Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: FM
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2016
Running time: 77:40
Rating: 4.5/5
As any true lover of good hard rock knows, the album »Indiscreet« is considered the centerpiece, if not downright the »holy« record, of the AOR genre to come out of Europe in the golden age of the eighties, when the genre was a commercial success. Hand on heart: this album is so representative and so damn good that it should grace the CD shelf of every household that puts any stock in good rock’n’roll. Its creators FM, standard-bearers of the eighties British AOR/melodic rock wave and a kind of true European answer to the American approach championed by the likes of Survivor, Night Ranger and Journey, are busier with »Indescreet« today than they were thirty years ago, when the album was first officially released. As they’ve matured, they’ve only grown closer to it (and to its mission).
For the album’s 25th anniversary they already played a handful of shows where they performed the whole thing live. And for the thirtieth, they decided to record it again. Given what the band is up to these days, that’s totally justified. You can’t accuse them of cashing in on past glory, either, since FM have gone through a real renaissance and rebirth over the last few years. They put out studio albums and EPs regularly, and their current »Heores And Villains« reflects that exceptional creative spark that sticks with the band even in their mature era.
Until the next studio album lands, this re-release of »Indiscreet« in a refreshed (production- and performance-wise) package is a hugely welcome move that eases the heavy expectations of the band’s fans about what their next studio album will bring. Part of that credit goes to FM singer Steve Overland himself, who released his new solo studio album »Contagious« last year.
What’s essential to mention after listening to the newly recorded »Indiscreet«? That the building blocks of the sound are talking to each other in a different way. So: the thinned-out, compressed and reverb-drenched production of the original eighties recording has been replaced by a more organic, pronounced depth of sound. The guitars now squeeze out more fat tone and hit livelier, grip tighter and with more organic dynamics. The keyboards are a bit tucked back, though they remain firmly present across the soundscape, just a touch less invasive than in the original sonic arrangement. At the same time, the rhythm section is locked in much more tightly with the guitar phrases. It’s interesting to realize that Steve Overland’s vocals have changed by far the least compared to his range from thirty years ago. Very few singers of his caliber can boast that. Steve Overland remains incredible. Brilliant. Even better. Better and better. Even more intense in his expression, more convincing, more and more convincing. You never run out of superlatives for his vocal charisma. The songs themselves don’t bring any special changes. Everything stays in its place. Besides the different sound, the main change is of course Overland’s new vocal interpretation. Not in terms of tone, which is practically identical to the one from thirty years ago, but in the way Steve now tweaks some of the verse melodies, trying to squeeze out even more expressive punch from the lyrics. The same goes for some of the licks in the guitar solos, but otherwise the arrangements stay really close to the originals, in fact they follow the originals religiously.
The more interesting stuff comes with the bonus tracks. There are as many as seven. From an acoustic version of the biggest hit That Girl (every true metalhead knows the Iron Maiden version of this song), to the FM version of Ozzy’s Shot in the Dark, and here few of you probably know that the co-writers of that excellent Ozzy song are brothers Steve and Chris Overland (Chris once played guitar in FM), and the song was written back before FM, when they played for Wildlife. Then there’s a newly recorded version of the archival Let Love Be The Leader, which was actually written around the time of the album »Indescreet«, but FM didn’t find room for it on the album back then. On top of all that, »Indescreet 30« also gives us a new Running On Empty, a fun new version of Bad That’s Good In You from the EP »Futurama« (2014), and a new version of Rainbow’s End from the EP »Only Fooling« (2012).
In short: job done with top-notch quality. FM knew exactly where the limits are when you play around with the hot stuff of glowing embers. They didn’t get burned, even though it’s always seriously risky to mess with the reputation of a cult album. »Indescreet 30« is such a good and properly refreshed version of 1986’s »Indescreet« that everyone should, if not buy it, then at least give it a spin. That goes for the fresh-out-of-the-oven melodic rock fans who don’t know »Indescreet« yet, and for all the true FM fans.
FM – That Girl (official audio of the “Indescreet 30” version):
FM – “Indicreet 30” (official teaser video):
Lineup
Steve Overland – vocals, rhythm guitar
Jem Davis – keyboards
Jim Kirkpatrick – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Merv Goldsworthy – bass guitar, backing vocals
Pete Jupp – drums, backing vocals
Production
FM
Track list
1. That Girl
2. Other Side Of Midnight
3. Love Lies Dying
4. I Belong To The Night
5. American Girls
6. Hotwired
7. Face To Face
8. Frozen Heart
9. Heart Of The Matter
10. Let Love Be The Leader*
11. Running On Empty*
12. Rainbow’s End*
13. Shot In The Dark*
14. Bad That’s Good In You*
15. Love & Hate*
16. That Girl (Acoustic Version)*
*…bonus tracks
