Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Autograph
Label: Ellefson Music Productions
Released: 2017
Length: 49:06
Rating: 4/5
Every fan of eighties glam/hair metal knows Autograph today. In the eighties these guys wrote a good chunk of the glam metal movement and Sunset Strip folklore, and carved themselves permanently onto the rock’n’roll map with a trio of outstanding albums released through the decade, namely “Sign In Please” (1984), “That’s The Stuff” (1985) and “Loud And Clear” (1987). The first album went gold in the US, and the track Turn Un the Radio became a beloved evergreen with the crowd and the best-known hit of the band’s career. Autograph first broke up at the end of the eighties. Then they reactivated in 2002, released two more albums and went dormant again in 2005. In 2013 they broke this pause too and got back together with two original members, guitarist Steve Lynch and bassist Randy Rand, while the newcomers are singer and rhythm guitarist Simon Daniels (previously with Jailhouse) and drummer Marc Wieland.
Singer Simon Daniels in particular was a big question mark from the day he joined. But the guys proved there’s no messing around with the revamped Autograph in the new era, and confidently kept all their credibility with convincing live shows, crowned by three new singles released back to back, which came out at the start of last year as the new EP »Louder«. Autograph added a version of the hit Turn Up the Radio to it, recorded live with the band’s current lineup, and they did it very much on purpose, to win over all the remaining doubting Thomases who, with original singer Steve Plunkett gone, still doubted the quality of the new Autograph.
»Get Off Your Ass« actually contains the whole EP »Louder« plus four brand-new tracks. So that’s all three singles you’ve already heard, Every Generation, I Lost My Mind In America and the first single, the title track Get Off Your Ass, plus the song Watch Me Now, as well as the live version of the hit Turn Up the Radio. That EP alone gave us a glimpse that Autograph have kept all the musicality and pomp in their songwriting, carried over faithfully from the eighties. At the same time they’ve updated their production, which is now noticeably livelier and knows nothing of »polishing«. No keyboards to be heard, and the overall sound feels tight and organic. Gritty and »loud«. Simon Daniels’ vocals live up to every expectation. They carry a contagious swagger and, with a mild huskiness, add just the right dose of cheekiness. At the same time he’s incredibly authoritative across all vocal registers, and with a voice of sensual brilliance he puts the all-important dot on the »i« of a string of predatory, wildly piercing guitar phrases. So for the new album the band added four new tracks that don’t fall short of what »Louder« brought. Leading the new bunch is the catchy You Are Us, We Are You; the only ballad, All I Own, also does very well, bringing no off-putting sugar to the album; and the closer Ready To Get Down is wrapped up very deftly too, and next to the hugely invasive opening title track it may even be the best moment on »Get Off Your Ass«. In some passages Ready To Get Down shows a few parallels with the hit Turn Up the Radio. The king of eight-string »hammer on« guitar playing, Steve Lynch, keeps on ruling with an undiminished dose of testosterone in his famous guitar solos, soaked in incredible technical polish and brilliant execution.
So »Get Off Your Ass« keeps an incredible melodic catchiness all the way through, an addictive adrenaline-rush nature sustained by a hefty noise of unleashed decibels and a pomp element, and it’s a document that shows Autograph, with the deft flexibility of seasoned masters, credibly carrying the essence of their eighties sound into new times. The job is done very subtly and with real commitment. With flying colors. Of course, with some caution and weighing things up in advance, but that was absolutely necessary, because given their reputation as stylistic and sonic perfectionists of glam metal’s golden age, Autograph simply couldn’t afford an artistic slip-up in the new era.
Autograph – Get Off Your Ass (official video):
Lineup
Simon Daniels – vocals, guitar
Steve Lynch – guitar
Randy Rand – bass guitar
Marc Wieland – drums
Production
Steve Lynch
Tracklist
1 Get Off Your Ass (3:04)
2 Every Generation (3:57)
3 All I Own (4:26)
4 You Are Us, We Are You (5:15)
5 Meet Me Half Way (4:33)
6 I Lost My Mind In America (4:31)
7 All Emotion (3:36)
8 Watch It Now (3:19)
9 Ready To Get Down (4:29)
10 Turn Up The Radio (Live) (5:42)
