TREAT – The Pleasure Principle [Japan HR/HM 1000 Vol.2 reissue series] (2020) *EXCLUSIVE*

A couple years ago 0dayrox featured in exclusive a lot of albums from the Universal Music Japan campaign ‘HR/HM 1000‘, that meaning Hard Rock / Heavy Metal long time out of print records from their catalog at the price of 1000 Yen = about 10,5 USD.
Now 2020 the label started the “HR/HM 1000 Vol.2 reissue series“, including some awesome titles you need to own in a superior Japanese CD press for only 10 bucks.
And now we have here another number from this just updated 2020 series: Swedes’ TREAT “The Pleasure Principle“, a fantastic 1986 slice of pure Scandinavian AOR / Melodic Rock.

1986 was the year that Bon Jovi and more importantly Europe took center stage in the genre. Being Swedish, Treat and Europe had – up to a point, competed in the local Swedish market, jousting with each between 1984 and 1985.
Treat’s ‘Scratch And Bite’ was a very good debut album and made its way into many foreign markets as an import, it was also clear the band were heavily influenced by Def Leppard.

However 1986 would prove to be a hurdle, with the band’s ‘then’ drummer Mats ‘Dalton’ Dahlberg packing up his drumkit and leaving under mysterious and secretive circumstances.
He would go on to form Dalton, and we all know how good that band were. Treat meanwhile bought in Leif Sundin on drums – who wasn’t an immediate fit, plus producer Jean Beauvoir to work up material for their next phase.

The single ‘Ride Me High’ was the result, but the band did not kick on with Beauvoir, opting instead for Gary Winter as the next producer for what would be the second album: ‘The Pleasure Principle’.
An excellent album in its own right, it was however overshadowed by the massive Swedish success that was ‘The Final Countdown’, which would dominate world charts from late 1986 into 1987.
‘The Pleasure Principle’ never stood a chance really, both albums released during the early summer of 1986.

All songs here are much more keyboard oriented than before, with party anthems all over. There’s two slower numbers in ‘Waiting Game’, which is mid-paced part ballad/rocker and the pure ballad ‘Take My Hand’, with synths and piano taking the lead on a sentimental journey.

But elsewhere, tracks such as ‘Rev It Up’, ‘Caught In The Line Of Fire’, the melodious ‘Love Stroke’, the aforementioned ‘Ride Me High’, the keyboard laced ‘Fallen Angel’ and probably the album’s best moment, ‘Strike Without A Warning’, all hit home with maximum impact. There’s still a little bit of The Lepps in those vocal choruses, but it’s not as apparent as before.
Terrific ’80s album.
A MUST

Only at 0dayrox

ＳＯＮＹ ＭＵＳＩＣ ＪＡＰＡＮ ～ 【UICY-79410】
トリート* ／ プレジャー・プリンシプル
Ｈ Ｒ / Ｈ Ｍ １０００ Ｖｏｌ. ２ ＳＥＲＩＥＳ

1 – Rev It Up = レヴ・イット・アップ
2 – Waiting Game = ウェイティング・ゲーム
3 – Love Stroke = ラヴ・ストローク
4 – Eyes On Fire = アイズ・オン・ファイアー
5 – Take My Hand = テイク・マイ・ハンド
6 – Fallen Angel = フォーリン・エンジェル
7 – Caught In The Line Of Fire = ライン・オブ・ファイアー
8 – Strike Without A Warning = ウィズアウト・ア・ウォーニング
9 – Ride Me High = ライド・ミー・ハイ

Robert Ernlund – vocals
Anders Wikstrom – guitar, keyboards
Lillen Liljegren – guitar
Ken Siewertson – bass
Leif Sundin – drums
Peter Ljung – piano on 5

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www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-79410