Treat completely dumbfounded and floored me with this special moment of Swedish AOR called ‘Dreamhunter’. It’s one of the best Scandi AOR albums of the 80’s.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Treat
ALBUM: Dreamhunter
LABEL: Polygram
SERIAL: 832 960-1
YEAR: 1987
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Sweden
LINEUP: Robert Ernlund – vocals * Anders Wikstrom – guitar, keyboards * Lillen Liljegren – guitars * Ken Siewertson – bass * Jamie Borger – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Sole Survivor * 02 You’re The One I Want * 03 Take Me On Your Wings * 04 Best Of Me * 05 Dancing On The Edge * 06 Outlaw * 07 World Of Promises * 08 One Way To Glory * 09 Save Yourself * 10 The Winner
WEBLINKS: FB Page
Background
Following hot on the heels of Joey Tempest and Europe are another great Swedish combo Treat. Having heard them on their debut ‘Scratch And Bite’ my initial thoughts were ‘yeah yeah, heard it all before’. However before I had a chance to dismiss them well and truly as ‘one hack wonders’, Treat literally bounce back with a superb second effort ‘The Pleasure Principle’ before completely dumbfounding and flooring me with this special moment of Swedish AOR called ‘Dreamhunter’.
I won’t bore you with the detail of Treat, which has been adequately covered in many a euro magazine over the years, but ‘Dreamhunter’ as an album on CD (especially the 1988 Japanese version) is a highly sought after acquisition. And one listen to it and it’s easy to see why. Gone are the hackneyed and laboured rhythm section of early Swedish efforts to one of sensational guitar and keyboard interplay. Produced by dutchman Albert Boekholt at Wisseloord Studios, I have always had a sneaking suspicion that Robby Valentine (a Wisseloord regular) might have had a hand in some of the keyboard work on Treat’s album, but there’s nothing to suggest that is the case within the liner notes.
The Songs
Keyboard flurries open up on ‘Sole Survivor’ before the guitar crunch and a fairly chanty sort of chorus kick in. The chant along chorus is also noticeable on ‘You’re The One I Want’, which is full of melodic hooks through the entire song: verses, bridges and choruses. ‘Take Me On Your Wings’ though a touch less aggressive, has some wonderful guitar passages through the verses. Then we come to the piece de resistance in ‘Best Of Me’. Perhaps rated as one of the best rock ballads in the whole of AOR!
This is an incredible piece of melodic balladry, where the keyboards and vocal harmonies just make you melt. It’s in my Top 5. What about you? Other impressive moments include the anthemic and very catchy ‘One Way To Glory’, the Gary Moore flavoured ‘World Of Promises’ and the fast edged ‘Outlaw’ sounding like Swedish contemporaries Alien. Then there’s the all out hard rock attack of ‘Dancing On The Edge’ and ‘The Winner’, confirming that there is ample guitar muscle on what is predominately a keyboard laden album.
In Summary
Treat did go on to release a few more albums – 1989’s ‘Organised Crime’ a harder affair but still a great set (check out the track ‘Conspiracy’ for evidence). Into the 21st century, the band are still in top shape and continue to release new albums right up to the current day.
Video
Entire Album (Select Tracks)
