Retro Spins: Loverboy - Wildside

 

By the time 1987 rolled around, hair metal was all the rage. Rock was still prevalent, but the legacy acts who initially led the 80's charge, such as Journey, Foreigner, and Toto were quickly disappearing. Loverboy would make a final stand that year with Wildside, which would become the band's last studio album before disbanding.

While the album was noteworthy for the number thirty-eight Billboard Hot 100 hit, Notorious, co-written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, as a whole, it was another disappointing performance for the guys. While sales had been in a steady decline since 1983's Keep It Up, this record would tank in comparison. The album not only performed poorly sales wise but failed to chart in most countries. It didn't even crack the top twenty in the limited locations it did chart.

In addition to credits to Jovi and Sambora, as noted above, Wildside also features writing credits from Bryan Adams. Though his contribution, Hometown Hero, would not become a charting single. Further, if you purchased the album on CD, you would also get a bonus track, Don't Keep Me In The Dark. This tactic of additional materials on CD's was becoming a mainstay on the format in an effort to prompt consumers into adopting the format.

Despite only providing the above noted single, you can definitely see Bon Jovi's fingerprints all over this album. Loverboy took a page straight out of their book, howling screams and all. This is very much so prevalent on the hidden gem, Love Will Rise Again.

All of this makes sense considering the album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn, who not only worked with Bon Jovi on 1986's Slippery When Wet, but again with them for 88's New Jersey. His impressive credits also include Aerosmith's Permanent Vacation (1987), Pump (1989), Get A Grip (1993), and AC/DC's The Razor's Edge (1990), just to name a few.

I can also give a nod of approval to Can't Get Much Better, the title track, Wildside, and Don't Let Go. Mind you, they're not mind blowing, but they're pretty okay. As for the single Notorious, yes, you can hear the writing style of Jovi and Sambora, but it's not a very good song. I can definitely understand why they didn't personally record it for any of their albums. Adam's Hometown Hero is slightly better, but still nothing to get excited about.

Overall, it was a better album than the previous two, but I think this is more so from the band adopting a more "Jovi" style. It sounds relatable to the timeframe in which it was released, and familiar to the ears, which makes it easier to get into. Don't misunderstand though. It's no opus by any means. Further, there's no reason to settle for Loverboy trying to sound like Bon Jovi when you can just listen to Jovi.

By 1988, their popularity had waned to the point that the band was no longer performing at arenas. Ticket sales simply didn't necessitate such a large venue. Their formidable years were most definitely behind them.

1989 closed with the compilation album, Big Ones, which featured the song, Too Hot, which was recorded specifically to be included on the album. It would become their last Billboard Hot 100 hit and peaked at number eighty-four.

Led by ongoing poor sales, compounded by fighting between Mike Reno and Paul Dean, the band disband. Though it's noted as occurring in 1988, this timeline doesn't seem to correlate, considering that Big Ones was released in October of '89, and included a newly recorded track. But the bottom line is that they broke up.

In 1991, the band joined fellow rockers Bryan Adams, Colin James, Chrissy Steele, and Bill Henderson of Chilliwack at a benefit show at Vancouver's 86 Street Music Hall. After the event, they noted it was the most fun they'd had in years and decided to reform. However, a new studio album would not be released until 1997's Six.

One of the greatest aspects about Loverboy is that the lineup that started it all in 1978: Mike Reno, Paul Dean, Doug Johnson, Scott Smith, and Matt Frenette, not only stuck it out until their initial breakup in 1988 (or 1989) but then came back together to do it all again. I don't think they'd have made any changes to the lineup had it not been for the tragic death of Smith in 2000 who was lost at sea during a boating accident.

They would bring in Ken Sinnaeve to ultimately replace him, but not before embarking on a massive dedication tour to Smith. Since then, this revised lineup has released three additional albums (between 2007 and 2014). They remain together to this day, touring periodically.

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.

Retro Spins: Loverboy - Lovin' Every Minute Of It

 

The landscape of 1985 was a unique time in music. Rap had become mainstream, new wave had taken over but was also on its way out at this point, rock and roll was shifting to hair metal, Prince was making movies, and Michael Jackson's Thriller was the biggest album of all time. Competition on the Billboard was coming from every direction.

Among all of this, Loverboy wasn't faring well. The band had taken a consider drop in sales with their 1983 released Keep It Up, and this was only going to continue with 1985's Lovin' Every Minute Of It. While it spawned multiple Billboard Hot 100 hits, which included the title track, which peaked at number nine, Dangerous (sixty-five), This Could Be The Night (ten), and Lead A Double Life (sixty-eight), the album itself would move less units then its predecessor.

Much like I said yesterday, selling four-times platinum is no small feat. For those of you who don't know, one platinum certification is a million albums. However, when your previous two records sold seven million each across Canada and the USA, your label starts to take notice. Especially when your latest album does even less, which is what Lovin' Every Minute Of It did. It would "only" go platinum in Canada and two-times platinum in the USA. Again, that's a lot, but not in comparison to previous success.

Perhaps at this point I'm listening to too much Loverboy back-to-back, and the fatigue is setting in at this point. I listened to their first two albums on day one, and their third and fourth on another. Or maybe the quality of their albums really is taking a nosedive.

Whatever it is, I'm definitely noticing that as I keep going through their discography that each subsequent record is less and less appealing. Even the title track, which I bought the CD for didn't really hold much of my attention. As a whole, I found my mind wandering quite a bit throughout this one.

Once again, I kept waiting in anticipation for that hidden gem to come, but it never did. The other hits were okay, but definitely not the best I've heard from Loverboy.

If there's one thing that stood out to me, it's that the band sure did embrace the MTV age. They churned out a ton of music videos between 1980 and 1985. Even better is that they released them all on a VHS titled, Any Way You Look At It, in 1986.

Moving forward, I may take a new approach to my Retro Spins. Wherein I've been going from start to finish through an 80's discography, I think I'm going to start rotating between a handful of musicians. This way I don't get bored of any one particular person, or if it truly is terrible, looking at you Martha And The Muffins, I'm not banging my head against a wall trying to get through it.

Loverboy released one final album in the decade, 1987's Wildside. Though, prior to this, they participated in the massively successful Top Gun soundtrack with their contribution, Heaven In Your Eyes. It would peak at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100.

While you won't find the music video for Heaven In Your Eyes on the aforementioned VHS, this was included on the 2004 Collector's Edition of Top Gun. Along with that, it also includes the music videos for Kenny Loggin's Danger Zone, Berlin's Take My Breath Away, and Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Steven's Top Gun Anthem. Sadly, no video for Playing With The Boys. 

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.

Retro Spins: Loverboy - Keep It Up

 

Loverboy's 1983 album, Keep It Up wasn't one that was on my want list. Instead, I came across it in a used CD shop one day, it was relatively affordable, and as such it came home with me. It would be the fourth of their five 80's albums, and yet oddly, knowing this at the time, I still didn't pick up the "missing" one.

By this time, the band was living high on the success of their previous two records, their 1980 self-titled debut, and 1981's Get Lucky. Both had gone a combined total of seven-time platinum across Canada and the USA. Additionally, both spawned major hits on the mainstream rock and Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Unfortunately, with the release of their third album, sales would drop drastically. Granted, to people like us, selling four-times platinum would still be a major accomplishment. However, when you're Loverboy, or more specifically, the label supporting the band, that's a considerable red flag.

The album would once again perform well in the USA and Canada, and this time even chart in Germany, something which its predecessors had failed to do. Though in achieving this, it also had the opposite effect in Australia and New Zealand, where it didn't chart at all.

With it did come the Billboard Hot 100 hits, Hot Girls In Love, which peaked at number eleven, and Queen Of The Broken Hearts, which landed at number thirty-four. Personally, I'm not a big fan of Hot Girls, and prior to hearing it, I didn't even know Queen Of The Broken Hearts.

This one definitely takes a step down from previous records, and I can see the massive decline. I found myself not necessarily interested in Keep It Up as it played through, and the hits are definitely ones I could take or leave. Basically, they're just not that impressive as compared to the other hits they've churned out.

I really wanted to find a hidden gem tucked on this one, and while I will give a nod to Prime Of Your Life, it's not going to be something I remember by the end of the day. As such, I didn't end up coming away from this one with anything, which was disappointing.

Had you asked me two days ago, I would have said there was something to Loverboy, and I was quickly becoming a new fan. Today, not so much. I still have two albums to get through from them, so who knows, that may flip flop as those come into play. I mean, I certainly hope it does. I want to like the band.

They wouldn't actually release another album until 1985's Lovin' Every Minute Of It, which as many of you reading that already know was a major hit for them, so there's potential. However, before getting to that, they stopped off in 1984 to record the USA's team theme for the Olympics that year. This was compiled on the album, The Official Music of the XXIII Olympiad, which included Foreigner, Toto, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Christopher Cross, Philip Glass, Paul Engemann and Giorgio Moroder. That in and of itself sounds pretty hot, and I may need to track down a record.

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.

Retro Spins: Loverboy - Get Lucky

 

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.

Retro Spins: Loverboy - Loverboy

When did Loverboy hit my radar in the 80's? It's a question I truly have for myself. Did I know their hits, Working For The Weekend, The Kid Is Hot Tonite (P.S. not how you spell that), Lovin' Every Minute Of It, Hot Girls In Love, Turn Me Loose, and When It's Over? Candidly, if I did, I didn't associate it with them. Instead, I think they hit my radar with their 1986 contribution to the Top Gun soundtrack with Heaven In Your Eyes.

The band was an early addition to my 80's want list when I started building my CD collection, but not necessarily everything. My sights were initially on their 1980 self-titled debut, 1981's Get Lucky, and 1985's Lovin' Every Minute Of It. Essentially, I was after the hits I knew, and these albums were where they were hiding. However, as often happens, I came across others in a used CD show, picked them up, and then eventually finished off the list in anticipation of this series of Retro Spins.

Upon the release of their debut, it became not only their breakthrough, but a massive success, peaking in the top twenty in four countries. It would fare the best in the UK where it landed at number five. With it would come the Billboard Hot 100 hits, The Kid Is Hot Tonite, and Turn Me Loose, which reached number fifty-five and thirty-five, respectively.

With its hot synthesizer and guitar rock blend, the album comes off as a solid comparison to that of what was being churned out by The Cars and The Babies at the time. It was quite enjoyable, and by track four, I hadn't heard anything I wasn't digging.

Sure, by this point it had already hit me with the two aforementioned hits, bit in addition had delivered Always On My Mind, and Lady Of The 80's. When Little Girl came up next, my mind immediately shot to Oingo Boing. Not only did they have a song similar in title, but very different in context, but Loverboy was sounding a bit like their early decade material as well.

I didn't expect to like a song titled, Prissy Prissy, but it actually had a pretty catchy lyrical hook, and a solid guitar riff. By this point, I was really asking myself, "Self, where has this album been all my life?" I really enjoyed everything from it, and I'm down with keeping this momentum going by immediately jumping into 1981's Get Lucky.

There's not much to say in between all of that, and beyond continuing to elaborate on the enjoyable listening session, which I think I've more than made the point on, the only other thing to do is be on my way to their next album. Okay, actually I will say this; if you haven't heard this one, I highly recommend you check it out. But now I'm out of here.

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.