Animotion: Biography

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Formed:

Jan 1, 1984

Genres:

Rock Music, Dance Pop Music

Decades Active:

1980's

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 didn't cause any animosity -- Plane married Charles Ottavio, Animotion's 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.

- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide