Giant - Last Of The Runaways (1989)

Truly a band out of time, Giant might have sold millions of records during the heyday of album-oriented rock in the early '80s, but their bright melodies and clean production values sounded completely unfashionable by 1989 standards. Strong opener "I'm a Believer" hints at but doesn't betray the band's Christian beliefs and leads the way into such solid arena rock anthems as "Innocent Days" and "Hold Back the Night" and gorgeous power ballads like "It Takes Two" and "I'll See You in My Dreams." The latter did manage to briefly crack the Top 20, but with other tracks such as "I Can't Get Close to You" and "No Way Out" veering dangerously close to Loverboy territory, this is hardly a perfect album. The band members' utter lack of image (all were rather faceless ex-session musicians) didn't help either, and Giant would only manage to struggle through one more album before calling it a day.