Loverboy

Wow this CD really takes me back to my high school days. I really miss hearing Loverboy's music on the radio, not anymore I can listen whenever I want.

Canadian band Loverboy released their debut to little or no notice in 1980. After almost slipping into oblivion, the new-wavey keyboards and funky bassline of "Turn Me Loose" caught on with a few rock radio programmers, then rippled out to become a national smash. The follow-up, the propulsive "The Kid Is Hot Tonight," followed suit.

These set the stage for Loverboy's career. Synthesizers that sounded very much of the 80's, Mike Reno's distinctive voice and guitarist Paul Dean's hot licks proved to be a potent combination, making Loverboy akin to many of the era's album rockers. (Think Foreigner, Journey, REO Speedwagon or Bon Jovi.) The second album, Get Lucky, contained one of the best known Friday Afternoon radio staples in "Working For The Weekend" (great three stroke cowbell there!). "Get Lucky" was so loaded with hits that it comprises the bulk of this CD.

The follow up was Keep It Up, which seemed to indicate that the band was kind of in on the critics hate us/fans love us joke...after all, once you "get lucky," you're going to have to "keep it up." It managed again to lay down hits with "Hot Girls in Love." But when the band tried to toughen up the sound on Lovin' Every Minute of It, things didn't click quite as hard. The chain-gang call-and-response of the title track was interesting, but the temptation to take on power-ballads (the top-ten "This Could Be The Night") tilt the balance away from the band's solid party rock. Wildside tried hard to get the mojo back, with the Bon Jovi cowritten single "Notorious" the best thing there (and includes the immortal couplet "Little girl don't you hesitate/Cause you're using live bait").

Dean and Reno got the solo artist bug and broke up the band afterwards, although a reunited Loverboy still records and tours. This is a solid document of a band that knew exactly what they were doing and were more than happy to deliver with a wink and a smile. The hilarious liner notes by bassist Scott Smith (who tragically drowned in a 2000 boating accident) note that the soundtrack ballads "Heaven in Your Eyes (from Top Gun)" and "Almost Paradise (from Footloose)" are included so they could "sell more of this collection." Slick, funny and multi-platinum...what more could you ask for from a hitmaking 80's hair band?

I am dissappointed that Bullet In The Chamber isn't on this but all in all it's classic Loverboy. If you like Loverboy you will love this cd.

Think about it. Loverboy is a band that doesn't exactly fit the stale arena rock mold because of their sheer propensity for fun. But then again, their quasi-proggy keyboards don't exactly translate into the hairspray crowd's standard repetoire. As such, I think purchasing this compilation can not only lead to the acquisition of one heck of a party album, but it can also serve as an anthropological study.

Ugh, that sounds pretentious, but it's worth pondering.

Anyhoo, the tracks here are all, for the most part, superb pieces of 80s pop rock. "Working for the Weekend" and "Turn Me Loose" are the obvious highlights, but the collection is laden with highlights. In fact, every song is a 4 to 5 star track in its own right. Well, except for the ponderous "Lovin' Every Minute of It." That one's just dull. Everything else is a blast, though. The best thing is that the songs are peppered with a most amusing kind of synth workouts that just accentuate the goodness of the material. Fantastic.

Overall, fans of music from Kansas to Poison will enjoy this. This is upbeat music to celebrate the good times in a rockin' manner, but it's also got a pseudo-intelligent gloss over it. Great stuff, and a definite value. Buy it today!

Including Mike's weak duet with Ann Wilson of Heart ( by far a stronger vocilist then you Mike...so let her shine ...next time ) can't be right...

Were the heck is Strike Zone....one of their best songs on their last origianal run albums..Still very good...but definitly misses in some key areas!

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.

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?

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!

As much as I love Loverboy, "Wildside" is a uneven mess that was disliked by the band so much they didn't even tour behind it when it was released in 1987. I can still remember buying this the first day it was out and forcing my then-boyfriend to play the cassette in his car stereo ... and apologizing afterwards. "Notorious," co-written with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, and "Break It To Me Gently" are okay. "Love Will Rise Again" is easily the album's best song, but the rest ranges from barely mediocre to just plain awful. I'm actually surprised that it's still in print. Download the songs I mentioned and leave this alone, it's not worth it.

I found a used copy of this out-of-print album, and it has grown on me. I find myself playing it in the car. "Notorious" is a great song, "Break it to me Gently", and "Hometown Hero" are very good songs, and all the others are fairly good. I should really give this 3 1/2 stars, since it isn't as good as their first 3 recordings, but they don't allow half stars.

Loverboy's fifth studio album, 1987's Wildside, gets the job done. The material is in a straightforward rock musical direction. There are 11 tracks; one of these--the closing piece "Don't Keep Me in the Dark"--is a ballad. Altogether, I find the songwriting to be satisfying, the musicianship to be tight, and the sound quality to be good. Mike Reno (one of my favorite vocalists) does not dissatisfy when it comes to the vocals--his singing is unique, diligent, and lively. Throughout, there is a nice combination of guitar and keyboard work from guitarist Paul Dean and keyboardist Doug Johnson. Scott Smith's bass guitar playing is also noticeable. Though I like every one of the tunes, my favorites are the opening cut "Notorious," "Break It to Me Gently," and "Don't Keep Me in the Dark." The vigorous "Notorious," co-written with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, sports a memorable refrain. The spirited "Break It to Me Gently" displays an industrious, sprightly chorus and taut bass guitar work from Smith. The attractive "Don't Keep Me in the Dark" features serene keyboard playing from Johnson and a pretty-sounding guitar solo from Dean. The enjoyable "Hometown Hero"--co-written with Bryan Adams--contains a catchy keyboard melody from Johnson. The pleasing "Read My Lips" exhibits a gratifying intro. I also enjoy how Dean's guitar solo starts off menacingly. On the song's conclusion, I am impressed with the skillful, rapid-fire drumming from Matthew Frenette. The CD booklet includes the song lyrics and various illustrations; for example, there is a black-and-white photo of the band that is spread over two pages and a black-and-white photo of each of the guys. There is also a black-and-white illustration on the back of the CD jewel case. The disc is almost 49 minutes. I recommend this album.

Of all the Loverboy cds this is my favorite one. All of the songs rock. The best songs from this cd are "Love Will Rise Again" , "Notorious" , "Hometown Hero" & "Wildside" . Why it wasn't succesful as their earlier cds is a wonder. Loverboy was one of my favorite groups of the 80's. With the hits like "Turn Me Loose" , "Hot Girls In Love" , "Queen Of The Broken Hearts" & "Working For The Weekend" they had their place in 80's rock.

If you are a fan of Loverboy or melodic rock, this is simply the best record I've bought in many years. There is not a bad track to be found here.

As a long-time fan, I had high hopes for this new release. The problem is too many ballads and not enough rockers. Tracks 1, 3, 5 are quite good. As far as the the old sound being there, it is to a degree. Mike Reno's vocals are a bit laid back and he doesn't seem to have the intensity he once did. After a 10 year break, this could have been a far better effort had the emphasis been a more hard rock approach. CBS needs to do a proper remastering of their first two releases and maybe release a live dvd. The booklet only contains the lyrics for the first track for some strange reason. Sound quality is very good. 10 tracks 37.14.

I wasn't really a huge fan of Loverboy, back in the 80's, but I liked them well enough. I got this CD and was rather impressed. In some respects, it reminds of me of old Loverboy. However, it has a modern sound to it, but not too different or forced. I like the energy of many of the tracks and all the songs are well written. I swear, at times, that Mike Reno's singing reminds me a bit of Bon Jovi. I'd say this is one of Loverboy's strongest albums they've produced.

This is one of the best music cd's I've heard in a long time. Loverboy especially Reno sounds excellent, lyrics and melodies some of the best. It's a shame that today's music industry does not recognize the talents they discovered at an early age later in their career. This is an import not available in regular retail store in the U.S. but is one of Loverboys Best. I'd love to here these tunes played on the airwaves in the U.S. I don't have to worry I own it but man what a great cd. Highly recommend.

Fantastic CD. All 10 tracks are great. Does any one knwo how to download that extra song? Where is the CD key to be found on the case?

Thanks


Richard

It's nice to see that after two decades years, someone finally got around to digitally remastering the Loverboy catalog. The Canadian rockers were major players in the 80's arena rock scene and sold a ton of albums. It's only fitting that their catalog gets the same kind of sonic makeover that the Journey and Foreigner albums received.

This 2006 2-on-1 reissue contains the band's third and fourth albums - Keep It Up (1983) and Lovin' Every Minute of It (1985) - both of which feature the band at their arena-rocking best. The band was at the top of their game in the early to mid-80's, and it really shows in these albums. Reissue label BGO did a great job remastering these albums. The sound is as crisp and clear as anything released today. There aren't any bonus tracks included, but the collection does feature some interesting expanded liner notes. The fact that Keep It Up has been quite hard to find in recent years makes this collection even more appealing.

Between this collection and the Loverboy/Get Lucky reissue, the best albums of the Loverboy catalog have finally been given a much-needed sonic upgrade. Unfortunately that leaves Wildside unaccounted for. A 2-on-1 with the less impressive Loverboy VI would make sense, but my guess is that record company issues (they were released on different labels) will prevent that from happening.

Casual Loverboy fans will be better off with one of the band's many compilation albums, but serious fans will definitely want to add Keep It Up/Lovin' Every Minute of It to their collections.

ROCKS & MAKES ONE LONG FOR THE 80'S ALL OVER AGAIN!!!

Simple thing to do with this cd:GET IT! The third and fourth Loverboy albums on a single disc. Remastered audio makes these sound better than the original LP,cassette AND CD versions issued back in the day by CBS Records. If Amazon still offers the special offer,do so. You'll be glad you did. The first four Loverboy albums on two cd's. Can it get any better?

I love me my Mike Reno of 1980 and that was the year the whole band Loverboy burst onto the scene and burst out of those leather pants with this debut album. As a child I had this tape and the follow up "Get Lucky" and for some reason it was always the second album I played more, because of its more rock sound but having matured and buying both releases on CD, I find myself gravitating to the debut so much more often.

It's much more new wave rock than one would think of when they think of Loverboy and songs like "Lovin' Every Minute Of It" but this is truly a new wave melodic album with the hit singles "Turn Me Loose" and "The Kid Is Hot Tonite", it contains some of the best album tracks of the 80s.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2MARYZ2KS5NYN I think the first song I ever heard by Loverboy was Lady of the 80's, and it's really kind of weird to remember how the expression "the 80's" sounded so up-to-date at the time and gradually got more tarnished and shabby. I've been aware of that song becoming dated for 27 years now. But I don't care. The only song that's dated in a bad way is 'Prissy Prissy', which I didn't care for at the time. Sounds more like something Sweet (Desolation Boulevard) would crank out.

Funny story - maybe - I got tickets to a Sweet concert because I thought they were Kiss (Kiss). I had seen Kiss on TV briefly only once and I liked the Kabuki stuff, but I got the name mixed up. The Sweet concert wasn't bad, and as it turns out, I didn't like Kiss at all - with probably some exceptions I don't remember. Apparently that was in 1974, which sounds about right. I think I expected Kiss to be something like Queen (A Night at the Opera) who I apparently could not have know about yet - with makeup. But after awhile, sadly, Queen didn't even sound like Queen (Jazz).

Take a look at the music that was out in 1980. These guys somehow bridged a lot of different forms of music into their own unique sound. You can hear influences from the past (late 70's) but you can also hear a lot of what became the standard sound throughout the 80's. Like other reviewers, "Turn Me Loose" is my favorite here. The bass line, the pace, the lyrics, and the vocals are all fantastic. The amazing thing is that Mike Reno can still belt out a song. Search youtube and you'll see some recent live performances. He still hits the high notes. While checking out this album, take a listen to their new one, "Just Getting Started". It will surprise you in a good way.

This album introduced the world to Loverboy. It is a good album that has a lot of hooks and rocks with the best of them. This is one of those albums that will get you pumped up for any occasion. Wish new groups could get me pumped like this but they just don't write like this anymore.

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.

This is a good "best of" and contains all I need from the band, all the hits (the big ones) and more. I have to tell that there is a few songs I never heard before (fillers ?) Overall, this cd contains the essential and it is a very good album. God, that was more than twenty years ago !

During the peak of arena rock in the late-70's through the mid-80's, bands that were on the cusp of stardom for several years such as Styx, Journey, and REO Speedwagon, would finally get their just due as their albums would spawn several hit singles as well as successful tours. After their hit making days were over, classic rock stations would provide an outlet for them and would in effect make their music timeless. However, when programming directors were assembling their playlists, a few bands would fall through the cracks. One of the best bands was Loverboy, a hard rock quintet from Canada. Led by their talented and photogenic singer Mike Reno, the band were all over the radio during the first half of the 1980's as albums such as Get Lucky and Keep It Up would be enormously successful. Their sound, which equally balanced synthesizer and guitar, produced a string of hit singles that were accessible to both pop and hard rock music fans. Sadly, their music is rarely heard these days and outside of their native Canada, they've become almost a footnote in music history. Released in 1989, Big Ones contains most of their hit singles and shows why Loverboy has become the most underrated band of the arena rock era.

Right from the memorable synth hook of the opening track "Working for the Weekend", the band's catchy sound is on full display. This track has become their signature song, like "Tom Sawyer" is to Rush, and is one of the best songs of the era. The hit singles "Turn Me Loose", "Hot Girls in Love", and "Lovin' Every Minute of It" are all great hard rock songs complete with memorable hooks. Lesser hits such as "Lucky Ones" and "Notorious" rock a little harder but are just as catchy. The band also had a knack for the power ballad, the best one being "When It's Over", a track that is passionate without being cheesy. The huge hits "This Could Be the Night" and "Heaven in Your Eyes" come off sounding like prom themes and are an acquired taste. The lesser known singles "Take Me to The Top" and "The Kid Is Hot Tonite" are also very good. Like a lot of greatest hits albums, previously unreleased songs were also added to the collection. However, the tracks "For You", "Ain't Looking For Love", and "Too Hot" are all very good and on par with their hits. Although the band would later release another compilation with more tracks called Loverboy Classics in 1994, it's not as consistent as Big Ones. In closing, Big Ones is an outstanding compilation from one of the best arena rock bands of the 1980's.

While Loverboy Classics has more good songs on it, this CD has three songs recorded with their late 80s lineup. "For You" and "Too Hot" are great songs that you won't find elsewhere. A lot of good songs are not on this CD, so if you really love Loverboy you need to get Classics, Temperature's Rising (which has 7 songs not on Classics) and this CD, or else just buy every recording Loverboy ever made, because all have great songs on them.

Canadian rock during the 80's: there's Bryan Adams, Rush, Glass Tiger, and the Toronto-founded Loverboy. When it comes down a definitive single by them "Turn Me Loose" is definitely a candidate, with its pulsing bass, chugging guitar, and the hunger apparent in Mike Reno's voice when he says "I gotta do it my way or no way at all" which more or less sums up the fierce mindset of the protagonist.

The other is the hard-hitting guitar and synth workout of the anthemic "Working For The Weekend" from Get Lucky, of which this is the best single from one of their best albums. Three other songs from this album are the hard rock hoochie-coo of "Lucky Ones," the pounding "When It's Over" and the not-too impressive "Take Me To The Top."

Of the songs that I heard when I became aware of them, the first one, "Lovin' Every Minute Of It" and its pounding tribal rhythms, synths and chanting, sported some backing vocals that make it sound more like Def Leppard. Yes, the song was written by a certain Robert "Mutt" Lange, although it lacks the lustre of his later works, it does have his signature. The other single from the Lovin' Every Minute Of It album, the synth ballad "This Could Be The Night," was clearly trying to capitalize on Reno's duet with Heart's Ann Wilson on "Almost Paradise" (not on this compilation) and made the group sound more like Foreigner. Still a memorable ballad. And as if that weren't enough, they repeated the formula on their contribution to Top Gun, "Heaven In Your Eyes," which is the best of the hard rock ballads, what with the hard-hitting power vocals and guitars in the chorus.

"Notorious" from their last studio album, was quite a kicker, produced as it was by Bruce Fairbairn and co-written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. Their last stab at greatness was enhanced by a video featuring a bevy of beauties representing girls who were "every mother's nightmare, every schoolboy's dream." Although I find the belted wish of "I want to be your slave" a bit demeaning.

The Bob Rock-produced "For You" and "Ain't Looking For love" are harder-edged numbers with more emphasis on guitar and power vocals in the chorus. Ditto for "The Kid Is Hot Tonite," from their first album, is what the early Cars would sound like if they had the hard-driving guitars in the chorus. The keyboards could easily fit on a Cars album. Mike Reno's intense vocals and Paul Dean's hard guitars encapsulated the power formula of Loverboy, and what made it work. After that, it was a matter of whether the song itself was good.

The exclusion of "Dangerous" from Lovin' Every Minute Of It or "Almost Paradise" might make this incomplete to some. Still, a worthy compilation of a band that in a timely manner broke up right at the end of the 80's, leaving behind one brand of 80's hard rock.

Loverboy was one of the many fun hard rock bands of the 1980s. While they weren't my very favorite, they were up there enough for me to have all of their old albums on cassette. I got this collection when it came out in 1989 simply to have most of their hits on CD. To me, it is still the best "best of" collection (of the three they have now). Most people, it seems, prefer "Loverboy Classics: Their Greatest Hits"; but I don't agree for a few reasons.

First of all, I actually like all three new tracks on "Big Ones". "For You" is an emotional yet very rocking anthem that to me should have been a big hit. "Ain't Looking For Love" is a melodic anthem through and through. "Too Hot" flat out rocks--and it was a very minor hit (just barely in the Billboard Top 100, I believe) at the very end of the 1980s. All of these songs stand up in quality to the previous hit material the band released. The other collections have no new material.

Second, "Classics" really doesn't have anything more on it than this collection that you need. It has three more tracks off of "Get Lucky", which to me is overkill. 7 of the 9 tracks on "Get Lucky" are on that album--and "Get Lucky" is an album that any Loverboy should have anyway and is still actually available. The other two tracks on "Classics" that aren't on "Big Ones" are the non-hit ballad "Destination Heartbreak" (by far Loverboy's worst ballad and one of the weaker ballads of the genre as a whole) and the admittedly classic movie love ballad "Almost Paradise"--which isn't a Loverboy song. (Since my wife has the "Footloose" soundtrack, no need for me to have it anyway.) If "Classics" had added, say, "Queen Of The Broken Hearts" and "Love Will Rise Again", then maybe you'd have a truly complete collection. As it stands, that collection is unnecessary if you bought this one first.

I recommend this one anyway. It is a good summary of the band's career and includes the three stellar new (at the time or release) tracks in place of "Lucky Ones" overkill. Buy this and "Lucky Ones"; then try to find the other original albums if you still need more Loverboy. This collection is definitely worth the listen for a slice of fun 1980s mainstream hard rock.

Only thing I would say is replace 'Dangerous' with 'It's Your life' and 'Gangs in the Street'. It is great that some lesser popular songs like Lady of the 80s and Lead a Double Life are included. I've seen Loverboy in concert many times over the years. For some reason I haven't seen them perform Queen Of The Broken Heats, This Could Be the Night or Gangs In The Street. if you think about it Gangs in the Street is the perfect live song......'Put Your Hands in the Air.....'......Great Song. But I can not complain. Loverboy is trying to shake the ballads syndrom a lot of the bands of the eighties have tried to shed....So it you want to hear This Could Be The Night live....here is your chance. Heaven In Your Eyes is another killer ballad. I bought this a did not regret it for a second. You will enjoy it too. One thing should be noted this cd is a collection of songs from various Loverboy shows throughout the years, but they are blended together perfectly so that you can not even tell.

One of the best rock acts of the 80's - bar none. Lead vocalist has a SUPERB voice, guitars, bass, synth and drums just R O C K. This live performance is totally off the HOOK. The recording is of superb quality and these guys just sound WONDERFUL. I highly recommend this CD for any and all Loverboy lovers as well as those who are just discovering them. They're as good as ANY act in pop music in the pop rock genre.

I was around during the 1980's. And I'm still a big fan of 80's rock & roll. Loverboy was rockin'with the best of them, let me tell you. This live CD proves it.

One thing that I enjoy about live CD's versus the studio stuff is that with many of them, you catch the energy of a live show. This one is no different. It was recorded at different shows & different places. But the songs & the crowd sound flows evenly between the songs. Most of the hits are here. But, like some other Loverboy fans, there's a few songs I wish they would have included, most noteworthy "Gangs In the Street" & "Notorious." Perhaps we'll see them on a future live CD. Who knows? But overall, this CD still rocks big time!!!

I'm glad Loverboy is still around. I view their webstite from time to time. If you can't catch a Loverboy concert near you, this is the next best thing. Rock on, Loverboy!

I highly recommend that you get this recording no matter what your musical tastes are. Loverboy is the Beethoven of rock music. The quality of their sound is top-notch, and the beauty, energy, and passion of their music is unequaled, in my opinion. They really rock the house down, and you can actually hear the words, unlike some concert CDs.

I remember seeing these guys open for Journey in 82 at The Omni(Atlanta) and being surprised at how hard they rocked. They were overtly corporate and seemed to have every cliche in the book. But, they also had something that other great rock bands like Kiss(70's version), Journey, AC/DC, etc had- they had great hooks. From the opening cow bell of Working For The Weekend, to Take Me To The Top, Queen of the Broken Hearts, Turn Me Loose, Hot Girls In Love, Lucky Ones, etc.... these guys delivered the goods. They were also a very tight band. They never pretended to be master musicians like Zeppelin or The Who, but they knew how to play in the pocket, especially Paul Dean. His kinetic guitar playing and great sense of rhythm really propelled these songs. Maybe I'm getting old, but it seems like music was just more fun back in the early 80's and this band kicked ass.

Two great albums remastered and on one cd. Before Night Ranger and Bon Jovi there was Loverboy to provide a blueprint. Though they ran out of ideas towards the end of the 80's, the bands they inspired carried on to give fans of this brand of rock something to listen to. Loverboy was a great live band and have recently reunited with a new album that sounds great, too. See them live if you can; they put on some of the best shows of the 80's-just make sure you hear these two albums first.

ROCKS & MAKES ONE LONG FOR THE 80'S ALL OVER AGAIN

It's nice to see that after 25 years, someone finally got around to digitally remastering the early Loverboy albums. The Canadian rockers were major players in the 80's arena rock scene and sold a ton of albums. It's only fitting that their catalog gets the same kind of sonic makeover that the Journey and Foreigner albums received.

This 2006 2-on-1 reissue contains the band's first two albums - Loverboy (1980) and Get Lucky (1981) - the latter featuring the smash hit "Working for the Weekend". Reissue label BGO did a great job remastering these albums. The sound is as crisp and clear as anything released today.

I know that a remastered version of Get Lucky was reissued separately this year, and that it featured previously unreleased demo tracks, so I struggled a bit as to which version to purchase. I'm glad there is a remastered Get Lucky out there, but I want to get the whole Loverboy catalog remastered - not just an album here and there, and since BGO just released another Loverboy 2-on-1 (Keep It Up/Lovin' Every Minute of It), it was clear which way I should go. They may not feature any bonus tracks, but they sound great and do have some nice expanded liner notes.

Casual fans may want to check out the other Get Lucky reissue, or perhaps one of the band's many compilation albums. Serious Loverboy fans will definitely want to add Loverboy/Get Lucky to their collections.

This album is awsome. Slightly more of a pop sound than before but still a great album. The keyboards sound wonderful. I seen them in concert back in 1996 and they still rocked the house. Let's all get together and bring back good rock music!

KEEP IT UP is Loverboy's third album and these guys are still rocking hard. The band was still under contract with Columbia Records,making this album their third since 1980. Hits include QUEEN OF THE BROKEN HEARTS and HOT GIRLS IN LOVE. The other songs are good.

I used to love Loverboy back in the 80's. I thought they were going to become and remain huge. What they really were was a fad and this album was the beginning of the end for them.

I think this is actually a very good album, but the singles, "Queen Of The Broken Hearts" and "Hot Girls In Love," are definitely not the best songs. I think they were released as singles merely because they "sounded" like some of their other hits (most notably, "Working For The Weekend"). Most of the other songs on this album are way better than those two.

If you like classic Loverboy, I highly recommend this one.

You can't go wrong with this album, if you can find it. I hope they bring it back into production. It includes four outstanding songs (Hot Girls in Love, Strike Zone, It's Never Easy, and Queen of the Broken Hearts) and five good songs. "It's Never Easy" is a beautiful bittersweet song about falling out of love. Mike Reno wears his heart on his sleeve, and you can feel the passion and honesty in his singing.

This is almost too easy-- like shooting fish in a barrel. Back in the early 80s, when Keep It Up was released, I thought it was great. "Hot Girls in Love" was the radio favorite, and I liked "Queen of the Broken Hearts" the best. Now, it all sounds like crap. The synthesizers sound cheesy, the vocals sound strained, and the music sounds like an average hard rock band being played through the speakers of a 1980s video arcade game or a mono television.

Loverboy's debut album was better. Sad to say, their later albums were even worse than Keep It Up.

Keep It Up? I suppose they couldn't.

ken32