Editing Animotion (section)

=== Formation and rise (1983–1986) ===
Animotion was founded by four former members of Los Angeles-based band Red Zone and the lead singer of the Billy Bond band.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/4/obsession-singers-animotion-release-new-album/|title=Animotion: 'Beyond the Obsession'|last=Valcourt|first=Keith|date=October 4, 2016|website=The Washington Times|access-date=May 3, 2019}}</ref> Both Red Zone and the Billy Bond Band would play at the popular music venue [[Esther Wong|Madame Wong's]] and knew of each other.<ref name=":0"/> A manager who heard that Red Zone were considering breaking up suggested that Billy Bond Band vocalist Bill Wadhams look into working with them, and particularly their vocalist Astrid Plane. After Wadhams demonstrated some of his original material to the group, the two parties decided to form a new band with the name "Animotion" suggested by Astrid to convey energy and motion.<ref name=":0"/><ref name="Lost 80s Live! 2021">{{cite web | title=animotion | website=Lost 80s Live! | date=2021-01-05 | url=https://lost80slive.com/artist/animotion/ | access-date=2022-08-19}}</ref>

The initial line-up was made up of dual lead vocalists in Wadhams and Plane, keyboardist [[Paul Antonelli]], bassist Charles Ottavio, and drummer David "Frenchy" O'Brien. With Wadhams already handling some guitar duties, lead guitarist Don Kirkpatrick was brought into the band to supplement their sound.  The now-six-piece lineup recorded their 1984 [[Animotion (album)|self-titled debut album]], further augmented by session keyboardist Greg Smith.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20111005002558/http://60sgaragebands.com/sideshow.html History of the band Sideshow, which briefly included Frenchy O'Brien]}} Retrieved November 9, 2011.</ref><ref name="Lost 80s Live! 2021"/> Released near the end of the year, a single from this album, "Obsession", written by hit American songwriter [[Holly Knight]] and noted British singer/actor [[Michael Des Barres]] (who originally cut the song themselves as "Knight and Des Barres" for the 1983 movie ''[[A Night in Heaven]]''), became a worldwide success and the band's first US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] [[Top Forty|Top Ten]] single, peaking early the following year. The follow-up single from this album, "Let Him Go", also cracked the US Top 40 after being remixed to sound more like its predecessor.

Following the departures of Antonelli and O'Brien, Smith became an official member of the band, along with new drummer Jim Blair, prior to the recording of the follow-up album, ''[[Strange Behavior (album)|Strange Behavior]]'' (1986). While several singles were released from this album, its success in the US paled in comparison to the debut album, whereas the band became very famous in Germany, [[Austria]], [[Switzerland]] and South Africa, thanks to the LP's single "I Engineer", another Holly Knight composition which was co-written with [[Bernie Taupin]] and [[Mike Chapman]]. "I Engineer" reached the Top 20 (and sometimes as high as the Top 5) in those countries. During 1986 and 1987 Animotion toured extensively, appearing alongside such performers as [[Phil Collins]], [[Depeche Mode]], [[Eurythmics]], [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]], [[Howard Jones (British musician)|Howard Jones]], [[INXS]], and [[Simply Red]].