Customer Reviews

Obsession: The Best Of Animotion

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Every top 100 hit is here, as well as remixes. Problem is, they left off the 12" version of Room to Move, which would have made this a complete final chapter in the recording history of this band in its two lineups. And if space was an issue, they coul have removed the "12 inch remix" of Obsession, which I believe was remixed a year or so later. The original album version included on this disc (5:35) is actually the "long" version. The remix (7:32) is overmixed and takes away the sexy feel of the original. Other 12" versions are Let Him Go (6:04) (good 12"), I Want you (6:49) (good 12"), and I Engineer (10:57) (a little long for a generally uninteresting song). Also note that the 7" version of Let Him Go is used on here--it has more synths thant the original album version, which was guitar heavy.

Obsession: The Best of Animotion contains all of the greatest hits in the animotion catalog. From the possesive "I Want You" and "Obsession" which hit the top ten in 1985 to the eerie and peculiar "Strange Behavior". This also contains the later Animotion hits "Room to Move"- a Lightwieght song seen in 'My Stepmother is an Alien'. Animotion boasts great instrumentals on the synthesiezer as well as guitars and drums, plus great vocals done by Bill Wadhams and Astrid Plane. As for the reviews below, Obsession: The Best of Animotion DOES contain "I Engineer" plus the "I Engineer [12" Remix]! The 12" remixes add new flavor to the first four songs. These remixes arent only rare, they're great! You get CD quality remixes, in which you would have had to buy old used (and probably poor sound quality) 12" records. This CD is highly recommended for anyone who's heard "Obsession" or is into 80's Synth Pop. 5/5!

No guy or gal who spent 1985 hitting the video arcade for a game of "Dig Dug," decked out in suspenders and OP shorts, rubber bracelets and velcro sneaks, could forget Animotion's snarky Top 10 hit "Obsession," or its slightly salty come on ("Who do you want me to be, to make you sleep with me?").

No doubt, the song is a classic of its kind, with its over-the-top electric percussion, flourishy axeplay, campy lyrics (with catchy chorus) and throbbing synth backbeat -- in short, a crystallization of all that was '80s pop. (And anyone who catched the video, which received heavy MTV airplay, got the extra bonus of seeing the moussed-and-eyeliner'd band prancing around a Hollywood mansion in chintzy, movie-extra costumes.)

But for all those who thought that the L.A.-based group's catalog began and ended with that tweaked tune, here comes this "best-of" to remind you that, yes, you're right.

This recently released disc collects cuts from the group's three albums (released between 1984 and 1989). With each record, Animotion's lineup changed considerably, with only one orignal member hanging in there for 1989's self-titled disc. But the sound, irritatingly, stayed the same, eroding a lot of the good will created by the appealingly (and darkly) kooky "Obsession" (included here in the original, long album version, which cranks up the choked guitar riffs toward the fade).

The disc's skimpy liner notes (no loving fan's encomium here) reveal a core problem: As writers, the band's members were a shade under mediocre. The group's two biggest hits -- the other being a cover of Climie Fisher's "Room to Move," pasted on the "My Stepmother Is an Alien" soundtrack -- were penned by outsiders.

While "I Engineer," from Animotion's second album, 1986's "Strange Behaviour," has some ear-tickling programming and echoes of the insinuating call-and-response format of their early hit, it ultimately suffers from being overextend! ed. None of this CD's other tracks warrant much mention, as their puppy-love sentiments and beep-whoosh-beep tempos blend together quite blandly; they could as well been anonymous cuts from a cut-rate '80s teenpic (We're talking "My Science Project" caliber.)

The extended remixes are a nice bonus, but besides reminding us of the dearth of "just-OK" Animotions songs (the four 12-inches are, basically, filler), they don't add much to the originals. Even the best bet, the extended mix of "Obsession," plays UP the computer-programmed beats and DOWN the snazzy vocals, a big mistake.

All in all, not a must-listen by any stretch. "Obsession" is widely available on various "Rock of the '80s" compilations, and that's all most people will need.

This is a great CD. If you liked Obsession, you'll love this CD. If you don't know "Obsession," go to http://www.animotionlive.com/ and listen to the mp3 sample of it. Great vocals, great music, really good hook-filled pop songs.

the complaints regarding the almost 11-mins running time of "I Engineer" (my fave track aside from "Obsession") could easily be explained: the remix version only lasted around six minutes. however, in this compilation, the dub version, which runs around five minutes, was included immediately after the remix. thus - it got a total run time of 11 mins!

not a bad idea. i am actually glad they included it!

it's an obsession!

Not bad for a one-hit wonder, they generously threw in four 12-inch remix versions, which of course includes "Obsession". A great time for those who know how to dance, and useful material maybe for those who dance competetively.

It's really too bad '80's music (which is my generation) didn't sound this good - I actually would have liked it.

Wow! What a rippen cd. This is the best band that ever lived in the history of pop music. Drums are the best drums in the whole world. He's better than Dave Weckl, Billy Cobham, and Buddy Rich combined. This band is a complete expierience of pop sensation. BUY THIS CD KNOW!

I got this CD for X-mas(I had asked for it because I really wanted "Room To Move" on CD since they NEVER play it on the radio and the tape I had it on(recorded off the radio)was of VERY poor quality). When I got to the song, I was VERY disappointed to learn that the version on the CD sounds different than the one I remember(a whole bunce of claps were added). Other than that, it is a great CD.

I bought OBSESSION for the title track, and I got it, along with some mild amusement that a forgettable song on this album bears the same name as the SAVAGE GARDEN track I'm quite fond of. That's about all the added value I got; only three of the other songs on here ("I Engineer", "Room to Move", "Calling It Love") manage to inspire me even to give them a second hearing, and their appeal is somewhat limited for me.

Out of 12 tracks on this album, the final four are remixed versions of the first four on the album. That is, one third of the songs on here are remixed versions of another third. *shakes head* This is not, upon reflection, a promising sign that if (as seems most likely) one is contemplating buying this album for a recording of "Obsession" that one will find unexpected treasures herein. Ah, well. I'm quite fond of "Obsession", even though it inspires recommendations engines to give me odd advice sometimes regarding music they think I might like, so I've erred on the side of generosity in rating the album.

Warning: I don't have a lot of use for heavy percussion, especially if it's concerned only with keeping tempo (shouldn't be necessary), and I'll be whinging about it in this review.

"Obsession" (from ANIMOTION (1984)) If one considers Animotion a one-hit wonder, this would be the reason why. "You are an obsession/I cannot sleep..."

"Let Him Go" (from ANIMOTION (1984)) and "I Want You" (from STRANGE BEHAVIOR) have similar percussion issues, namely that the drummer manages to nearly drown out the other instruments even though the percussion mostly involves hit-the-snare-on-the-beat. Stated another way, the other instruments' accompaniment is arranged at too low a volume, and isn't very interesting. Neither are the lyrics or the singers' performances, come to that.

"I Engineer" (from STRANGE BEHAVIOR) Too much bass drum (the piece would work just as well without any), but enough synthesizer to make the accompaniment tolerable. "Don't count on me - I engineer/on every move we make from here/I'll take the lead, you take the pain/You see, I engineer this game".

"Strange Behavior" (from STRANGE BEHAVIOR) Same issues as "Let Him Go" et al. "Coming from you, that's nothing but strange behavior". Apt line; the female vocalist is obviously deliberately attempting to lower the pitch of her voice for effect herein, and the result isn't impressive.

"Anxiety" (from STRANGE BEHAVIOR) Here we have a song where a transcript of the lyrics would've been of interest if it had been included with the CD. The percussion has been kept to a more reasonable level on this piece.

"Room to Move" (from ANIMOTION (1989)) is the only song other than "Obsession" that sounded familiar upon first listening to this album, though only the first few bars. The instrumental accompaniment is reasonably interesting. "That's all I need, that's all I ask for/Room to breathe/Room to move." (I didn't say the lyrics' *content* couldn't be made to sound silly, though.)

"Calling It Love" (from ANIMOTION (1989)) Much gentler song than the others on the album up to this point, dominated by keyboards initially, percussion kept in check. "I've been calling it love 'cause I want you to stay." This one might grow on you.

"Obsession (12 inch remix version)" Extended instrumental prologue. This isn't *bad*, but I prefer what I consider the original version (see above).

"Let Him Go (12 inch remix version)" and "I Want You (12 inch remix version)" don't appeal to me in their shorter forms, and still less with a couple of minutes added to each.

"I Engineer (12 inch remix version)" Hmm. A song originally clocked in at 4 minutes 14 seconds extended to 10 minutes 57 seconds? Why choose this song for that much extra attention instead of the better known "Obsession", if one accepts for the sake of argument that it's a worthwhile endeavour in the first place?

-This album would rate four or higher if it weren't missing I Engineer, which to me, is the best song ever performed by Animotion. You would think The Best of... would contain I Engineer.