Review AUTOGRAPH ‘Beyond’

Autograph’s 1984 animation anthem ‘Turn Up the Radio’ catapulted the band into the charts. The song climbed to #29 in the US charts and Autograph were the talk of the town. With a title like that, radio airplay was guaranteed and something big could have developed. However, Autograph could not turn the initial triumph into a continuous success story and the end of the band followed in 1989.

In 2011, bassist Randy Rand and guitarist Steve Lynch began to reactivate the group and, after many in-between steps and the 2017 release ‘Get Off Your Ass’, a new album is now actually in sight.

‘Beyond’ is the name of the longplayer and it’s twelve songs that make rock’n’roll live high. Generally speaking, the album contains songs like ‘Gotta Getcha’ and the rocking ‘Heart of Stone’ which are quite enjoyable. Overall, however, it is noticeable that both the bite and the final punch is missing. Nobody expected a new ‘Turn Up the Radio’. However, Autograph perform on ‘Beyond’ with the handbrake on.

What makes ‘Beyond’ a special album for fans of the band is the fact that it is the last record that features founding member Randy Rand. The bassist passed away far too early in April this year and so it is ‘Beyond’ that brings Rand’s grooving bass playing to shine for the last time.

If you like well-crafted hard rock with solid melodies, you should definitely check out Autograph’s latest effort. You can always have a good time with these twelve songs.