Hey, everyone! It's Tuesday. Are you working for the weekend?
Today I'm continuing my stroll through the 80's discography of Loverboy, picking up with 1981's Get Lucky. Much like its predecessor, their 1980 self-titled debut, it would be a massive smash for the band, equaling it in seven times platinum certification across Canada and the USA. It would further spawn the Billboard Hot 100 hits, Working For The Weekend (which peaked at number twenty-nine), and When It's Over (which peaked at number twenty-six).
Paul Dean and Mike Reno had already begun their careers before coming together as Loverboy. Dean served as guitarist for Scrubbaloe Caine, and Streetheart between 1970 and 1978, while Reno, as then Michael Rynoski, was the lead vocalist for Moxy. With these connections to the industry already, Dean's manager, Lou Blair, was able to connect the two with Bruce Allen, the biggest rock manager in Canada at the time. Allen would set to task of ushering in their debut as an opening act for Kiss in November 1979.
The band would be rounded out with Doug Johnson on keyboards, Scott Smith on bass, and Matt Frenette on drums. This lineup would stay together through their initial 1988 breakup, and reunion in 1991 through the tragic death of Smith in 2000.
Though they tried, every major label in the USA would reject the band, prompting them to sign with Canada's Columbia Records. Things from there went rather quickly, with the boys heading to the studio to cut their self-titled debut. As noted above, it was a smash and served as a major breakthrough for them. Its relative quick success garnered them the opportunity to hit the road with Cheap Trick, ZZ Top, Kansas, and Def Leppard, performing over two hundred shows.
Their 1981 follow-up, Get Lucky equally took off, putting them in arenas with Journey to support its release. This same year, they would receive seven Juno Awards, Canada's highest award for music. To this day, they retain the title of most Juno's received in one year.
For me, Loverboy was a surprise. I didn't expect to enjoy their debut as much as I did. When listening to it, I noted similarities to The Cars, The Babies, and even a little Oingo Boingo. However, with their second album, they seem to have shifted more so into the territory of Foreigner. In particular, the song Gangs In The Street could easily have been led by the vocals of Lou Gramm.
While I was enjoying things up through the previous noted track, admittedly, song five, Emotional, really derailed me. Out of nowhere, Paul Dean takes over lead vocals and delivers a country twanged bar style song. It wasn't for me.
With the exception of the above note Dean tune, I definitely found another enjoyable record in their discography. When It's Over is probably my all-time favorite from the guys, but Working For The Weekend can't be shunned. If nothing else, it's a major staple from the 80's, and easily one that you'll find on most compilation albums. With that said, I don't know that there would be anything beyond these two that would make a shuffle list on my end.
In light of that, I am noticing a little dip in quality, I'm hoping that as I continue on that I'll still enjoy their albums as much as I did their first and second. Though I'm not too sure how that will go, as with their 1983 released Keep It Up, Loverboy saw a massive drop in sales and chart positions. I guess we'll find out.
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
No comments:
Post a Comment