Customer Reviews

Loverboy

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Loverboy's self titled debut album is one of the strongest debut albums that I have ever heard. I have to rank it up there with "Boston" and "The Cars" debut albums. The Kid is Hot Tonite gets things going, an excellent rocker to open the album with. Then the big hit Turn Me Loose is on. The whole first half is flawless, really the whole album is flawless. Although you may only know The Kid is Hot Tonite and Turn Me Loose from the radio, other songs like Always on My Mind, Lady of the 80s, Little Girl, Prissy Prissy, Teenage Overdose,DOA, and It Don't Matter are just as strong. This is where you should start your Loverboy collection.

Loverboy's dubut album "Loverboy" starts out with two of my favorite 80's rock tunes, The Kid Is Hot Tonite" and "Turn Me Loose". I remember back in my college days playing these songs prior to heading out to the clubs. Great party songs that brought us into the 80's and the MTV era!

While "The Kid" has more of the traditional 80's sound, "Turn Me Loose" is heavier and has clearly stood the test of time. There are a few other good songs as well, such as "Lady of the 80's" and "Always On My Mind", but for me, everything else is pretty much filler. Three 1/2 stars (5 for the first 2 songs and 3 for the rest). Better off getting the Greatest Hits CD.

Loverboy's self titled debut from 1980 is a lot better than some of the critics would try to have you believe. The lyrics, the writing of the songs, the singing, and the playing of the instruments are all quite skilled. To this very day, I have never understood why the critics have been so hard on this group.

Three of the songs here have lyrics along the lines of, "Be careful, because actions have consequences." Those songs are "The Kid is Hot Tonight," "Teenage Overdose," and "D.O.A." You'd think that such a message would get praise from critics and parents groups, but yet it hasn't. I wonder why that is.

My personal favorite here is "Turn Me Loose." For some reason, the MTV video of that song cut off the beginning and the end, resulting in a relatively weak, watered down version of the song. Fortunately, this CD has the full length version. At nearly 6 minutes, it packs quite a punch!

Some of my other favorites here are "The Kid is Hot Tonight," "Lady of the 80s," "Little Girl," and "It Don't Matter." "Little Girl" would have made a great single for radio airplay, and I wonder why it was never released. "It Don't Matter" has some excellent saxaphone playing.

Well, the critics never really caught on to Loverboy. But the fans did, and that's what counts. In my opinion, this album, and Loverboy's second album, "Get Lucky," are their two best works. Their third and fourth albums, "Keep It Up" and "Lovin' Every Minute Of It," are also worth owning, but for some reason, those two are both out of print. Good thing for me that I already own them on CD!

Loverboy is probably one of the most underrated groups of the 80's, and they deserve a lot more recognition for their talent, and excellent musicianship. Although Loverboy's 1980 self-titled pop-rock debut is not my favorite, it is still a fun album to listen to. It comes complete with keyboard-drenched melodies from Doug Johnson, a powerful, flawless bass from the late great Scott Smith, catchy thumping beats from Matt Frenette, perfect guitar craftsmanship from Paul Dean and the notorious intense vocals from Mike Reno. This album really defines what much of the music was like back in the early 80's. With this album, you are given the license to party and have a good time. That is what Loverboy was all about during this time.

The album is kicked off with two of their biggest hits; "The Kid Is Hot Tonight" and "Turn Me Loose." I prefer the smooth, soaring, melodic perfection of Johnson's keyboard, Frenette's uncanny shuffling beat, Smith's thick groovy bass and Reno's demanding vocals in "Turn Me Loose." The song is my favorite from this album. "The Kid Is Hot Tonight," is a good one too; very catchy beats and swirling keyboards. It's a bit faster-paced and makes you want to get up and dance.

Also listen to Johnson's magic on the groovin', "Prissy Prissy," and "DOA." I always thought the piano chords on "Prissy Prissy" was a nice touch. It's a song about a girl who is too prissy for words who thinks she's too good for the guys. This is another smooth song that you can tap your feet to. "DOA" shows off Johnson's melodic sounds mixed with intensity from Dean's edgy guitar. It's one of Loverboy's more serious songs, but very enjoyable to listen to. It is one of my favorites from this album.

One of my other favorites is yet another more serious Loverboy tune called "Teenage Overdose." "Teenage Overdose" shows off some seething, rugged guitar talent by Dean, and Smith's bass is heard loud and clear. Dean and Reno's harmonies blend well here. I love that chorus of "I've got one foot over the line and you're close behind."

Loverboy tones it down a bit with "Always On My Mind," a slower-paced song, that has nice flow and a groovey rhythm. Dean's guitar is awesome on this track. This song is probably in the same ballpark as "Turn Me Loose" and "Prissy Prissy" All are smooth with melodic flow. The last track on the album "It Don't Matter," is probably my least favorite, although Reno's vocals are great here and the use of the saxophone by Wayne Kozak was a very nice touch and made the song better. The sax solo at the end was particularly decent. Dean's guitar is low, and droning and fits the groove very well. "It Don't Matter" fits in with "Always On My Mind," "Turn Me Loose" and "Prissy Prissy" as well. They all have the same characteristics somehow.

In contrast, "Lady Of The 80's" and "Little Girl," are much faster, rapid songs that make you want to get up and stomp your feet or go for a run down the street. Needless to say the title "Lady Of The 80's and the lyrics "She's my latest lady....my lady of the 80's" is very dated, it still makes you reflect on the styles of people in the early 80's. Look for Johnson's peppy keyboards. Reno with guitarist Dean, create some terrific harmonies in both "Lady Of The 80's" and "Little Girl." In "Little Girl" especially, Dean gives our ears catchy, edgy guitar melodies. I love Smith's bass on this song; the way it melodically dips up and down. Of all the songs, "Little Girl" is probably the peppiest; one that you can barely keep up with!

This whole album is a fine dose of melodic, classic pop-rock, and Loverboy shows that they are masters at what they do. This album is the start of what was to come. Loverboy may have not gotten the recognition they deserved, but they get plenty of recognition in my book. They are one of the best groups around. Another reviewer mentioned the messages that Loverboy gives in songs like "Teenage Overdose" and "DOA." I gather that these songs are about living on the edge. Indeed, Loverboy not only provides fun, but they get real meaningful words out while they're at it! Add Loverboy to your list of favorite groups, and pick this album up!

GREAT CD BY ONE OF THE 80'S BEST ROCK BANDS..MIKE RENO & THE BAND LOVERBOY, CAN REALLY ROCK! THE KID IS HOT TONIGHT--TURN ME LOOSE--ALWAYS ON MY MIND--IT DON'T MATTER--PROBABLY THE BEST TUNES ON THIS ONE--ALSO RECOMMEND--GET LUCKY & LOVERBOY CLASSICS(GREATEST HITS)

This is easily my favourite Loverboy album. Before they became just another AOR hair-band, this album was one of the best hard rock-new wave hybrids ever made. I remember the buzz that came from this album. It was so fresh and original that nobody could believe it was a local Vancouver act. The first two songs are indeed great hits, but my favourite remains "Lady of the 80's". You're not likely to find a better combination of new wave synthesizers and hard rock guitar on one song. Turn it up loud, and it will be a revelation. By the way, Paul Dean was a very underrated guitarist: not exceptionally fast, but a wonderful stylist.

I believe that this is a very strong album BUT I must say that "Get Lucky" is better. This album is just slightly "too pop." "Get Lucky" is very "pop" as well, but it rocks better and harder than this one in my opinion.

I rate and recommend Loverboy albums like this:
#1 - "Get Lucky"
#2 - "Loverboy"
#3 - "Keep It Up"
Everything after "Keep It Up," other than the song "Lovin' Every Minute Of It" is pure crap. Trust me.

This is a typical conversation when this album's playing:

"Who's this?"

"Loverboy."

"Loverboy? You mean the guy in the headband, the ones who do 'Working For The Weekend'?"

"Yeah, this is the first album."

"Wow. I didn't know--wait a second, I know this song! This song rocks! I didn't know Loverboy did this song!"

The song in question is "Turn Me Loose," which in the (dear God, has it been that long?) 27 years since its release has turned into a veritable eighties anthem ... and it's usually the one song that people who hate Loverboy like. This album is also a reminder that before they became arena rock darlings, Loverboy was marketed as a new wave band. If you're used to "Working For The Weekend" a lot of this record will surprise you. From the synth-heavy doomed-to-be-dated "Lady of the 80s" (which they still do in concert much to my amusement) and "Prissy Prissy" to the hard stomp of "Teenage Overdose" to the Cars-like "D.O.A." and "The Kid Is Hot Tonite", "Loverboy" is a pretty good view of what power pop was like in 1980. It's a solid debut and still sounds pretty good on the iPod, so buy with confidence.

It's tough; this and Get Lucky are close. There are some real gems on this one--style not found on their second, more commercially successful LP. Great stuff!

This was one of the first albums (although I bought it on cassette tape) that I ever purchased. I used to listen to it over and over throughout the early 80's. Roundabout 1995 I was on a flight from Vancouver to Chicago and the band was on the plane sitting all around me. They were nice guys. I told them I was a fan and grew up listening to their music. They were impressed I could name every song in order on this album. Nice guys, good music, great memories.