EIGHT SECONDS - Almacantar (1986) (Req)

Genre:
Electronic
Style:
Synth-pop

Credits:
Bass - March Cesare/Drums - Scott Milks/Guitar - Andres Del Castillo , Marc Parent/
Keyboards - Frank Levin/Mixed By [Assistant], Recorded By [Assistant] - Andrew Scarth/ Mixed By, Recorded By - Stephen W. Tayler/Vocals [Additional] - Rupert Hine/
Vocals - Andres Del Castillo , Frank Levin , Scott Milks/Written By - Eight Seconds

Tracklist :

01 Sincere (4:26)
02 Kiss You (When It’s Dangerous) (4:06)
03 Call And A Cry (4:10)
04 Just Pretend (4:33)
05 Commissioner St. (4:41)
06 Where’s Bula (4:38)
07 Zoe (4:53)
08 Wings (4:44)
09 Listen (5:18)
10 Land Of The Monster (4:36)

Bonus:
11 Kiss You (when it`s dangerous) (rare extended mix)
12 Tell Diane from (from"Big Houses")

13 Moving Day (from "Big Houses")
14 Picture (from"Big Houses")

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/28691597/eight_seconds-almacantar_1986_192_kbs.rar.html

"Perhaps it's because of the slight rasp in Andres DelCastillo's voice or March Cesare's funky bass but Eight Seconds recalls the Fixx. The culprit is most likely Fixx producer Rupert Hine, who gives Almacantar an unmistakably '80s rock radio sheen. The Fixx was a British band that sounded American; Eight Seconds, on the other hand, was a Canadian group attempting to sound like an English band that sounded American. Best known for the single "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous)," Eight Seconds knew how to craft a hook just like their idols in the Fixx; Almacantar is bursting with them. The giddy synthesizers and sweaty vocals of "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous)" create a sensual atmosphere; the lyrics aren't deep -- you're supposed to be dancing, not thinking -- but catchy lines like "I won't kiss you if you want me to/It's much too easy with someone like you" are made for singing in the shower. "Call and a Cry" and "Sincere" borrow the Fixx's otherworldly keyboards and anthemic pop. If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery then the Fixx should be blushing because Eight Seconds does it so well. Nearly every track on Almacantar could have been an FM hit -- even the oddly titled "Where's Bula" is hummable. The lads were also kind enough to include a moving ballad, "Just Pretend," for the ladies seduced by "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous)." ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide

Biography:
Eight Seconds got its start as an entity when the members became aware of each other in various bands playing the Ottawa club scene. It was 1982 and Castillo, Levin and Milks had all just graduated from high school; encountering each other continuously in the local bars fostered a sort of mutual admiration society between them and they by the end of the summer of '82 they'd decided to form a band. They wrote and demoed their material to hone their chops until finding Cesare and Parent, and then hit the bars as Eight Seconds. They managed to slip the occasional original into their set of covers, one of which was "Where's Bula"? This song won them CHEZ 106's Sharechez '83 homegrown contest, so they contacted Corvideocom to make a video which got airplay on MuchMusic and MTV's Basement Tapes show, as well as winning the 1984 Canadian Film and Television Association's Best Music Video of the Year. These achievement's plus the band's potential attracted the attention of Allan White, owner of the video company. He sent them back into the studio to record a five-song EP, 1985's 'Ottava Rima' (pronounced Oh-ta-va Ree-ma), which charted in Ottawa both on CHEZ 106 FM and CFRA AM. Greg Torrington, music director at CHEZ 106, sent the EP to producer Rupert Hine (the Fixx, Howard Jones) in England, who was so impressed he went on the air in Ottawa and stated publicly that he wished to produce the band. This attention from Rupert caught the attention of the major labels and eventually the band signed with Polygram Records and then went to England to work with Hine. The result was their first full-length release, 'Almacantar', in 1987, and a Top 30 hit with "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous)". A second album was recorded in 1988 but management hassles and red tape kept the material on the shelf. By 1990 things had been worked out and WEA had come calling with a new deal, and their second album, 'Big Houses', was released. In 1987, however, Parent left the fold, and so they added an extra player for their live dates in 1990. The band was lost in the dissolution shuffle of their American record label, ATCO, and the band remained in limbo, effectively causing Eight Seconds to disband. Eight Seconds reunited, briefly, in 2002 to record a track for the 2004 Bullseye Records release "It Was 40 Years Ago Today: A Tribute To The Beatles" with their remake of the classic track 'Hey Jude'. (http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/E/Eight_Seconds.html)

More Info:
http://www.musicbymailcanada.com/Almacantar/index2.html