Loverboy
was one of the most popular mainstream
hard rock
bands of the '80s, and the Canadian quintet was one of the acts who laid the foundation for
Bon Jovi
and the
hair metal
movement at the end of the decade. Always a popular live act, 2001's 14-song
Live, Loud and Loose: 1982-1986
captures a boisterous period now sadly relegated to
pop
history: the prime time of fun-loving
arena rock
. The very name
ensured the band was not going to be taken seriously by critics, but that didn't matter to the millions of fans who gobbled up albums like 1980's
and 1981's
Get Lucky
. Vocalist
Mike Reno
, guitarist
Paul Dean
, keyboardist
Doug Johnson
, bass guitarist
Scott Smith
, and drummer
Matt Frenette
crafted wonderfully catchy hits, and virtually all of them are here, including:
"Working for the Weekend,"
"Lady of the 80s,"
"Take Me to the Top,"
"When It's Over,"
"Lovin' Every Minute of It,"
"Hot Girls in Love,"
"Turn Me Loose,"
and
"The Kid Is Hot Tonight."
The studio sheen is missing on these live tunes, but they still come across well in concert and
stretches a few of them out with a little jamming.
Johnson
's deceptively simple keyboard lines,
Dean
's mixture of power chords and catchy guitar licks, and
Smith
's bass riffs bring
Reno
's dramatic vocals to life. Two minor hits in the
catalog --
"Dangerous"
"Lead a Double Life"
-- toss interesting twists and turns into the regular formula. The liner-notes essay was written by
MTV
personality
Nina Blackwood
, who relates funny touring stories
told her over the years. Also featured in the liner notes is a touching tribute to
, who died in a boating accident in 2000.
is a nice souvenir of a lost era. ~ Bret Adams