It pisses me off how some hard rock albums are not on Spotify. Maybe it’s an RCA label thing, or a Steve Plunkett thing, because the 80s recorded output of Autograph isn’t on the streaming service.
Autograph were either loathed or liked. There was no in between. I liked the first album and loathed the second album. I guess I fit that description.
I didn’t get their records until well into the 90s via the usual second hand record stores and record fairs.
Sign In Please
Before I dropped the needle on this, all I knew was “Turn Up The Radio” and a few interviews with Steve Lynch in the guitar mags I purchased.
Send Her To Me
Its basically a simple keyboard driven song like Night Ranger. It rocks, it’s melodic and it’s fun.
And that outro lead.
Steve Lynch starts off with a super melodic repeating lick and then he puts the pedal to the floor and shreds.
Turn Up The Radio
Again, it’s a simple riff made gold worthy by some keyboard chords over it.
And again, Lynch and his 8 fingers hammer-on technique is the star. Maybe it was a California thing as Jeff Watson also had that technique down.
Deep End
How can you not like this song?
To me, it’s got the riff which I call the “LA riff”.
But it was finally made super popular with “Fight For Your Right (To Party)” by the Beatsie Boys.
And again, Steve Lynch steals the limelight with his lead break.
Thrill Of Love
The melodic riff in the verses could have come from Vinnie Vincent, the Chorus is a let down and the lead break again steals the show.
Friday
Yep, it’s a song about the start of the weekend. It’s got that vibe and the riff reminds me of EVH merged with Loverboy.
Did I mention the lead break is fucking good?
Yeah, it’s good.
In The Night
It reminds of Kiss “Unmasked” era and I like it.
All I’m Gonna Take
The best song on the album and it’s the closer. The melodic lead is AAA and when Steve Lynch decides to burn, he burns.
“That’s The Stuff” came next and it really wasn’t the stuff, while the second track “Take No Prisoners” is a rewrite of “Turn Up The Radio” and basically this is an album that is lacking in ideas and very hard to listen to.
destroyerofharmony 
Agreed the debut is a perfect blend of Power Hard Rock Pop! Lynch plays brilliantly on here and Plunkett had a real good knack for writing those catchy syrupy choruses like Send Her To Me!
My buddy Tbone bought Thats the Stuff on cassette and I think I listened to it once and thats all I needed to hear…
Totally forgot about Thats The Stuff until 2001 when Aerosmith released Just Push Play and the covers looked similar!
The debut I picked up on vinyl a year ago and from time to time its a great revisit!
Great Post!
Guess that’s the stuff wasn’t the stuff. Like you I heard it once and that was it.
But the debut, great playing from Lynch.
Agreed amazing they opened for Halen on the 84 Tour. Lynch and EVH two hotshots..
Never heard of them.
Their time was fleeting, the label RCA had no idea how to promote hard rock bands and their guitarist Steve Lynch saw a better deal doing instructional videos and teaching technique to students instead of waiting for the record company to pay royalties.
Yeah, I think I’ve watched one of his videos!
I know Steve, went to GIT with him (I was studying at BIT), he was always involved with teaching and studying. Great guy, knew his stuff, but was always humble, also knew there were/are kids out there in a bedroom that can run circles around anyone, but you will never hear of them.
It was Holdsworth that opened the door to the tapping technique, which was not a “new” technique, even then. It just got popularized by Edward with the help from Milton Berle’s uncle. Marshall Berle.
Autograph was a corporate business, made by label guys. It wasn’t really a band. Same old scorched earth marketing stuff by the labels to try and squeeze every drop out of the shredding lead guitar style that became so popular at the time.
Thanks for sharing. Great insights.