" 35 39 — — — — 41 — — 78 — —
1986 "I Engineer" — 76 — 27 — 19 2 — 6 — 4 — Strange Behavior
"I Want You" 74 84 — — — — 27 — — — — —
1989 "Room to Move" 12 9 46 — 11 — — 34 — 87 — — Animotion (Room to Move)
"Calling It Love" 54 53 — — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

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  1. ^ "Allmusic bio". All Media Guide. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Valcourt, Keith (October 4, 2016). "Animotion: 'Beyond the Obsession'". The Washington Times. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "animotion". Lost 80s Live!. January 5, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  4. ^ History of the band Sideshow, which briefly included Frenchy O'Brien Archived October 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  5. ^ Chiu, David (July 24, 2015). "Animotion Talks About the Hit Song That's Been an 'Obsession'". PopMatters. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Geller, Wendy (January 18, 2017). "Album Premiere: Hear Animotion's First New Set in 26 Years". Yahoo. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  7. ^ "Animotion - Raise". Dutch Charts. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  8. ^ Lynch, Joe (December 14, 2016). "'80s Hitmakers Animotion Debut New Single 'Last Time' From First Album In 28 Years". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  9. ^ Zupko, Sarah (March 13, 2017). "Animotion – "Last Time" (video) (premiere)". popmatters. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  10. ^ Lynch, Joe (December 14, 2016). "'80s Hitmakers Animotion Debut New Single 'Last Time' From First Album In 28 Years: Exclusive". billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  11. ^ "David O'Brien 1947 - 2019". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  12. ^ Jones, Damien (January 23, 2023). "Siouxsie Sioux and Iggy Pop lead Cruel World Festival 2023 line-up with other acts including the Human League". NME. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  13. ^ "Animotion Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  14. ^ "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". hitparade.ch. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  15. ^ "RPM100 Albums". Library and Archives Canada. June 8, 1985. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  16. ^ "Animotion". Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  17. ^ "Animotion - Raise Your Expectations". Invisible Hands Music. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  18. ^ "Raise Your Expectations by Animotion". Apple Music. December 2, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  19. ^ Animotion – The Language of Attraction @Discogs.com Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  20. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
  21. ^ "Animotion Album & Song Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  22. ^ "Animotion Chart History". billboard. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  23. ^ "Animotion Album & Song Chart History – Dance/Club Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  24. ^ "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Top Singles". RPM. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  25. ^ "austriancharts.at – Austria Top 40". austriancharts.at. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  26. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts – German Singles". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  27. ^ "charts.nz – New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  28. ^ "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". hitparade.ch. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  29. ^ "The Official Charts Company – Animotion". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  30. ^ "South African Charts 1969-1989: Artists (A)".
  31. ^ "Dutch Charts". dutchcharts. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  32. ^ "Gold & Platinum Search – Music Canada – Animotion". Music Canada. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
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