Emotions in Motion (1982)

Emotions in Motion, the excellent follow-up to Billy Squier's sophomore outing Don't Say No, saw Squier rise from theater headliner to bona fide arena rock sensation by delivering his most consistent solo record to date. Or at least one just as good as its predecessor. On this slice of AOR heaven, Squier expands on the Led Zeppelin-influenced exploits of Don't Say No. Right off the bat, Squier delivers an immediate blow to the head on the album's opening triumvirate "Everybody Wants You," "Emotions in Motion" (a distant cousin of Queen's "Get Down Make Love" no doubt), and the moody "Learn How to Live." Backed by longtime cronies -- drummer Bobby Chouinard, guitarist Jeff Golub, and keyboard player Allan St. John -- Squier effortlessly leads his ace band through the boogie-woogie of future concert staple "Keep Me Satisfied." Squier also takes a few chances by veering into Rolling Stones territory on the horn-laced "Catch 22." Borrowing heavily from "Tumbling Dice," "Catch 22" foreshadows a style that would become more prevalent on future records like Enough Is Enough and Creatures of Habit. Emotions in Motion saw Squier establish himself as a major rock star, embarking on a tour as Queen's support act on their U.S. Hot Space tour. As Queen's popularity in America began to wane, Squier would steal their thunder resulting in a huge headline tour of his own shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, for the Boston rocker, 1984's follow-up Signs of Life would yield the career-suicidal video for "Rock Me Tonite (which features Squier rolling around pink satin sheets) eclipsing the many merits of his earlier works. Interesting side note is the album's cover art. It was commissioned by legendary artist Andy Warhol.