Indiscreet

Chronique

The debut album from British rock band FM was first issued in 1986. The band had built up a following on the live scene and had supported a number of larger acts in the mid-'80s including Bon Jovi, REO Speedwagon, Tina Turner, and Gary Moore. All the songs on the album were written by various members of the group without the need to resort to cover versions. The basic format of the songs, although not original in concept, suited the genre of the time being soft/AOR rock with the members of the group, except keyboard player Didge Digital, having "big hair" so beloved of the larger American groups of the time. The album began with the track "That Girl" which is introduced by the swirling keyboards of Digital and strumming guitars before moving on to become a fast-paced rocker. The song, which began their live set, perfectly showcased what the group were about. The fourth track on the album, and probably their most popular, was "Frozen Heart." This power ballad was released on a number of occasions as a single but could never reach higher than number 64 in the U.K. singles chart. The song, although slower than most, brought to the fore the vocal talents of lead singer Steve Overland and the harmonies of the rest of the group. The following track, "American Girls," is based on the Beach Boys' "California Girls" and had some similarity to the David Lee Roth version of the song. The remainder of the album continued in the same vein and the biggest surprise is that it only charted for one week in the U.K. album chart at number 76.
© Sharon Mawer /TiVo