Animotion

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.