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From page 83 of Classic Rock Magazine June 2011
Cover of June 2011 issue.
Reissues ROCK CANDY
Two more melodic rock gems for the collection.
As far as capturing the mid-80s melodic rock zeitgeist goes, Survivor simply can’t be faulted, as this latest brace of Rock Candy reissues proves.
As a follow-up to the AOR landmark that is Vital Signs , 1986’s When Seconds Count was a very fine companion piece indeed. With Ron Nevison producing again, the chief songwriting duo of guitarist Frankie Sullivan and keyboardist Jim Peterik simply did what came naturally and whipped up plenty of polished choruses perfectly attuned to radio airplay. The key song of the era was without doubt anthemic hit single Burning Heart, written for Rocky IV and included here as a bonus track. However, despite the quality of the songs, WSC failed to scale the US charts convincingly, eventually running out of steam at 49.
The waning of fortunes for 1988’s Too Hot To Sleep was even more marked, and not helped by a lack of label promotion. The album marked a shift back to a tougher sound, with Sullivan’s guitar boosted in the mix, most notably on She’s A Star, Rhythm Of The City and Here Comes Desire . It might have signalled the end of the band’s classic period, but what a way to kiss the decade goodbye.
Essi Berelian
