Saturday
May082010
Autograph - 'Loud and Clear'
Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 12:01AM Let's talk about a video I haven't seen in eons: Autograph's "Loud and Clear." The song is from the 1987 album of the same name. I don't own that album -- but I'm betting a lot of you do, right?
Pay close attention to the video as a couple of our friends are featured: a very hot Vince Neil and yeah, that's Ozzy Osbourne, too. Good times.
Reader Comments (9)
It's also the finest aged cheez I've heard (and seen) in a very long time.
And that makes it Cheez Metal of the highest order, also!
Yes, Al, I own this album, but "Sign in Please" and "That's the Stuff" are even... ahem... "better". And all that means, blustering lead intro aside, is this song's pretty weak. Not even the video cameos of Ozzy or Vince in this video featured above could save the title cut.
The visuals here are priceless, however, aside from the corniest of 80's psuedo-space age get-ups this band has always been prone to, get a load of Ozzy's fine haberdashery. The chix look hot in their 80's party outfits.
Also, as far as the hairdos going on here, Ozzy and the drummer are waging a kind of neo-mullet battle, that, I'm sorry to say, Ozzy, is won by the drummer hands down.
And speaking of the drummer, look at what an "animal" this guy is. He's so into it he's even chomping down on one of his drumsticks with his teeth to free up his hand to pound along on the drums.
Turn Up The Radio!
p.s. Kenny O, Gary, Skwint and Looks... You guys comin' to M3? I heard thru the grapevine you might not be comin', Kenny O. Durn! I was hopin' we were gonna raise a glass... er... plastic cup! Maybe you'll change your mind, bro. It would be fun to all hang out there! Gary, I thought you said you were comin'... Too bad Autograph isn't on the bill, tho. Where are those guyz now? Well, after asking that I just Wikipedia'd them. Incredible story of how they made it, actually, on there, if anyone is inclined to check it out. Too bad, they ain't around anymore (for now, at any rate), which may also be due to the fact they've all gone on to other things (Read about Steve Plunkett on their Wikipedia thingy -- Geez, what a resume!). Unfortunately the keyboardist, Steve Isham passed away the end of last year. Autograph's sole hit, "Turn Up The Radio" was also on VH1's list of "The 100 Greatest Rock Songs", which might be stretching it a little, IMHO. I would definitely vote it into the Top !0 of two possible lists, (1) "The Greatest Cheeze Metal Songs of All Time" and (2) "The Greatest Party Metal Songs of All Time"!
Yeah, I'd say the event you are attending takes precedence. I hope your daughter realizes how cool it is she has a Heavy Metal Father!
p.s. Forgot to mention something regarding the observations made about Vince Neil looking so young in the above Autograph video, "Loud and Clear". You wanna see a young Vince? Check out the Crue's classic, "Livewire" video, immortalizing an even younger and fully glammed-out Vince in head-to-toe red leather. Let's remember, The Toxic Twins penned "Dude Looks Like A Lady" about him! "Livewire" is so killer, btw, easily one of my top ten fave vids of all time, in any genre. Also, check out how cool Vince's cordless microphone with the antenna comin' out of the bottom of it looks, as well as a couple of nice details in shots of Nikki and Mick I won't give away, if by the rarest chance you haven't seen this. Of course, I can't imagine anyone reading this having not seen it before. "Livin' fast, runnin' free a little bit better than I used to be..."
Thought I'd do a brief update on these characterz.
I just got the recent 24-bit remastered Rock Candy label reissue of Autograph's second album, "That's The Stuff", originally released in '85 by RCA.
I already have all of the original RCA releases, including their debut, "Sign in Please" (possessor of their sole hit, "Turn Up The Radio"), "That's The Stuff" (with the original cover) and their third, "Loud & Clear".
Make no mistake, this is totally unabashed overly keyboard laden Cheeze/Hair/AOR/Party/Pop Metal at it's worst, which I always find amusing to listen to, believe it or not.
But what's interesting about Rock Candy's reissue is a killer version of Autograph's cover of Grand Funk Railroad's 70's classic, "We're an American Band"...
Though Todd Rundgren's stellar production of Grand Funk's '73 original is tough to beat, it's still cool to hear this 70's classic get the full on 80's Hair Metal Treatment. Great Party Song!
I hate to say it, but aside from "Turn Up The Radio", this is Autograph's rockin'est tune!
Check out Rock Candy's site. It's a great reissue label and you'll be amazed at all the cool stuff they've got in their catalogue. Go to rockcandyrecords.com.
p.s. Autograph also took the liberty of re-writing some of the lyrics to "We're an American Band", probably to make it more autobiographical to their particular story, which seems to have involved "four young chiquitas in Baltimore", as opposed to Grand Funk's involvement with said chiquitas in Omaha. Since I'm originally from the Baltimore area, I find this particularly amusing.