Customer Reviews

Get Lucky

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Canadian rockers Loverboy released its sophomore effort Get Lucky in October of 1981.
In 1981, Loverboy broke out big at the height of the Canadian invasion alongside fellow Canadian rock bands Rush, Triumph, Bryan Adams and Saga when their self-titled debut album went Gold at the hands of the singles Turn Me Loose and The Kid Is Hot Tonight.
Faced with topping a successful debut, lead singer Mike Reno, guitarist Paul Dean, keyboard player Doug Johnson, drummer Matthew Frenette and late bass player Scott Smith(R.I.P.) went back to Vancouver with co-producer the late Bruce Fairbairn(R.I.P.) and recorded their most successful album ever as I found out in 1981 when my third older sister acquired this album on vinyl and played it to death (but was fine by me).
The album's first and biggest hit "Working for the Weekend" opens this album on a rocking note. It's a truly great song and is still a rock radio staple 25 years on. Next is the album's other big hit "When It's Over". This mid-tempo rocker showcases Reno's versatile voice and Dean's harmonies and extra backing vocals from Nancy Nash. It also features a superb Dean solo. Next is "Jump" which was written by Dean, Reno and fellow Canadian rocker Bryan Adams and his colleague Jim Vallance. This song is a great rocker and a song that should have been a hit but never mind. Next is another mid-tempo rocker "Gangs in the Street" which is a social commentary on gangs and their fight to protect their territory. To hear a rock band like Loverboy write a track about this subject without vulgar language is a miracle and nice to hear unlike rappers who throw every obscenity in the book in their gangsta tracks. The first half of the album ends with the rocker "Emotional" featuring Dean on lead vocals and performing a tasty slide guitar solo here and Johnson does a great piano solo as well.
The original vinyl album's second side began with another MTV and rock radio staple entitled "Lucky Ones" which its lyrics talk about how some people have better luck than others. Another great social commentary by the band. It does seem as if there are some entertainers, families, etc who have everything handed to them, without ever having to put any effort into it at all. "It's Your Life" is next and is another great rocker with great guitar riffs, lyrics, drumming and is a great track. Next is another great rocker "Watch Out" which is a great song though some overlook this track. The album closes out with possibly the best song Loverboy ever wrote "Take Me to the Top". This epic has a keyboard riff from Johnson that is so amazing. Then when you combine it with a great rhythm section performance, Dean's guitar work and Reno's perfect vocal performance you have a true classic.
Interesting enough, cassette issues of the album altered its track listing and went like this: Side 1 was Working for the Weekend, When It's Over, Emotional and Take Me to the Top. Side 2 was Lucky Ones, It's Your Life, Gangs in the Street, Jump and Watch Out. That was done so the album's cassette sides were equal length!
Get Lucky was the album that made Loverboy a household name and reached #7 on the Billboard album chart upon its 1981 release and has sold to date FOUR MILLION COPIES in the US alone.
Now, 25 years later, the album was re-released in a digitally remastered version with FOUR BONUS DEMOS. I Told You So is a nice acoustic demo. Boy Likes the Girl and Your Town Saturday Night are great demos which just rocked and sounded like they could have appeared on the album. Lastly an early version of Working For the Weekend which sounds like the finished product but nice to hear.
If one needs to have one Loverboy effort then Get Lucky will suffice.
RECOMMENDED!

When this album was at its peak you could hear nearly any of the songs on the radio. This is one of the essential albums of the 80's. Why can't new artist sound this good?

"Get Lucky" is without a doubt Loverboy's best album. Great songs from beginning to end.

'Nuff said.

Chances are you've already heard the songs on this CD. I was in high school when Loverboy hit the big time. To be honest, I really didn't care for them at the time. Me and my friends always made fun of how they looked in their videos. Now, at 40, I was browsing through songs of my youth and found Loverboy. I was surprised by how much more complex they were than other pop bands of the day. As a band, they are tight. Mike Reno's vocals are as good as anyone in this genre. I'm still not a big of "Working for the Weekend" (never warmed up to this one) but "Lucky Ones" and especially "When it's Over" are are the gems here. I don't know what's in the water in Canada, but they seem to turn out more than their fair share of solid musical acts.

"Get Lucky" is Loverboy's best album. When I was in middle school in the early to mid 1980s, this was my favorite album. I had it on cassette, and I played it so much that I wore it out.

Everyobdy knows the song "Working for the Weekend." It's a truly great song. But it isn't necessarily the best song on here. Actually, there's so much diversity on this CD, it's somewhat hard to say what the best song really is.

"Take Me to the Top" gets big credit for experimenting with non-conventional song structure. That keyboard riff is so awesome! And then combine it with all the other great instruments, and Mike Reno's perfect singing, and you have a true classic.

"Jump" is also excellent. I don't remember ever hearing this one on the radio. That's too bad, because it could have made an excellent single. It's got a great guitar riff, great lyrics, great drumming, and a certain urgency and seriousness that give it strength and power.

"Gangs in the Street" is a good social commentary. How nice to hear a song about this subject that doesn't contain any vulgar language.

"Lucky Ones" is a song about how some people have better luck than others. Again, Loverboy does a good job at making social commentary. Yes, it does idneed seem as if there are some people in the world who have everything handed to them, without ever having to put any effort into it at all.

Now that I think about it, every song on this CD is excellent. There is no filler here at all.

For some reason, when this album was issued on CD, the order of the songs was changed. I like to program my CD player to play the songs in the original order. On the original album, side 1 went like this: "Working for the Weekend," "When It's Over," "Emotional," and "Take Me to the Top." Side 2 went like this: "Lucky Ones," "It's Your Life," "Gangs in the Street," "Jump," and "Watch Out."

The rock critics have never been kind to Loverboy. However, the fans have always shown their support. When Billboard magazine made it's year-end list of the most popular albums of 1982, "Get Lucky" was number 7. So really, at least in this case, who cares what the critics say? The fans are what really counts!

This is the album that put Loverboy on the list of '80's superstars. It is a classic pop/rock record from start to finish. Nearly every track got radio airplay. "Working For The Weekend" and "When It's Over" hit the Top 40 and "Jump", "Gangs In The Street", "Lucky Ones" and "Take Me To The Top" were rock radio staples. Most of these tracks still get played on AOR stations. If you're looking for definitive '80's rock, this is it. It's simply one of the best albums of the early '80's. (If you're wondering what I meant by the bandana question, Mike Reno, the lead singer, always wore one as a headband; it started a fashion trend during that era!)

There has never been a doubt in my mind that Loverboy is a good band. Get Lucky is a pretty good album. This disc has got good energy, spirit, songwriting, production, and playing. "Working for the Weekend" is a nice choice for an opening track--it kicks everything off to an energetic start. This album also has my favorite Loverboy song on it--that being "When It's Over." That's a well-written and played song that's memorable in my book. Everything about it is great. "Take Me to the Top" and "Gangs in the Street" are also cool to listen to. The only song that I've never cared for is "Emotional." It just doesn't sound like a Loverboy tune. It's not terrible, it just doesn't blend in with the rest of the album's material. Everything else on the disc that I haven't mentioned is not bad either. Get Lucky isn't my favorite Loverboy disc. I actually don't have a personal favorite album from them. It used to be Keep It Up, but now I just admire different songs off their various releases. Loverboy has always done an impressive job of using guitars and keyboards in their music. The band sounds good on this album. It's worth a listen.

If you beleive that 80s' totally rocked then get this album. This is one of their best albums. Brings back WAAAAY too many cool memories.

Canada's Loverboy put out their second album in 1981,contractually,after the success of their self-titled debut the previous year. There are some hard-rockers on this album such as WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND and WHEN IT'S OVER. These guys are one of the best new wave bands of all-time. Loverboy fans are also fans of Blondie and The Cars. The other songs are good. These guys love having Billy Joel,Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand as their Columbia Records labelmates. The aforementioned artists were under contract with the label in 1981 also.

Great tracks even 30 years later. Hard to believe that time passes with such speed, but here we are remembering ordering this LP along with a bit of Triumph in the early 80s to play on the Dorchester, hanging it out of the widow for a game of street hockey yelling "car" over Get Lucky.

A Rocker, a 40 year old Canadian, and someone with good taste in "rock" will surly like this.