Survivor has its sights set on the same vast teenage audience that has already catapulted the likes of Journey, Foreigner and Styx to platinum status. The group's songs extol the vices and virtues, the lust and tenacity of youth, while piercing guitar solos navigate through majestic, slow-moving chordal landscapes. In "Eye of the Tiger," the title cut and the theme from Rocky III, these rock & roll veterans elaborate on their survival ethic: "Out in the heat, hangin' tough, stayin' hungry/We take to the street for the kill, with the skill to survive." The only problem with this well-polished production is that it's really a demonstration of professional skill and experience, not the lustful risk-taking of youth. The urgency is contrived. Indeed, the only risk taken by Survivor is financial – i.e., will this record sell? Probably. (RS 377)

MARK HICKLING