Animotion

Animotion's signature 1984 hit "Obsession" delivered synth-pop soap opera precision-made for the ascendent MTV.

Animotion grew out of a self-described "retro science-fiction band" called Red Zone, led by singer Astrid Plane and featuring Paul Antonelli on keyboards, Charles Ottavio on bass and David "Frenchy" O'Brien on drums. The Los Angeles group was on the verge of breaking up when CBS Records executive Larry Ross (later Animotion's manager) suggested bringing on Bill Wadhams, vocalist of another local act, the Billy Bond Band. Animotion's male-female vocal dynamic quickly attracted the attention of PolyGram Records A&R exec Russ Regan, who signed the group after hearing its demo tape.

"Obsession" was originally written and recorded by Michael Des Barres and Holly Knight, although their 1983 A&M Records single earned scant notice. Animotion's version, the lead single from their self-titled debut LP, ultimately reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100, boosted by a campy music video that entered heavy rotation of cable network MTV, which by this time reached almost 25 million households nationwide. A reconfigured Animotion lineup returned to the Top Ten in 1988 with "Room to Move," although the group split soon after. Plane and Wadhams revived the Animotion brand in 2001, and in 2017 the group released Raise Your Expectations, its first new LP in three decades.