Heroes and Villains

British AOR veterans FM were formed around the trio of Steve Overland, his brother Chris, and Pete Jupp. The three initially formed the band Wildlife in 1980 and recorded Burning for Chrysalis. Their second album, Wildlife, included drummer Simon Kirke (ex-Free, Bad Company) and was produced by Mick Ralphs. When Wildlife disbanded, the three original members continued with bass player Merv Goldsworthy (ex-Diamond Head) and keyboard player Didge Digital to become FM. The first FM album, Indiscreet, was released in 1986 and included the ballad "Frozen Heart," which was released as a single but failed to chart. FM's second release, Tough It Out (1989), was given an extra push by Epic Records, but the extracted single "Bad Luck" also fizzled. Many of the songs were co-written by well-known hitmaker Desmond Child. The band lost its contract with Sony and signed to Music for Nations to record Takin' It to the Streets; this shift to a more straightforward rock approach suited new guitarist Andy Barnett (ex- A.S.A.P.), who had been in a formative lineup of the group. FM's fourth album, Aphrodisiac, was acknowledged as their best work but was commercially unsuccessful. The band signed to the Raw Power label to record Dead Man's Shoes, which included new keyboard player Jem Davis. Upon disbanding, Barnett and Davis formed the Barnstormers, while Overland and Jupp formed So! and recorded Brass Monkey in 1998. In 2007 the band re-formed for Nottingham’s Fire Fest IV, a show that was eventually released on the DVD Back in the Saddle. Guitarist and Thea Gilmore collaborator Jim Kirkpatrick joined the band in 2009, before the following year's Metropolis became FM’s first album of new material in 15 years. ~ Mike Edmunds