Customer Reviews

Loud & Clear

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Everyone has one of those albums that nearly everyone else passed over at the record store that is really phenomenal.

This autograph album is probably the best autograph album, as it captures the band at its peak abilities. The production is awesome, the songs are well developed, the sound captures the whole 80s hair-band era prior to the implosion that was Dr. Feelgood and New Jersey (which ruined the whole era).

Every track is solid, with many almost perfect in their execution. If you ever own one autograph album this should be the one. No major hits were released to match "Turn up the Radio", but every song would be very radio friendly.

Way underated and overlooked. Buy it, listen to it a few times, you'll hear what I mean.

This is a forgotten but great album!!!! If more people would have heard this, it would have been a big hit!!!! It is great!

Originally release in 1987, Loud and Clear was the third album from Los Angeles-based rockers Autograph. The band released a string of impressive melodic rock albums in the mid `80s, but for some reason never seemed to fit into the hair metal scene that came to dominate L.A. in the second half of the decade.

Loud and Clear is very similar to Autograph's previous albums (1984's Sign In Please and 1985's That's The Stuff). It's an upbeat, feel-good party rock album with odes to hot girls, loud parties, and rocking all nite. Catchy hooks, great melodies and just enough keyboards are all abundant on Loud & Clear, and Steve Plunkett does another knockout job on vocals. There really isn't a "Turn Up the Radio" style hit on this album, but "Dance All Night" and "Just Got Back From Heaven" should have been solid radio hits at the time, and "More Than a Million Times" should have been huge. It's a brilliant, "soundtrack ready" melodic rocker.

As good as it is, Loud and Clear was Autograph's least successful `80s album, and ended up being their last work as a band. Plunkett would launch a new version of Autograph with 2003's Buzz, but it wasn't quite the same. If you're a fan of the mid `80s melodic rock sound, Loud & Clear is a "can't miss" album from one of the era's more unfairly overlooked bands. Check it out, especially now that it has been remastered.

Edition Notes: Loud and Clear was reissued by UK label Rock Candy in 2006. For this reissue, Rock Candy included detailed liner notes and gave the album a brilliant digital remastering. The improved sound quality is so impressive I'm bumping my rating for this album up to 5-stars. You've never heard the album until you've heard this reissue.

I spent a long time finding this CD. I had it on tape and by accident found it in a bargin bin in 1990. I loved it and played it until it went no more. I do not know if I am alone but it is one of those rare CDS that should have sold more but got caught up in the shuffle of alternative madness of the early 90's. Only a couple of thousand sold in the original release.

It starts out with the Title(Loud) and with Steve Lynch's heavy riffs, does not look back. This is a song that you miss alot of great playing unless you hear it on CD. Dance All Night is on the vibe of Turn Up The Radio and "She Never Looked That Good" Finishes it off.

I could go in great detail of each song on this CD but I only have 1000 words. I have owned 3 copies of this (the last is a cd and will not wear out) and I am still not tired of listening to it.

I wish this band was still together. I know they have re-released alot of their stuff and I picked it up (on-line) Including Steve's solo LP.

If you are a FAN, you will love it. If you only heard Sign Up Please, then you need to listen more. You will like this as much.

Peace Out. And in the words of Forest "That's All I Have To Say About That!"

I bought this one blindly when it came out. I was really hoping to hear something that resembled the first album but was quickly disappointed to hardly hear any keyboards. The first side was just straight ahead boring guitar rock. Dance all was okay, but just didn't grab my attention. Teaser and Just got back from heaven are the best songs, the later I thought was the best. If you find this album get it, it's rare and does have some good songs. Maybe I'm being to rough, it would be hard to top Sign in Please. As with That's the stuff, get it but just don't take out a loan to get it.

"Loud and Clear" is the third studio album by American glam metal band "Autograph" originally released in 1987; this particular edition is a 2006 re-issue By "Rockcandy" featuring the original 10-track album along with extended 16-page booklet. The line up features lead guitarist Steve Lynch, singer/guitarist Steve Plunkett, drummer Keni Richards, bassist Randy Rand and keyboardist Steven Isham.

Much like previous albums, "Autograph" clearly epitomize the radio-oriented side of glam metal and suceed at delivering authentic sounding though somewhat predictable `80s hard rock. Despite the above it is arguable that "Audograph" did establish a sound of their own withing the glam genre; hugely produced drums and copious amounts of guitar tapping leads harmonizing perfectly with the keyboards characterize the sound of the quintet.

Still, the more one plays the album the more one gets the impression that "Audograph" have actually induced a good amount of adult oriented rock in the structures of songs like "Everythime I dream", "She never looked that good", "Just got back from heaven" and "More than a million times", cleverly contradicting the extravagant glamour of "Dance the night", "She's a tease" and "Down `n dirty". And that is perhaps the greatest achievement of "Loud and Clear", delivering equal amounts of glam metal and adult oriented rock, all dressed with the thickest production possible; indeed an album that holds its own in the contemporary melodic rock world.

when it comes to 80s metal,I'm not just a casual fan,I'm a fanatic...if it's got hair and rocks I'm gonna love it
Autograph summed up everything I loved about hair metal,right up there with Poison,Tuff,Pretty Boy Floyd,Enuff Z Nuff and of course Bon Jovi...these are bands that could play their instruments but also write darn good songs

the debut release of Autograph 'Sign In Please' was perfection...the follow up 'That's The Stuff' didn't quite live up to it but I didn't lose faith and I bought 'Loud And Clear'
I will not say that it's awful cause it's not...there are some amazing songs....like 'Loud And Clear' 'Dance All Night' 'She Never Looked That Good For Me' 'She's A Tease' and 'Just Got Back From HEaven' are all amazing songs...worthy of including in the debut...but the rest of the album feels a little off balance,the production is great,the performances are great too,it's just the majority of the songs are not quite as catchy as they could have been,and it's a shame,the classic 80s sound is here in full glory....if you love Def Leppard,or Night Ranger, or even Bon Jovi or Whitesnake, I truly think you would love this band
and if you are already a fan and wondering if you should buy this CD,I would definitely say YES
there are more then enough great songs to make it worth owning

the upside - She's A Tease is classic,so is 'She Never Looked That Good For Me' it has all you could ask for from a great 80s rock band,great vocals,great solos,great production and lots of hair!

the downside - a lot of the songs are not quite as catchy as their debut or the 'Missing Pieces' collection...some seem to drag a bit but luckily the great songs are spaced evenly throughout

the bottom line - a very worth addition to any true 80s rock fan...don't hesitate to buy this,especially at this price...bands just don't sound like this anymore so let's support the ones who still do and have that awesome 80s sound...donutman says so!!!

This is a good disc, but some songs on here just seem like filler. For example, the title track "Loud And Clear" is all right but sort of sounds like someone threw together three chords, told singer Steve Plunkett (who can do much better vocally and lyrically) to scream a lot and said "That's good enough for those long hairs who buy these records". The second song "Dance All Night" is fun, but not exactly Dream Theater as it makes you want to do as it says and "dance all night" "She Never Looked That Good For Me" is a fun poppy rocker that has Plunkett musing on his former girl and her personality change. "Bad Boy" is fun but kind of cheesy and shows its age muscially. "Everytime I Dream" is a awesome and heartbreaking power ballad that seems to speak of unrequited love. "She's A Tease" puts me in mind of "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Isn't Me" from "Sign In Please" and is slightly cheesy as it talks about a woman who is only after Plunkett's wallet and won't give him what he wants (i.e. sex). "Just Got Back From Heaven" is a keyboard-driven rocker in the musical vein of "Cloud 10" from "Sign In Please" but slightly more Bon Jovi-like in its style. "Down N' Dirty" is a sexy "raise-your-fist-and-yell" rocker in its style, attitude and chorus. "More Than A Million Times" is a fun keyboard-driven Dokken-style pop rocker about Plunkett's inability to forget an ex-lover. "When The Sun Goes Down" is another Dokken-style rocker that unlike "More Than A Million Times" doesn't hold up and just seems kind of contrived.

All in all, a good album. Not "Sign In Please" but almost as good!