The Fixx had been experiencing a steady decline in sales and charts since 1984's Phantoms, and when their final album of the decade, Calm Animals (1989) was released, nothing changed. Well, actually, that's not true. With the poor performance of 1986's Walkabout and 1987's compilation, React, MCA dropped them from their label. They'd be picked up by RCA
When Calm Animals was released, critics were brutal towards it. It was stated that it had no songs worth mentioning, and that their sound had been flattened to pop-metal. Basically, they hated it.
Only two singles would make waves for the album. The first, Driven Out, would actually perform the best, taking the number one spot on the Mainstream Rock charts, eleven on the Modern Rock charts, and fifty-five on the Billboard Hot 100. Their second, Precious Stone would not fare so well, only charting on the Mainstream Rock charts, and stalling at twenty-three. As for the album itself, it would only chart in the USA and Canada at seventy-two, and thirty-six, respectively.
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Personally, I like the straightforward rock aspect The Fixx take with Calm Animals. Further, I don't think it's all that far of a step away from their previous new wave style. I also can't fault the band for wanting to evolve with the changing landscape of the late 80's.
The hits are decent, but I think the absolute hidden gem is Subterranean. I don't know how that one flew under the radar in 1989.
Overall, it's not their best material they've put forth, but then again, they also haven't really produced anything I would call perfect. So, basically, what I got was as expected. Enjoyable, but nothing Earth shattering.
Ironically, after being kicked to the curb, MCA welcomed the band back for 1990's Ink under their Impact label in an attempt to rekindle their mainstream success. Unfortunately, this would fail, and their remaining years would be spent label hopping.
Bassist Dan K. Brown would take a hiatus from the band in 1994, and though he wouldn't be formally replaced, Chris Tait would fill in for him on tours, as well as recording sessions for the three studio albums released between 1998 and 2003. Brown would return in 2008, recording their final two albums to date, with 2022's Every Five Seconds being their latest, and possibly last.
These days, The Fixx focus on international touring, and occasional one off self-released singles, as opposed to full albums. As of this writing, they've been together forty-seven years, and with fifty on the horizon, one would think they wouldn't stop until at least reaching that milestone.
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And now, 31 Days Of Halloween!
You know, I don't think I'm actually a fan of Jamie Lee Curtis. I don't see her as all that amazing of an actress, and while Trading Places was a hysterical movie, it certainly wasn't her who led that charge. Basically, I could take her or leave her, and as I type that, I'd prefer the latter.
Unlike your standard franchise, Prom Night shifts around like an anthology, with not every sequel being relevant to a previous film, ultimately only being connected by the name of the series. It starts out as your typical slasher, but by part two shifts to the supernatural before returning to slasher status. It's kind of all over the place, but at the same time, pure B-movie cheesy greatness.
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