Paul Dean - guitar, vocals; Matthew Frenette - drums; Doug Johnson - keyboards; Mike Reno - vocals; Scott Smith - bass, vocals
This show was recorded only a year after Loverboy was formed in Toronto, in early 1980. Signed immediately to Columbia Records and signed to producer Bruce Fairbain, the group released its debut album and quickly scored huge radio hits: "Turn Me Loose," and "The Kid Is Hot Tonight."
This show, recorded just as the band was releasing its sophomore LP, Get Lucky, marks one of Loverboy's many King Biscuit Flower Hour appearances, and although cut while the band was still in its infancy, can be viewed today as a live collection of greatest hits.
Loverboy was probably the biggest band in Canada, and one of the most popular bands, in the rest of the world when these tracks were cut. The band is credited as a later example of the AOR (album-oriented rock) FM format, as most of the radio cuts have since become staples in the classic rock genre.
Opening with "Working For The Weekend," the group cuts a path through the heart of rock 'n' roll with such important songs as "Teenage Overdose," "Turn Me Loose," "The Kid Is Hot Tonight," and "When It's Over." There are some lesser known LP tracks that sound great, but not everything works. After a lengthy drum solo they go into the song "Lady Of The 80s," which, today is dated and, quite frankly, forgettable.
The band continued working with Fairbain, who had a knack for getting hit songs out of them, through the following year. When Fairbain took on Aerosmith, the group moved on to producer Tom Allom (Judas Priest), but he failed to produce any hits.
The group continued recording studio albums until 1987, when it decided to take a long break so singer Mike Reno and guitarist Paul Dean could pursue solo careers. The hiatus would last until they reformed to release Six in 1997.
The original line-up of the band, sadly, would never play together after the fall of 2000, when bassist Scott Smith was declared "lost at sea" after a freak wave knocked him from a sailing boat off the coast of San Francisco.