Keep It Up

Continue to do or maintain something, as in They were playing loud music, and they kept it up all night long. [Mid-1700s] Also see keep up, def. 4.

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• Artist: Loverboy
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1983
• Total Time: 38:21
• Genre: Rock

Review

After establishing themselves as a multi-platinum arena act with Get Lucky, Loverboy continued to crank out their unique new wave-tinged style of AOR on Keep It Up. Although this album's hits weren't as large or as indelible as those from Get Lucky, Keep It Up is actually a more consistent album. This time, the songs that hit the charts were "Hot Girls in Love" and "Queen of the Broken Hearts." The former is an up-tempo tune in the classic Loverboy style that dishes up a fist-pumping guitar rock tune fleshed out with slick synthesizer and organ textures. The latter song is a different, more complex animal: it's the surprisingly observant tale of a woman reluctant to fall in love that plays out over a hook-laden mid-tempo tune that plays off meditative guitar-laden verses against a synth-driven chorus that suddenly accelerates the tempo to a dance-pop level. Elsewhere, the album combines AOR hooks with lush instrumental treatments that approach prog rock: "Prime of Your Life" and "One Sided Love Affair" are built on stately, almost classical synthesizer riffs, while "Danger Zone" boasts a complex arrangement that alternates moody electronics with dramatic guitar bombast. "Meltdown" is another tune in this artsy vein: it's a slow rocker that combines the heaviest guitar riffs on the album with layered synth parts reminiscent of Rush. None of the other tunes on Keep It Up are as instantly accessible as its hits, but everything is arranged and performed with care. As a result, the album doesn't suffer from the inconsistent songs that marred Get Lucky and succeeds as a fully realized album of pop/rock. In short, Keep It Up is a worthwhile listen for Loverboy fans and anyone who is into 1980s AOR. ~ Donald A. Guarisco, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Hot Girls in Love (Lyrics)	Paul Dean, Bruce Fairbairn	Loverboy
Strike Zone (Lyrics)	Paul Dean, Bruce Fairbairn, Mike Reno, Scott Smith	Loverboy
It's Never Easy (Lyrics)	Paul Dean, Doug Johnson, Mike Reno	Loverboy
Chance of a Lifetime	Paul Dean, Bruce Fairbairn, Doug Johnson, Mike Reno	Loverboy
Queen of the Broken Hearts (Lyrics)	Paul Dean, Mike Reno	Loverboy
Prime of Your Life (Lyrics)	Paul Dean, Bruce Fairbairn, Doug Johnson	Loverboy
Passion Pit (Lyrics)	Paul Dean, Bruce Fairbairn, Mike Reno	Loverboy
One-Sided Love Affair (Lyrics)	Paul Dean, Bruce Fairbairn, Mike Reno, P. Taylor	Loverboy
Meltdown (Lyrics)	Paul Dean, Doug Johnson, Mike Reno	Loverboy

Credits

Lindsay Kidd (Engineer), Nancy Nash (Vocals), Jean Piché (Synthesizer), Matthew Frenette (Drums), Paul Dean (Producer), Bruce Fairbairn (Producer), Scott Smith (Vocals), Doug Johnson (Keyboards), Paul Dean (Vocals), Paul Dean (Guitar), Scott Smith (Bass), Mike Reno (Vocals)

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