Music Banter - View Single Post - AOR: Anteater's Guide To The Best Of 80's Melodic Rock

Anteater · 12-12-2010, 09:22 PM

8.

FM – Tough It Out (1989)

1. Tough It Out (5:33)
2. Don't Stop (3:55)
3. Bad Luck (4:07)
4. Someday (3:58)
5. Everytime I Think Of You (4:38)
6. Burning My Heart Down (4:02)
7. The Dream That Died (4:37)
8. Obsession (4:09)
9. Can You Hear Me Calling (3:40)
10. Does It Feel Like Love (4:22)
11. Feels So Good (4:09)
12. Let Love Be The Leader (3:45)
13. Love Lasts Forever (3:52)
14. This Could Be The Last Time (3:44)
15. Hurt Is Where The Heart Is (3:58)
16. Everytime We Touch (4:46)

And coming up at number eight -- I present one of the more intriguing British/American crossover melodic rock groups to hit the airwaves back in the 80's, a band whose sound is almost as straightforward and honest as their market-friendly moniker....FM!

Despite how obviously the bunch was marketing themselves, it's difficult to deny that there is quite a bit of appeal to FM's larger-than-life bombast, a trick to the trade if you will. For one thing, vocalist Steve Overland is one of the three or four most vivacious individuals to get behind the mic for this sort of music, a monster who pulls out so much panache and theatrical beltage that he's almost unparalleled. He's got a bit more power than Journey's Steve Perry and a bluesier, less annoying delivery than people like Michael Bolton or Jon Bon Jovi...which is probably why these guys are quite tolerable while other bands in the same genre might induce more blatant cringing.

Anyway, 1989's Tough It Out was the sophomore followup to their reasonably successful 1986 debut Indiscreet. Evidently it didn't do as well as the band wanted though, so they changed over to record label Epic and went to the U.S. to lasso in the help of studio wizard Desmond Child to help them craft the sound they wanted. He did a damn good job too - everything sounds cushy as fuck.

This record, for me at least, represents what might have been if Bon Jovi had a better vocalist and songwriting team. Not every track is a winner, but when 3 out of 4 songs are catchy and headbagin' in a 16 set, you know somebody is doing something right. Overland's voice soars over slick guitar and keyboard leads, bringing some real weight behind arena rousers like the classic title track and some of the particularly catchy ballads such as 'The Dream That Died' and 'Hurt Is Where The Heart Is'.

I won't say this will chart high on too many people's radars, as most people have a low tolerance for the cheese+sappy 80's equation in general. For those of you with thicker skin however, I guarantee this album might end up charming you more than you expect.

Oh, and it's an AOR classic too, for better or for worse.