Cheap Trick [Original recording remastered]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Once largely written off by critics as arena-rock dinosaurs, Rockford, Illinois's favorite musical sons have become darlings of an influential cadre of alternative and modern-rock superstars and the subjects of an overdue catalog upgrade--and for a slew of good reasons. The first of those would be Cheap Trick, the blistering 1977 debut that confounded reviewers nearly as well as it captured the band's edgy song sensibility and musical chops honed by their 200-plus-gig-a-year work ethic. Producer Jack Douglas wisely opted for a deceptively raw tack that captured Cheap Trick's manic live essence better than any other album--save, of course, Live at Budokan. The band's later bubble-gum rep is viciously and hilariously undercut here by songs about youth-culture cynicism ("Elo Kiddies"), pedophilia ("Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School"), mass murder ("The Ballad of TV Violence"), and gigolos ("He's a Whore"), not to mention a tasty cover of Terry Reid's "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace." Guitarist Rick Nielsen's loud, trashy fretwork presaged "grunge" by a good 15 years, and Robin Zander's vocals show why he's since been tagged the Man of a Thousand Voices. And the rhythm section of drummer Bun E. Carlos and Tom Petersson was (and is) one of rock's most underrated. This Sony Legacy "Expanded Edition" restores the album's original running order (the previous version flipped the vinyl's A and B sides) and features new photos, liner notes, and five bonus cuts. One of rock's greatest albums, unsung or otherwise. --Jerry McCulley

Tracks:

Clock Strikes Ten (Live)
Dream Police
Don't Be Cruel
Tonight It's You
She's Tight
I Want You To Want Me (Live)
If You Want My Love
Ain't That A Shame (Live)
Surrender
The Flame
I Can't Take It
Can't Stop Fallin' Into Love
Voices
Magical Mystery Tour

Customer Reviews:

Great intro to a great band, if a bit lightweight.......2005-08-09

Cheap Trick always seemed like three bands rolled up into one, and most of their career has been spent trying to find a balance between the different styles. You have your Beatlesque power pop tunes, which brought the band deserved hits in the 70's and a place in the heart of indie rockers from Nirvana to Guided by Voices. You have the 80's AOR years, filled with ballads that are musically pleasing with great choruses but artistically less interesting, and often heavily produced. And finally, you have the side of the band that was capable of cranking out menacing rockers with dark lyrics such as "Auf Wiedersehen" and "I'm Not The Only Boy".

While the third side of Cheap Trick is pretty much ignored here, the first two are covered pretty well. There's a decent cover of "Magical Mystery Tour" here, though it seems like the boys are rocking by rote rather than adding anything new to the song. All of the big hits are here, including the two songs that guaranteed Cheap Trick their place in the classic rock pantheon - "Surrender" and "I Want You To Want Me".

If you're looking for a disc that captures Cheap Trick as you heard them on the radio, this is a good single-disc encapsulation of their biggest hits. But if you really want to find out what Cheap Trick was all about, and still get most of their big hits, splurge for all five of their first records - Cheap Trick (self-titled), In Color, Heaven Tonight, At Budokan, and Dream Police. While Dream Police is the weakest of the bunch, all of these albums are absolute classics and really cover ALL sides of Cheap Trick - one of the most misunderstood bands of all time.

Hits, but not much more........2005-06-21

This basic collection is good no doubt, but as always it's what's missing that's the problem. The biggest hits are here, but where is "Southern Girls", "Ghost Town", "Mandocello", theme from "That 70's Show", and countless others? In short, if you're looking for a single disc collection I suggest "Authorized Greatest Hits" which is longer and better. There's also the 2-disc "Essential" collection if you really need a healthy dose. Either of those should do the "trick".

"Mommy's Allright, Daddy's Allright".......2005-04-29

This fine collection of hits from one of the hottest bands of the late 70's and 80's has something for everyone. Included are the rock-n-roll staples "Surrender", "Dream Police", and the live version of "I Want You to Want Me". All of these great songs feature Robin Zander's fine vocals, Bun E. Carlos' thundering drums, and Rick Nielsen's screaming lead guitar. For those of you who like ballads, there are two excellent ones included in this collection; "The Flame" and "Tonight its You". The disc is rounded out with other Cheap Trick greats including "She's Tight" and "Magical Mystery Tour".

This band originated in a town only 30 miles from where I live, so I've followed them very closely over the years, and this cd has remained one of my favorites. It is perfect for the "casual" Cheap Trick fan who doesn't want to buy each one of their albums just to get their favorite songs. This great cd has all of their greatest hits, so just pop it in the cd player, sit back, and enjoy some GREAT rock and roll!

My First Cheap Trick Album!.......2004-02-01

Guided By Voices frontman Robert Pollard often goes on about how much he loves Cheap Trick and has been influenced by them. Then, when I saw the video for the Dream Police, I was pleasantly bugged out by the funky images and the awesome guitar work- very imaginative and rocked like hell.

So, the other day, I was able to get this particular version of their greatest hits for a low price... And this is a terrific starter album. The regular albums are probably sequenced better.

It sounds like a pretty mixed bag- no chronological order, which I prefer anyhow. The live tracks are terrific- these guys could make "My Little Buttercup" sound like total rocker, and they're very creative. The old-school studio tracks (first released when I was born) like Dream Police, Surrender, and Voices still sound fresh and exciting- there is no such thing as "over the top" in rock n' roll!

As for the latter-day ballads...well, that's a matter of taste. I used to not like hair metal ballad stuff when I was growing up in the 80's. The market was really flooded with it and I just couldn't relate to the majority of it. Now that I'm a little older, I enjoy it as a bit of a kitchy thrill and the Cheap Trick tracks of this nature are better than most.

It's a pretty inexpensive disc so, while you're shopping, you may as well pick this up- cheap, of course (they wouldn't have it any other way).

An OK Primer for Cheap Trick.......2003-02-05

I'm glad this came out with a reorganized sequence, because Cheap Trick's cover of "Magical Mystery Tour" is one of the worst songs they have ever recorded. By bumping it to the close of this CD where you can just hit eject and pass it by, you're better off. Using a live version of "Clock Strikes Ten" gives you a much better opening idea to what Cheap Trick, in their heyday, was really about. Loud fast fun!

It's also a sweet victory for Cheap Trick that their late 80's comeback material holds up pretty well next to their classics from the 70's. "Tonight It's You" should have been the hit, instead of the band having to hire songwriters to get "The Flame" for. We must also not forget the obvious...any album that contains the amazing "Surrender" and "I Want You To Want Me" is worth owning.

ON THE OTHER HAND: The "Authorized Greatest Hits" contains a couple other strong selections ("Walk Away" and "Stop This Game" most notably). The main reason I would suggest having THIS version of the greatest hits is for the studio version of "The Flame." ("Authorized Greatest Hits" substitutes it with a live version.) Otherwise I'd wholeheartedly recommend passing on this version for "A.G.H."

Cheap Trick At Budokan: The Complete Concert

Average customer rating:

On the drums...Mister Bun E. Carlos...
I cannot play this album loudly enough!
One of the best live cd's you'll ever own!!
Finally, the entire show!
One of the best live performances I've ever heard - it's a little cheesy but you'll still love it!

Cheap Trick At Budokan: The Complete Concert
Cheap Trick
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Cheap Trick
Heaven Tonight
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In Color
Rockford

ASIN: B0000062FR
Release Date: 1998-04-28

Tracks:

Hello There
Come On, Come On
Elo Kiddies
Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace
Big Eyes
Lookout
Downed
Can't Hold On
Oh Caroline
Surrender
Auf Wiedersehen

Tracks:

Need Your Love
High Roller
Southern Girls
I Want You To Want Me
California Man
Goodnight
Ain't That A Shame
Clock Strikes Ten

Amazon.com essential recording

Originally released as a 10-track live album in the late 1970s when live albums were all the rage, At Budokan neatly summed up this oddball power-pop/hard rock band with the added ferocity a live show brings. Tracks such as "Hello There," "Surrender," "I Want You to Want Me," and Fats Domino's "Ain't That a Shame" were infused with a power their studio versions only hint at. Twenty years after the original concert in April 1978, the classic live album has been expanded to include nine additional tracks that make this a must-have for fans of the original. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews:

On the drums...Mister Bun E. Carlos..........2007-03-04

Face it, folks...if you're reading these reviews to decide if you should by "Cheap Trick At Budokan," you haven't been paying attention to the world around you. As Mike Meyers said in "Wayne's World," this album was shipped with packets of Tide to everyone in the suburbs. It became the mission in life for every second, third and fourth rate band to do a "Live At Budokan" album, but Cheap Trick did it FIRST, and Cheap Trick did it BEST. The magic moment here is during "Clock Strikes Ten," and I believe Robin Zander KNEW his words were magic the moment they left his mouth. "ON THE DRUMS...MISTER BUN E. CARLOS"...and B.E.C. rips forth with a tight, compressed drum solo that's the equal of Ringo's on "The End." Grand Funk may have coined the catch-phrase "An American Band," but for many of the air guitar faithful in garages across America, Cheap Trick is king of that hill. A five star album, and if you need to ask why, don't even bother asking.

I cannot play this album loudly enough!.......2006-12-09

Remember that album you listened to in the waning years of the 1970s to the point that you'd spent so many hours pouring over the music and photos that you started to believe you'd actually attended this concert? Then get this set of the entire concert--all those great pop songs you remember plus the tracks you love from all those albums you bought in the wake of "Cheap Trick at Budokan." It'll put you there all over again.

I hear that the other show of this two-night Tokyo stand was videotaped. A DVD release of that show would be incredible. Until that day, go see Cheap Trick when they come to your town. You will not be disappointed.

One of the best live cd's you'll ever own!!.......2006-06-06

Back in 1977, Cheap Tricks management wanted to release a cd that would hold them over until the new release was finished. Dream Police was almost ready to roll, but it just needed a little extra time to be fully completed before it was released to the world. Up until now, Cheap Trick had not had much success in North America and they were counting on the Dream Police release to put them on the map. When they recorded Live a Budokan it was to help get things rolling and to be a stop gap measure to fill the void until the new release was ready. It was also only supposed to be released in Japan. Well as it turned out, it was one hell of a stop gap. Live At Budokan became the anthem in North America and broke the band big time. It was a tremendous success that helped propel the band to new heights. Songs like I Want You To Want Me became overnight hits. They had reached massive success almost overnight or least it seemed. Cheap Trick was a hard working band and this over night success so to speak was well earned.

Well here we are some 30 years later and this time out we get the complete concert. Yup that's right, uncut from the record label big wigs this time out and in it's entirety. It's amazing that something this old can still sound so fresh and unencumbered. The darn thing still sounds good!!!

This release is a tribute to what good rock & roll is all about. It just had something about it, a live energy or passion that still holds up today.

If you only have one Cheap Trick cd, this is the one you want or need as it's the band at it's best!

Finally, the entire show!.......2006-03-19

Like The Who, Cheap Trick utterly dominates the stage as a live band. Unlike The Who, however, Cheap Trick has never really put out a truly extraordinary studio album (good albums yes, but not extraordinary). I think these are the reasons why Live at Budokan has always been a favorite of critics and listeners alike.

Although I personally have a distaste for CDs that add bonus tracks to classic albums, thereby ruining the atmosphere of the original work, I regard The Complete Concert as a different CD entirely. Because Cheap Trick is a first-class live act, it deserves to have the entire performance documented. The original Live at Budokan, great as it was, always seemed disjointed and incomplete, even though that never detracted from its appeal. This CD brings you the entire show, fills in gaps, answers questions, and really makes me wish I could have been there to witness thousands of lovely Japanese ladies chanting "Bun E, Bun E"!

Not all the additional songs on this CD are up to par with the original, abridged Live at Budokan. But that's not the point. The point is that this documents a classic live show in its entirety, and it IS very entertaining from start to finish. When you consider all that stringy hair, Rick Neilson's "quirkiness", and Bun E. Carlos' decidedly non-rock-and-roll-star appearance, you quickly realize how great this band really is to entertain so many people for so many years. Live at Budokan has always been an inspiration to me both as a drummer (Thanks, Bun E!) and as a live musician. The Complete Live at Budokan does nothing to change that.

I'm keeping the original Live at Budokan along with this CD, but I for one am thrilled to finally have the entire concert in my collection.

One of the best live performances I've ever heard - it's a little cheesy but you'll still love it!.......2005-12-29

Cheap Trick is essentially a minor guilty pleasure and a little cheesy, but if you can get past that then you will find that they are an AMAZING band! Their strengths lay in their live performances, and this album especially proves this point (they were more of a "show" than an artistic, political or poetic group, and they knew this). What's so fascinating about "Cheap Trick At Budokan: The Complete Concert" is that it's so well-produced for a live show - you can hear everything clearly! The drums are especially easy and fun to listen to. The songs are all essentially cheesy-but-fun power pop songs with a hard rock twist, and even if they aren't the deepest songs in the world lyrically, you will still probably love them. Not all of the songs here are great, unfortunately (the original album only had 10 songs, but this has about 25 - that could explain it), but the album's length and the amount of good ones it DOES have more than make up for it. "Hello Kiddies", "Big Eyes" and "Surrender", for example, are all classic power pop songs from the early seventies. Singer Robin Zander does an excellent job with the vocals as fits perfectly as a power pop/hard rock vocalist - I'm pretty sure that most people will love him. The lyrics aren't all that interesting by themselves, but Robin definitely adds much needed energy to the mix. Like I said, the only downfall to this particular verson of the album is that some of the extra songs aren't that good (the original album wasn't the whole concert, but this is). Basically, if you're into power pop, the history of rock or if you're looking for an amazing live album, then "Cheap Trick At Budokan: The Complete Concert" is one of the best you buy! Absolutely recommended!

Highlights include:
"Hello Kiddies"
"Come On Come On"
"Big Eyes"
"Downed"
"Surrender"
the rest are good or decent

Average customer rating:

THIS LEGENDARY CHEAP TRICK COMPILATION ALBUM TRULY ROCK'S!
Another Illinois band
One (major) disappointment to consider before purchasing.
Not perfect, but (semi)close...[Really 3 stars out of 4...]
THAT 70S BAND

Cheap Trick - Authorized Greatest Hits
Cheap Trick
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Power Pop | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00004YC1W
Release Date: 2000-10-24

Tracks:

I Want You To Want Me
Ain't That A Shame
Southern Girls (Single Version)
Surrender
Stop This Game
Dream Police
If You Want My Love (Alternate Version)
Tonight It's You
Everything Works If You Let It (Full Length Version)
Mandocello
I Can't Take It (Live)
She's Tight
That 70's Song
Walk Away
Can't Stop Fallin' Into Love
The Flame (Live)

Customer Reviews:

THIS LEGENDARY CHEAP TRICK COMPILATION ALBUM TRULY ROCK'S!.......2007-07-08

I will be writing a review on the legendary greatest hits compilation album entitled "CHEAP TRICK, AUTHORIZED GREATEST HITS" by one of Rock's all-time greatest bands ever. I give you one of America's many pride and joy's and one of Rockford, Illinois' favorite sons, C-H-E-A-P T-R-I-C-K! "CHEAP TRICK, AUTHORIZED GREATEST HITS" was originally released in 2000 on Compact Disc on the Epic / Legacy Records label which is affiliated in association with Sony Music Entertainment Inc., Cheap Trick Unlimited and Volcano Enterprises ll, LLC. As always, if I hear any new additional information concerning this legendary compilation album or the artist, I will edit this review immediately so that you the consumer will get the overall best informative and most accurate review possible.

CHEAP TRICK will forever go down in Rock n' Roll history and be remembered for composing and recording some of Rock's all-time greatest sacred anthems ever. When lead vocalist / guitarist and frontman Robin Zander met up and joined forces with drummer Bun E. Carlos, lead guitarist Rick Nielsen and 12-string bassist Tom Petersson, the stage was set and CHEAP TRICK would be born to take Rock n' Roll by storm thus changing it forever. It was full speed ahead for the band and they never looked back. CHEAP TRICK would release great hit songs and albums along with their legendary and storied explosive sell-out live concert tours the world over for many years during the 1977 to 2000 period to highly critically acclaim. Which now brings me to the legendary greatest hits compilation album I'm about to review for all of you today. "CHEAP TRICK, AUTHORIZED GREATEST HITS" chronicles and highlights the band's all-time greatest hits from the 1977 to 2000 period. In my opinion, this legendary compilation album is without a doubt, a true testament of the brilliance and musical creativity of four masterminded genius'. This compilation album is also a fine fitting tribute to a great legendary band that was truly indeed, far ahead of their time. "CHEAP TRICK, AUTHORIZED GREATEST HITS" is the tales in the life of CHEAP TRICK, their music is their story that speaks for itself.

It is now time to let the Hard Rock n' Roll music of CHEAP TRICK to speak for itself and back it up musically as the band originally truly intended for it to be listened to and heard. "CHEAP TRICK, AUTHORIZED GREATEST HITS" from 2000 begins with the a*s kicking Hard Rock anthem " I Want You To Want Me," the blistering a*s kickin' Rockin' rendition of the FATS DOMINO classic song, "Ain't That A Shame," the a*s kickin' Hard Rock anthem that is dedicated to all of the beautiful girls in the south, "Southern Girls (Single Version)," the backbreaking killer Hard Rocker "Surrender," the forever CHEAP TRICK stamped trademark musical extravaganza that sounds alot like a legendary PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS Rock anthem, "Stop This Game," the incredible Hard Rocker "Dream Police," the alternate acoustic / electric Rocker "If You Want My Love," the explosive Hard Rocker "Tonight It's You," the genuine and original full length version of the merciless a*s kicking Hard Rocker "Everything Works If You Let It," the tough and rugged slow acoustic Rocker "Mandocello," the a*s kicking live version of the Hard Rock anthem "I can't Take It," the guitar blasting Hard Rocker "She's Tight," the groundbreaking Hard Rock anthem "That 70's Song (Based on "In The Street")," the refreshing and relaxing slow acoustic Rocker which features the lead vocals of Chrissie Hynde, "Walk Away," the beautifully synthesized Rocker "Can't Stop Fallin' Into Love" and the forever CHEAP TRICK stamped trademark Rock anthem performed live, "The Flame." May I also add that the musical chemistry within the band blends and harmonizes perfectly and beautifully together as one unit. I would also like to commend lead vocalist and frontman Robin Zander for a job perfectly well done while laying down the vocal tracks for all of these legendary hit songs. Listening to this whole greatest hits compilation album in its entirety, I never realized how many great hit songs that CHEAP TRICK really recorded. THIS IS TRULY A GREAT COMPILATION ALBUM.

I would like to highly recommend this legendary greatest hits compilation album to everyone of all ages that loves Rock n' Roll. This compilation album should be a valuable and important part of everyone's own personal music collection. This legendary compilation album has proven to stand the test of time and will always be around to be enjoyed, appreciated and cherished for many years to come, NOW AND FOREVER. You may also prefer in checking out and researching further into the many other CHEAP TRICK greatest hits compilation albums that are widely available everywhere before you make your final decision. In doing this, you will have chosen the album that is right for you and suits your musical tastes and needs. Knowing this, you will have also taken a giant step in owning and starting your very own personal CHEAP TRICK music collection. You can do all of your music researches and album purchases either on Amazon com or at your nearest local Borders Books and Music store.

In closing, despite making band personnel changes in the band's career, CHEAP TRICK has successfully continued in releasing great albums along with performing live the world over with their legendary explosive live sell-out concert performances up to this very day. Knowing this, I guess it is obvious and safe to say that CHEAP TRICK is here to stay for good and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. With this in mind, CHEAP TRICK has forever left their place and mark in Rock n' Roll history and the many contributions, accomplishments and achievements will never be forgotten. However, CHEAP TRICK is not about to rest on their glorious past or laurels just yet. There are still new tales and stories in the CHEAP TRICK legend and legacy that still needs to be told and written in pages and chapters. But that, my fellow readers and reviewers, you will just have to stay tuned and read further more about it at a later date. So here's to you Rick, Tom, Bun and Robin. Thanks for the many great memories and moments with many more still yet to come. Keep Persevering. Keep The Faith. And as the saying goes, "AND THE REST IS ROCK N' ROLL HISTORY," need I say more? Thanks for reading my review and I truly hope that you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have truly enjoyed writing it for your reading pleasure. I also deeply hope that all of you will read all of my other reviews in the near future when time permits. CHEAP TRICK RULES! Long Live Rock n' Roll. Rock out always and take it easy. Forever in Rock, John L.

Another Illinois band.......2006-08-04

What can I say. I've been a Cheap Trick fan for longer than most fans out there. This Rockford, Illinois band has been rockin' forever. These are good tracks. I like the other 'greatest hits' too though. Put the best of the 2 together, and you have the best of the best. Southern Girls is one of my all time favorites.

One (major) disappointment to consider before purchasing........2006-05-08

This is not a bad collection. I'm sure there have been worse. My main complaint is the alternate version of "If You Want My Love." To me it's a major letdown because that is one of my favorite Cheap Trick songs and I really was expecting to hear it when I bought this. Now I wish I had not even bought it.

I don't think "authorized" versions are the way to choose songs, the band is always too subjective. They should have taken a poll from amongst their fans, and chosen the results that way. Plus, the omission of one of their greatest recorded songs will potentially lose new listeners who are not as familiar with the band's music.

Not perfect, but (semi)close...[Really 3 stars out of 4...].......2005-12-20

The Authorized Greatest Hits by (formerly) the best Rock N' Roll band of alltime, 'The Noise Boys from Rockford, Illinois', is beset by one basic problem - not enough songs from when Jon Brant helped Cheap Trick put out four of the Anglosentric(k?) LPs of alltime! Why isn't Y.O.Y.O.Y or Take me to the Top on here? Tom Peterson (or is it still Petersson?), that's why!

I'm sure Rick, Brad (Carlson, i.e. Bun E.) and Robin had many
fights with what's his name about the 'set list' here as well.
I half way expected the wretched "I know what I want" to show
here like it did to tick me off on the Sex, America and Cheap Trick disc. [It sounds better with Rick signing it anyway - Just
like World's Greatest Lover]. I still love though - 3/4's of 'Em that its!

THAT 70S BAND.......2005-12-20

CHEAP TRICK: AUTHORIZED GREATEST HITS: Cheap Trick successfully mixed a Beatle-esque power pop sensibility with crunchy guitar riffs, its tongue planted a mile in its cheek. Two guys that LOOKED like pin-up boy rock stars, and two that looked more like a Bowery Boy and a used car salesman respectively, the Tricksters managed a handful of radio-ready diehards in SURRENDER (complete with klassic Kiss reference), the LIVE AT BUDOKAN rave-up I WANT YOU TO WANT ME, and, much later, ballad biggie THE FLAME. This overview also trots out slick staples such as a rowdy rendition of Fats Domino's AIN'T THAT A SHAME (though, strangely, not their percussive treatment of Elvis' DON'T BE CRUEL, nor their Fab Four clone cover of MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR), bouncy shoulda-been-a-hit SOUTHERN GIRLS, and the theme to THAT 70'S SHOW (THAT 70'S SONG). As with any compilation, certain worthy tracks ('ELLO KIDDIES, VOICES, CALIFORNIA MAN) are missing in action, but this is due more to the boys' wealth of decent material than to careless selection. All in all, a pretty neat trick. FIVE GUITAR NECKS

Average customer rating:

the reason why the power chord was invented
Another Stellar Effort!
The Rockford Fab Four's coolest album.
Could Be One Of The Greatest Albums You Ever Purchase...
Heaven Tonight (1978)

Heaven Tonight
Cheap Trick
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

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General | Rock | Styles | Music

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In Color
Cheap Trick
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Cheap Trick At Budokan: The Complete Concert
All Shook Up

ASIN: B00000C28K
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

Surrender
On Top Of The World
California Man
High Roller
Auf Wiedersehen
Takin' Me Back
On The Radio
Heaven Tonight
Stiff Competition
How Are You?
Oh Claire
Stiff Competition (Outtake)
Surrender (Outtake)

Amazon.com essential recording

The unexpected success of Live at Budokan (originally available in America only as a Japanese import) in 1978 very nearly overshadowed the band's most accomplished studio album, Heaven Tonight, released just months earlier. In Color's occasionally candy-ass studio gloss isn't entirely lost, just supplanted by healthy doses of the band's awesome raw power. Kicking off with the crypto-anthemic "Surrender," Heaven maintains a level of quality in songwriting, performance, and production rare in a rock album; some lesser band would covet this as its greatest-hits collection. There's another peerless Trick cover choice (the Move's "California Man") and a batch of originals that cover everything from suicidal tendencies ("Auf Wiedersehen") and drug abuse (the eerily moving title track) to blank nostalgia ("Takin' Me Back"), FM bliss ("On the Radio"), and jaded big spenders ("High Roller"). This "Expanded Edition" is sonically superb and includes new liner notes, photos, and a pair of live-in-the-studio outtakes. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

the reason why the power chord was invented.......2007-03-15

There is something about the cover of Cheap Trick's "Heaven Tonight" album that instills a sense of world weary rock excess to my mind. the scene appears to be in the men's restroom. the more photogenic boys of the group are handsomely posed in the foreground, with a distanced and detached foggy glaze. yet, there is a sense of eerie calm in their expressions. then we see in the background, the goofier personalities of the band who are busy with themselves in the mirror, straightening ties and brushing teeth. it's an oddball scene for a record album concept, but it somewhere works.

the music is the classic Cheap Trick sound from their debut album...big guitars chime out jangly rhythms, the drums and bass impress with their tightness and creativity, and the vocals are like the touch of honey over all the glorious racket. there are some interesting ideas on display here that show the band reaching out and taking some risks. most noteable on the haunting title track, which is structured around the sound of Rick Nielson's cello-guitar-mandolin hybrid instrument, the Mandocello. it's a beautiful song with a creepy crawling ambiance that demands repeated listens. as for the remainder of the album..what can i say? clasic after classic..."Surrender," "Auf Wiedersehen," and one of my favorite Cheap Trick songs of all time "Take Me Back."

Another Stellar Effort!.......2007-02-23

This is Cheap Trick's best studio effort in my books. It's simply amazing to me that this album never really was as big as it should have been. It's all timing I guess and their next release got them over the hump so to speak. In the end it really doesn't matter as it still holds it's own some 30 years latter which is a true testament to any album.

This is just great old time rock & roll period, no BS or filler to be found here.

The Rockford Fab Four's coolest album........2006-05-17

I would say that this is the closest that Cheap Trick ever got to making a perfect album. There are only two songs on here that I'm not one hundred percent crazy about...the slow and gloomy depressing title track and ' On the Radio ', which I think kisses up to radio D.J.'s too much. I love the rest of this.

This album was my introduction to Cheap Trick and I would definitely recommend it to anybody as introduction to them. ' Surrender ' is an out and out classic and possibly my favorite Cheap Trick song of all time. Like most of the rest of the album, it's heavy, it's catchy, has great singing and interesting lyrics, and it says all it has to say in three to five minutes. ' Auf Weidersehen ' is another favorite tune of mine...it may be one of the heaviest tunes C.T. has ever done. I particularly love Bun E.'s energetic drumming on it. Zander really rips his vocal chords to shreads on this tune! Another great hard rocker is 'Stiff Competition'.

Of the more pop oriented songs, I would say ' Taking Me Back ' is another personal favorite of mine. Probably should have been a hit, dang it! ' How Are You ' shows off the band's terrific sense of humor...I particularly like the reference to one of their earlier songs! The other tunes from the first half that I didn't mention are also terrific, particularly ' On Top Of The World '.

My only complaint about this newly remastered version is that it doesn't include the lyrics, which WERE included on the original LP version. That is but a minor complaint. I don't think Cheap Trick ever made another album quite as great as this one.

Could Be One Of The Greatest Albums You Ever Purchase..........2006-04-01

I got into classic rock little over a year ago. Before that, I was soley and one hundred percent a country fan. I was scared off easily by harder music, which looking back on is strange because other than classic rock, my favorite music is metal.

I have to admit, when my dad said 'Cheap Trick are great' for the first time, I didn't now what to think. I was at a CD store, and my father was holding a CD in my face. It looked like two guys with funky hair to me, nothing special. I'd seen that a thousand times before.

But I did trust my father's judgement, and only a few moments later I was leaving the store with a bag of CD's in my hand, Cheap Trick's Heaven Tonight on top.

We popped it in the CD player of his truck and turned the volume up all the way. The first time I heard the title track I got chills. It was an amazing song, and the spooky, chill-inducing sound of 'you can never come down, you can never come down' sticks with you long after the song is over.

I must have listened to the album one thousand times over since then. It is a true must have for any fan of classic rock music. Cheap Trick's finest moment, and the album that got me hooked to their sound.

'Surrender' yourself to this one, you won't regret it.

Heaven Tonight (1978).......2006-03-15

My own reviews of Cheap Trick albums written already, I'd give each 2 stars. They were poorly written, and didn't even delve into the importance of the band's output from 1976 to 1979. I'd rewrite my reviews of Cheap Trick / In Color/ and Dream Police, if I thought you'd read them. But it was in my early days of Amazon, so verbosity wasn't adhered to, and I just tried to ''sum it up''.

What I've realised about particular bands I listened to constantly, growing up in America, was that I always had a favourite band member. No matter how good the band was together, there was always a person who stood out to me as ''on their own, they're just as good''. And maybe I don't listen to KISS the same way I used to, but I still feel Ace Frehley was their saving grace. I may not believe The Beatles were ''all that'', but George Harrison still remains my one of the very few in the category musical ''hero''. Queen's Roger Taylor issued solo albums, and I have each one of them, but not a solo album by any of the others. And so on and so on. Roger Waters of Pink Floyd. Colin Moulding of XTC. Glenn Hughes in Deep Purple. There's always someone who stands out to me in a group.

Except for Cheap Trick.

It's the one band I know I listened to religiously between 1977 and 1984, that I did not have a favourite member of the band. And that must say something. It must say, that no one stood out over anyone else in this band, that they were all equals in some way some how. Without Zander singing Nielsen's ''power-pop'' it wouldn't be the same. Without Petersson's revolutionary use of the 8 & 12 string Bass, Cheap Trick would not have sounded as individual & unique as they did. And without Bun E. Carlos, they just wouldn't have had as great a drummer. It seemed all for one, and one for all in Cheap Trick, and it's the one band I can remember I did not say, ''yeah they're great, but Zander 'makes' that band.'' Not once.

So applauds to Cheap Trick for achieving the status of a 'true band'. With no one standing out over anyone else, and solidarity and unity present, even with a prolific main songwriter at the helm (Rick Nielsen).

Much debate hangs around the production techniques of Tom Werman as opposed to Jack Douglas. My main debate tends to linger around why a producer such as George Martin could give the band its first reasonable failure after such a high degree of rising success (All Shook Up). Maybe it's because the comparison to The Beatles is always brought up in accordance with Cheap Trick. But I believe that if you look more towards The Move and Electric Light Orchestra is where you'll find more influence hanging around Cheap Trick's way of doing things. Particularly late period albums by The Move, where there is definitely a way Zander & Nielsen do things that are highly reminiscent of the Wood & Lynne way of doing things. Listen closely to songs like 'Brontosaurus', 'Hello Susie', and, of course, 'California Man'. You'll find more Cheap Trick here than on ''The Beatles'' or ''Abbey Road''.

So Jack Douglas may have captured Cheap Trick's rawness, which Budokan's success said was the way to go, and Werman captured Nielsen's Pop Rock talents and gave them a ''sheen'', which was not a bad way to go either. It showed both sides of where Cheap Trick could sit on that fence, much like their album covers represented 2 sides of the band. And I played 'In Color' no more or no less than I did their 1st album. You can't resist songs like ''Oh Caroline'' and why would you? Nor would you want to avoid songs like 'Taxman Mr. Thief'' because they weren't as shined up.

And with Heaven Tonight, you get a little bit of both. There are definitely songs here that fit well on to the 1st album, and some of them were written that far back, so much was Nielsen's arsenal of songs in reserve. And it was a good thing that ''Surrender'' was held back, to enjoy the success Budokan would give it. It might have gone unsung if placed on the 1st album, which no one seemed to know about. And there are moments of ''pop bliss'', like the title track, which showed where Cheap Trick took finesse and where they went with it.

And overall this is a great album, with songs one after the other showing how good a band Cheap Trick is, no matter who's recording them. No filler whatsoever. Pop catchiness in ''On The Radio'', satirical remarks on society in ''Surrender'', the nastiness of "Auf Wiedersehen." The all-out rock of ''Stiff Competition'' and the power pop dregs of society aimed ''High Roller''. It all turns into a brilliant album, and what would have happened to Cheap Trick had Budokan not broke them through is anyone's guess. Something had to give, but for a band to put out three seminal albums in 2 years is pretty remarkable. Especially albums that have shown huge influence on American ''rock''. Cheap Trick's first 4 albums hardly sound dated, and with the current trends in 'alternative' rock, they don't sound like they're out of keeping either. The first 4 Cheap Trick albums are pretty much timeless. Highly recommended, you will not be disappointed.

Maybe Petersson's my favouriter member of the band. Nah. They're all great.

Average customer rating:

This is great!
Loud, funny, hooky and gloriously vibrant...
Rediscovering Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick's "Rockford" supersedes nearly 30 years of releases...
True to form, a serving of Power-pop gems

Rockford
Cheap Trick
Manufacturer: Big3 Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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All Shook Up
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Yeah!

ASIN: B000FILW86
Release Date: 2006-06-06

Tracks:

Welcome to the World
Perfect Stranger
If It Takes a Lifetime
Come On Come On Come On
O Claire
This Time You Got It
Give It Away
One More Day
Every Night and Every Day
Dream the Night Away
All Those Years
Decaf

Amazon.com

Power pop pioneers and one of the all-time greatest live bands, Cheap Trick seems rock's answer to Rodney Dangerfield. CT may get no respect from the Rock Hall of Fame, corporate radio and most pop pundit fashionistas, but that hasn't stopped them from delivering another career highlight on their third studio effort since bolting the major label tilt-a-whirl a decade ago. Indeed, the album's bracing aggro-pop bent seems as rooted in stubborn defiance (of age, odds and indifference) as it does Trick's evergreen pantheon of influences. The only thing resembling a concession here is the Linda Perry co-written/co-produced single "Perfect Stranger," a burnished condensation of CT's still potent power-pop charms. The band-produced (with help from Steve Albini and vet Jack Douglas) balance is more to the point, with the hard-charging "Welcome to The World" and careening "Come On ..." setting an energetic tone that's less willfully precious than the previous Special One, if no less adventurous. "If It Takes a Lifetime" serves up an infectious slab of harmony-rich pop metal that rivals Def Leppard's prime, while the baroque-bubblegum of "Oh Claire" and chiming perfection of "Dream the Night Away" showcase a wealth of hooks that nonetheless remain only half the band's equation. Guitarist Rick Neilsen's penchant for the obtuse yields the deliciously loopy James Brown-meets-ELO workout "One More" while "Decaf" wraps it all up with a blast of patently snotty Trick energy, tracks where man-of-a-thousand voices Robin Zander adds a couple more to his burgeoning resume. --Jerry McCulley

Recommended Cheap Trick

Dream Police [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

All Shook Up [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Cheap Trick At Budokan: The Complete Concert [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Heaven Tonight [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

In Color [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Music For Hangovers

Album Description

The combined talents of Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson and Bun E. Carlos continue to resonate with generations of musicians and fans alike. The album was produced by Cheap Trick and co-producers Jack Douglas, Steve Albini, Julian Raymond and Chris Shaw. The first single "Perfect Stranger" was produced by Linda Perry and co-written by Perry and Cheap Trick. "Rockford" concentrates these formidable strengths into 12 stellar songs that form an album which can stand beside any of the band's prior releases. Cheap Trick: four great guys, one great album--ROCKFORD!

Customer Reviews:

This is great!.......2007-05-21

Every time I get this out and play it, I can't believe how good it is. I got in the mood for it again last week and it's basically all I've been listening to since. Every song is good! I'm not kidding. And it's a great CD to exercise to, lots of fast songs.

Loud, funny, hooky and gloriously vibrant..........2007-04-22

...and, I should add, even occasionaly moving. NPR's Ken Tucker raved about this last year. He was absolutely right. If you gave up on them after Heaven Tonight (um...guilty), now's the time to rediscover how good Cheap Trick can be. Honestly, there's more fun and aural pyrotechnics here than all of their previous releases, and that includes Budokan.

They're CT, but somehow MORE than CT. At one point in "If It Takes A Lifetime", Rick Neilson (who is my new guitar hero) sounds just as buried, fuzzed, and overwhelmingly mesmerizing as Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine. Neilson, who wouldn't know a pretentious guitar solo if it leapt up and bit him, nevertheless plays shivery hooks underpinning each tune. And Robin Zander's voice is miraculous. They simply CAN'T have released Heaven Tonight 30 years ago.

They still have the humor and moxie to write a song about monogamy and play it loud, fast, and Old Cheap Trick ("Don't Give It Away"). Or to admit that the Life wasn't all roses in the genuinely wistful "All Those Years" ("It's a lonely life, a lonely lonely life"). And it's a mystery to me why the cyclical 50's-influenced "Every Night and Every Day" wasn't the single, especially with Neilson's urgent, chopped guitar smashing through the pretty tune. It's edgier than it first appears, and massively addictive. But it's the chorus from "This Time We Got It"--all garage-band jangling and cocksure fun--that will make you thrilled you're alive and singing along. The dirty, delightful truth is that, regardless of genre, this is the best thing I've bought this year.

Rediscovering Cheap Trick.......2007-04-21

I've always loved Cheap Trick, but was blase enough about it in the late 70s and 80s. I think I just took them for granted. I remember seeing them in about 1979 and being blown away but was just to immature to understand why ... exactly.
Now, all these years later, I'm on my way to work listening to the bob and tom show on the radio last May and their guests are Cheap Trick, promoting their latest record. I was momentarily swept away by nostalgia and wondered, "can these guys still play?" Then they basically melted the stereo with a fifteen minute set of their old and new. I remember "Sayonara Suicide" (hope that's correct) as being the hottest live performance I'd heard in years. The music was still everything it was before, enhanced by better broadcast sound, and Robin Zander's voice, well let's just say it does very interesting things to a woman's body chemistry ... lol
So I decided to go out and buy a few Cheap Trick cd's and the new one, Rockford. It's been so much fun catching back up with the hyper and slightly schizo musical world that is Cheap Trick. Musically, Rockford is a crowning achievement by anyone's standards and it sucks that the rock station in my town (El Paso Texas) just couldn't see fit to work in any of the tracks among the melancholy, self obsessed junk they like to play.
I'm hoping to travel somewhere to see Cheap Trick perform this year and I really hope they are inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame this next year.
BUY ROCKFORD AND CHEAP TRICK FOREVER!!
Allison in Texas

Cheap Trick's "Rockford" supersedes nearly 30 years of releases..........2007-03-30

If it were ever possible for a rock band to supersede nearly 30 years of infectious melodies and rock anthems with one single album release, Cheap Trick would be the masterful culprits. Their June 2006 release, Rockford combines some of their most contagious riffs and vocal hooks with a matured complexity that comes from nearly three decades of writing and touring the world together. The ultimate result is 12 thoughtfully crafted pop rock gems that could very well blow this year's leading young rock band right off the radio and stage.

"Welcome to the World" kicks off Cheap Trick's latest release with a powerful message; talented and well-versed bands do indeed exist outside of the plasticized whine-pop groups that blanket today's rock radio airwaves. With this album and especially the opening song, Cheap Trick beckons you into their world:

Doors are opened to ya / That's all we can do yeah / Before then I knew ya / Rules are changing ooh yeah.

"O Claire" sweetens the album midway through a series of hard-hitting and melodic anthems while "One More" weaves a bit of playful soul into the mix. Co-written and co-produced by Linda Perry (4 Non Blondes), "Perfect Stranger" is a bit less hooky than the other tracks, but still proves worthy enough to release as the album's first single.

The CD packaging itself screams loudly with color and is adorned with cartoon caricatures of each member. Perhaps with the amount of respect and adoration this band has collected over the years, an artsy or thoughtful album art approach would be unnecessary at this point. It seems that Cheap Trick want to let everyone know the most important thing about playing rock music is to have fun and to not take yourself too seriously. Also, the CD booklet is supplied with just album and song credits; printed song lyrics seem to be a dispensable commodity alongside such hooky and memorable tunes; they are easy to sing along with even after the first few listens.

Rockford serves to remind the skeptical music fan that it is possible to produce an extremely rocking yet melodic record in this day and age without the angst and gripe that plague today's younger rock bands. Cheap Trick's precision and energy are not capsulated within the tweaking abilities of studio production, but in their perfected songwriting abilities and matured inventiveness. After nearly three decades of releasing albums and performing, Rockford announces to the music world that Robin Zander remains one of the most unique and commanding voices in rock-n-roll while Rick Nielsen, Bun E. Carlos and Tom Petersson continue to enchant and impress fans new and old.

True to form, a serving of Power-pop gems.......2007-03-14

I am proud to say, I am one of the "originals", having discovered Cheap Trick in 1978 as a 13 year old suburban kid days after hearing "Surrender" for the first time on radio. To this day, when I think of that song, the line "Surrender, surrender, but don't give yourself away," brings back all the non-conformist angst that drew me to the band almost 30 years ago. These guys were, and are, my heroes.

Despite mixed commercial success after the HUGELY influencial "Live at Budokan", I've always stuck by the original 4 members, who've always stuck by their love and respect for melodic guitar-driven songs. This album is particularly for people who see the band like I do.

"Rockford" is certainly a tribute album, even if it didn't intend to be that way. The title alone tells volumes about the band, in that its named for the small home-town in IL that nurtured them. Just as the title brings them back to the beginning, so too do the songs -- tight, energetic, and as vital as anything the band put out on the now famous "first-five" (or the "Quint-essentials" as I like to call them). Still more amazing...they sound every bit as good as they did 30 years ago. They just refuse to get old, and go away quietly. One of the reason's they are still my heroes.

Long-winded reviews bore me, and take up space from other contributors, so I'll summarize here. Long-time fans will see their faith in the band restored with the best set of new material since "Lap of Luxury", possibly even "Dream Police". People new to the band, who don't want to trip down memory lane will find a collection of tunes that hold their own with anything on the EMO charts today. And anyone who has always believed in the power of a good hook, a strong back-beat, and a loud guitar to redeem their soul will hear this as both a revelation and epiphany.

Average customer rating:

the essentials, and then some
Exellent!!!
Almost essential.
Great set.
Not really that "Cheap".

The Essential Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Heaven Tonight

ASIN: B0001FGBH0
Release Date: 2004-03-02

Tracks:

ELO Kiddies (Single Version)
Hot Love
He's A Whore
Mandocello (Live)
Clock Strikes Ten
Southern Girls (Single Version)
Downed
Hello There
Surrender
California Man
High Roller
Auf Wiedersehen
I Want You To Want Me (Live)
Ain't That A Shame (Live)
Takin' Me Back
Dream Police
Voices
Gonna Raise Hell (Live)

Tracks:

Way Of The World
Stop This Game
World's Greatest Lover
Everything Works If You Let It (Full Version)
She's Tight
If You Want My Love (Alternate, Extra Bridge Version)
I Can't Take It
Tonight It's You
This Time Around
The Flame
Had To Make You Mine
I Can't Understand It
Can't Stop Falling In Love
Walk Away
Woke Up With A Monster
Hard To Tell (Live)
Say Goodbye
Scent Of A Woman

Amazon.com

From the time of their full-throttled 1977 debut (whose shredded, punky demeanor often foreshadowed grunge rock by nearly a decade-and-a-half), Cheap Trick has arguably been one of most resilient and influential (Billy Corgan and Steve Albini have variously sung their praises one side side of the generation gap, John Lennon and Jeff Beck on the other), if critically underappreciated bands of the last three decades. While the Budokan-mania and "Yardbirds play Abba" (in bassist Tom Petersson's estimation) pop of "I Want You to Want Me" will be instantly familiar thanks to their classic rock warhorse status, those unfamiliar with the band's true range and enduring live power (paid ample tribute by stage versions of "Gonna Raise Hell" and a Billy Corgan-guesting "Mandocello" from '98, and the dramatic "Hard to Tell" from their 25th anniversary live show of '99) will find this collection a revelation. Spanning the decidedly mixed blessing of their sole #1 hit "The Flame" and the latter day indie-label exile that's nonetheless produced two of their strongest collections (Cheap Trick and Special One) and featuring a salting of rarities (including the long version of "If You Want My Love" and an outtake of "Walk Away" featuring more upfront vocals by guest Chrissie Hynde), this is the best single introduction to a rock band that defiantly remains one of America's greatest. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

the essentials, and then some.......2005-02-21

The Essential Cheap Trick is a fine compilation with both the classics ("Surrender," "I Want You To Want Me," "The Flame" etc...) and a lot of really great songs that aren't as widely played in the mainstream and have been somewhat forgotten (of these I recommend "Tonight It's You" and "This Time Around," which is a really beautiful song.) This album covers a period of almost thirty years in the history of one of rock's best kept secrets. It is refreshing and a real treat, and I highly recommend it for both the old fans and the newly curious alike.

Exellent!!!.......2004-11-21

This album gives you the best of both worlds. It gives you the famous/most played favorites (Surrender and I Want You to Want Me [Live]), but also gives you a wonderful combination of other songs that are less played at concerts and other venues (Auf Wiedersehen and ELO Kiddies [Singles Version]).These tracks are interspersed between the other tracks . But then, there are those "rockin' middle ones" (Hello There and ELO Kiddies [Singles Version]). This clean cut system adds up to one rockin' album!

Almost essential........2004-10-09

Sony came close to compiling the best of Cheap Trick, but they included some songs I'd have left off and omitted some tracks I'd have included. So, if you're like me, and you have most everything from Cheap Trick, my suggested compilation would be the following.

Disc One:

1. ELO Kiddies
2. Oh, Candy
3. Hot Love
4. He's A Whore
5. Mandocello
6. Hello There
7. Downed
8. Oh Caroline
9. Southern Girls
10. Come On, Come On
11. Surrender
12. On Top Of The World
13. How Are You?
14. Dream Police
15. Voices
16. I Know What I Want
17. I Want You To Want Me (Live)
18. Ain't That A Shame (Live)
19. Stop This Game

Disc Two:

1. If You Want My Love
2. She's Tight
3. Up The Creek
4. Y.O.Y.O.Y.
5. Tonight It's You
6. Mighty Wings
7. The Flame
8. Don't Be Cruel
9. Ghost Town
10. Back 'N' Blue
11. Can't Stop Fallin' Into Love
12. My Gang
13. Ride The Pony
14. Shelter
15. Baby No More
16. Wrong All Along
17. It All Comes Back To You
18. Scent Of A Woman
19. If I Could

I believe this track line-up to be more satisfying, and more varied that what the record company chose. Of course, you'll have to make up your own mind before purchasing this collection.

Great set........2004-07-16

I have two Cheap Trick LPs, but I didn't have any Cheap Trick CDs until today. This is a really good collection, BUT there are a few cuts missing, like "Up The Creek", "Mighty Wings", which is from the "Top Gun" soundtrack, and their cover of "Don't Be Cruel". They also should've added "Lookin' out for Number One", because even though I have only heard that one a few times, I remember liking it. Still, I recommend this collection though. I didn't listen to the last three songs on Disc 1, and also on Disc 1, I didn't listen to the whole thing of Track 15, but I DID listen to every track on Disc 2. I recommend this album, it's a great collection. Next I gotta get their "One On One" album.

Not really that "Cheap"........2004-03-30

Though not perfect as always, it is roughly 36 of their best tracks. Most casual fans might be happy with the single disc "Authorized Greatest Hits", but if you need more, here it is. All the "Cheap Trick" you know, and then some. Included are the hits "Dream Police", "Surrender", "The Flame", and a live "I Want You To Want Me", among many others. With so many songs here, I don't know why only one is from the "Lap Of Luxury" album. Where is "Ghost Town" or "Don't Be Cruel"? Also no "That 70's Song". Otherwise this is pretty sweet. It's definitely their most essential 2-disc collection.

Average customer rating:

Dream Police
THIS RECORD IS A TRUE CLASSIC!!!
One of their best releases!
Ages well, not their absolute best - but pretty darn good
Overblown in places

Dream Police
Cheap Trick
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rockford

ASIN: B000EDWM90
Release Date: 2006-03-07

Tracks:

Dream Police
Way Of The World
The House Is Rockin' (With Domestic Problems)
Gonna Raise Hell
I'll Be With You Tonight
Voices
Writing On The Wall
I Know What I Want
Need Your Love
The House Is Rockin' (With Domestic Problems) (Live)
Way Of The World (Live)
Dream Police (No Strings Version)
I Know What I Want (Live)

Customer Reviews:

Dream Police.......2007-06-15

This is my favorite Cheap Trick record! Saw them in concert on the Dream Police tour! Awesome!!!

THIS RECORD IS A TRUE CLASSIC!!!.......2007-05-04

I love this album. Probably my favorite in the CT catalog. I was so happy to hear that they were finally remastering this. What took them so Long?!! Anyway I'm glad they did because they do it justice. It sounds way better than the original version released on CD in 1990. No matter how many times I hear the title track I never grow tired of it. It rocks!! But I really enjoy "Gonna Raise Hell" for it's quirky CT approach and Robin really stretches his vocals here. Pure genius!! Not to mention the pop rock perfection of "Voices". This is truly a calssic! I love it!! Oh, yeah! And there's bonus tracks too! The live version of "I know what I want" sounds great!

One of their best releases! .......2007-02-23

I give it 5 because it brings back great memories and because it rocks from start to finish.

This release was hard pressed to follow the massive success of the Budokan release. However it held it's own and made Cheap Trick a house hold name for years to come.

This remaster has one big advantage over the original release in that the sound as one reveiwer said, jumps out of your speakers. It really brings this classic to life. The entire mix is louder and the bass is firmer and more supportive.

The extra's are alright, but nothing fantastic!

It's a great listen, pick it up!

Ages well, not their absolute best - but pretty darn good.......2006-05-13

I was in high school when Cheap Trick first popped on my personal radar screen. My friends and I had just a formed a band and religiously poured through Creem, Circus & Guitar Player magazines. 2 of the guys in the band were always buying new albums by new groups and they had discovered Cheap Trick when the first album came out. They introduced me to the band when the "new" album "In Color" came out and I ran out and snatched up the 1st 2 albums and wore them out before Heaven Tonight was released. I've been a Cheap Trick fan ever since.

On to the album and music - This re-master is a great improvement over the previous CD release but still suffers a bit from the album's original thin sound. Unfortunate, as I'd really like to get more of the 12 string bass punch from Gonna Raise Hell and Need Your Love. Still, this is a welcome improvement in audio quality. Things pop out of the mix when playing in a room that I generally have only noticed when I've got cans on my head. As for the songs - we all have our personal takes - and opinions are like - well, you know.

Dream Police - It's a good tune, certainly not one of their best. A little too bubblegum on the chorus and I've always been put off by the strings. Would've sounded great had the string parts been Rick's overdubbed guitars.

The Way Of The World - Love it. Cheap Trick in near perfect POP mode.

The House Is Rockin' with Domestic Problems - one of my all time favorites from Cheap Trick. Built around a cool guitar phrase that's longer than the usual "hook" the song drives and builds right through to the fade out. Rick unleashes 3 great guitar solos in the course of this one song and even gets a trademark Beatles "quote" tossed in to the middle of one solo. And of course major nod to the Beatles 'She's So Heavy' on the bridge vocals.

Gonna Raise Hell - love hearing the bass exposed in the intro - my only qualm with this song has always been (like Dream Police) the inclusion of the strings.

I'll Be With You Tonight - not great, not bad. catchy little in-offensive tune.

Voices - yep. Pretty much a classic. Can't understand why this wasn't a Top 10 hit. Was it even released as a single?

Writing On The Wall - Cheap Trick reflecting on their sudden fame and fortune (they went from long touring road dog nobodies - to road dog international stars in about a 6 month span of time time). Replete with sound effects of jets, cheering crowds, and screeching tires - the song is an attempt to capture the madness they were going through. Robin's "rap" at the end about their sudden fame is brilliant.

I Know What I Want - Tom gets a shot at singing. For a song made up of maybe 4 chords it's pretty catchy. His nasally vocals take a bit of getting used to. Nothing special but it's still a fan favorite in concert because Tom gets to sing.

Need Your Love - What can I say? This is what Cheap Trick music is all about. This song has everything - cool guitar riffs, Bun E.s steady groove, Robin's ethereal vocals - then changing to one of his more menacing tones, crunchy 12 string bass up the wazoo and Rick layering guitars upon guitars in the solo sections. Yet the song is so simple it's spooky - it is a near perfect example of the many elements that create the Cheap Trick sound. In concert this song is an unrelenting machine that builds and builds - the boys improvise within certain confines - yet the song remains structured. There's a handful of songs like this that sum up Cheap Trick, songs that I play for people when I want to let someone know that Cheap Trick is NOT that pop band that sings "I Want You To Want Me" and "The Flame". Great album closer, more restrained than live versions of the song.

As for the Bonus stuff - it's not bad. I have several Cheap Trick concerts on CD - the live stuff here sounds better than some - not as good as others.

This album has plenty of good ol fashioned, catchy mid-West American rock n roll. The way it was meant to be sang and played. Buy it!

Overblown in places.......2006-05-03

Cheap Trick were trying something bigger here. The sound had built from Heaven Tonight but sadly the songs on DP don't match that previous effort. At their core there some good tracks here, but they've been built up so much that much of that gets lost in the gloss.
That said, it does contain three of their best ever tracks:

1. Dream Police is the song that got me into CT. When I first heard it (13 years after it was released) I was blown away and hooked from then on. The orchestra sounds better here than on previous versions, which is what the song really needed.
2. Way Of The World is another one of CT's best ever. A fun stalker song.
3. This House Is Rockin' is a fairly lask-lustre effort. Has some elements of greatness but the complete package is overlong and hasn't aged well.
4. Gonna Raise Hell would be a good track if it was about 3 minutes. At three times that length though it just drags.
5. I'll Be With You Tonight has its good points. The chorus is Ok, if a little soft, but the verse sounds like it's left over from This House Is Rocking or Writing On The Wall.
6. Voices is one of CT's absolute best. I love this song.
7. Writing On The Wall is a weak track. Nothing to like here
8. I Know What I Want is also weak.
9. Need Your Love is a good track. Also a bit overlong though. Needs to fade out 2 minutes earlier.

The Bonus tracks are OK. Perhaps more so than other releases they've been added for addings sake. I've always wanted a version of Dream Police without the orchestra and now I have one. Not better, but nice to have.

Dream Police (the original) is an album of three excellent tracks, one good one and 5 bad ones.

The new version sounds better but the added tracks don't help it's rating at all.

Ranks equal second last with Standing on The Edge.

Average customer rating:

If You're A New Cheap Trick Fan, And You Want To Start Off With A Studio Album, Buy In Color
Their Best
Pure POWER POP!
Worth it for the bonus "unreleased" b side insturmental all by itself!
No such thing as a bad Cheap Trick album is stretched by this wimpy LP, Busted , and Woke Up With A Monster

In Color
Cheap Trick
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Heaven Tonight
Cheap Trick
Dream Police
All Shook Up
Cheap Trick At Budokan: The Complete Concert

ASIN: B00000C28J
Release Date: 1998-09-29

Tracks:

Hello There
Big Eyes
Downed
I Want You To Want Me
You're All Talk
Oh Caroline
Clock Strikes Ten
Southern Girls
Come On, Come On
So Good To See You
Oh Boy (Instrumental)
Southern Girls (Demo)
Come On, Come On (Demo)
You're All Talk (Live)
Goodnight (Live)

Amazon.com

Cheap Trick's second album (and second of '77!) doesn't exactly pick up where its classic, hard-edged debut left off; it was the "Power" and this is the "Pop." Their workaholic gigs as an unsigned Midwest bar band in the mid-'70s left them with an impressive backlog of original material, another batch of which forms the core of In Color. Though the band disdained producer Tom Werman's bubblegum-flavored touches, it was indeed the kinder, gentler Cheap Trick that Japanese audiences first took to their hearts at Budokan, with the rest of the world soon to follow. That approach is best exemplified by the evergreen "I Want You to Want Me" (which didn't become a hit until Live at Budokan), here dolled up with a Fats Domino-flavored piano break. While Werman's poppy approach dilutes the band's wall-of-noise live bent, it also underscores their impressive individual musical talents: Rick Nielsen's manic riffing on "Big Eyes" and the album's other retro-burner, "Clock Strikes Ten"; Robin Zander's vocal multiple-personalities that range from the suicidal angst of "Downed" (surely a favorite of Trick admirer Kurt Cobain) through the sweet anticipation of "I Want You" to the world-weariness of "So Good to See You"; and the rhythm section of Tom Petersson and Bun E. Carlos anchoring everything (especially the delicious "Southern Girls") with a flawless wallop. This expanded edition features significantly upgraded audio quality, new notes and photos, and five bonus tracks: the unpredictable instrumental B-Side "Oh Boy"; 1975 demos of "Southern Girls" and the anthemic "Come On, Come On" that ably display just the "before" side of the producer argument; and live versions of "You're All Talk" and longtime show closer "Goodnight" recorded at L.A.'s Whiskey in 1977. No sophomore jinx here. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

If You're A New Cheap Trick Fan, And You Want To Start Off With A Studio Album, Buy In Color.......2007-05-28

If you're new to Cheap Trick, buy In Color after you purchase At Budokan. The songs are melodic and hard-driving from start to finish. I Want You To Want Me actually sounds weaker here than it does on At Budokan. It sounds more like a country song than a hard-driving rocker as performed on At Budokan. This release got the ball rolling on their way to superstardom which would come to fruition on At Budokan.

Their Best.......2006-05-11

What can anyone say about this album that hasn't already been said. It's CT's best. I can't offer any further insight to the greatness of this album that hasn't been said a thousand times before.
The original is brilliant from start to finish. Having said that though, it perhaps is a bit poppy. Doesn't have the rock of their other albums from that era, but it's a nice change.
The bonus songs here are nice additions.
Southern Girls is ranks in their best top 3 songs.
The weakest track for me has always been Clock Strikes Ten - it only scores 4/5!! Even on Budokan it's always been a lesser track for me.

I can't wait to hear the re-recorded version the boys did recently. It's sure to have the rock element this sometimes lacks. Hopefully they release it soon.

As mentioned, ranks up the very top of their albums. Next Position Please follows.

Pure POWER POP!.......2006-02-13

Juxtapose this with dreck that was around in 70's (REO/STYX/Boston), 'In Color' is a pure power pop masterpiece.

It avoids the lunk-headed 'hard rock' cliches of the 70's.

"Come On, Come On" is one of their best tunes.

Worth it for the bonus "unreleased" b side insturmental all by itself!.......2006-01-16

If you are reading this you are probably over 40 and heard some of Cheap Trick's stuff in your carousing youthful prime heyday. The disc is a great combo of power pop and AOR metal. I re-bought it after hearing "Big Eyes" on Sirius Sat. radio's "The Vault" channel. (Had the vinyl way back when) I loved the insturmental track, (and the other bonus tracks are cool also.) My faves: "so good to see you", "clock strikes ten", and of course ..."hello there"
Another major selling point to me as a kid at the department store was the back side of the cover. On the front you have Robin & Tom, all pretty boys with the "rock star life" pose etc., but what sold me was the back cover (for those who have not seen it) called "and in black & white" with a B&W pic of Rick and Bun on mo-peds (I think they are mo-peds!) that picture is the one that made this teenaged pimple hormone nerd IDENTIFY with these guys. And a fan from then on!

No such thing as a bad Cheap Trick album is stretched by this wimpy LP, Busted , and Woke Up With A Monster.......2005-12-22

Cheap Trick's second album is very disappointing to me after
the good, but raw, "Live In The Studio", 1977-76 recorded
Cheap Trick. Almost all of the material here is so watered
down that it REALLY COMES OFF WAY BETTER on the later many
Live disks they did.

After a good start w/ "Hello There", a concert favorite for
many years, is the only thing here to write home about when
one considers how great all the tunes from this overproduced album sounded on the Budokan and other Live recordings later.

Tom Werman and Rick Niesen were on a show in 1991 that I had
recorded on a tape once and Werman, noce a friend of Tom Petersson's said, quote: "My three albums with Cheap Trick
got better and better...", to which the ever sarcastic Rick
Nielsen said, "Selling, maybe." Not realizing that brother
Rick was slamming him, Werman then continued, "Exactly"...

Oh boy. We now see why producing Cheap Trick albums through
the years has become like playing Russian Roulette. It's not
hard to get better than this and five months later the solid,
but somewhat oeverrated 'Heaven Tonight' came out...(And the
guys EVEN bought Werman back for Dream Police. Things turned
out better when Pete Comita, then later Jon Brant joined the
band. Yep - the best was yet to come - in the '80's

Average customer rating:

4 1/2 stars. yowza!
Cheap copy of original Cheap Trick Album.
Cheap Trick [1977], the first album I ever bought! Ah, the memories
4.5 stars - An incredible debut album
Still Their Best

Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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In Color
Heaven Tonight
Dream Police
Cheap Trick At Budokan: The Complete Concert
All Shook Up

ASIN: B00000C28I
Release Date: 1998-09-29

Tracks:

Elo Kiddies
Daddy Should Have Stayed In High School
Taxman, Mr. Thief
Cry, Cry
Oh, Candy
Hot Love
Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace
He's A Whore
Mandocello
The Ballad Of T.V. Violence (I'm Not The Only Boy)
Lovin' Money
I Want You To Want Me
Lookout (Previously Unreleased Studio Version)
You're All Talk (Previously Unreleased Studio Version)
Go Go Girls (Previously Unreleased)

Amazon.com essential recording

Once largely written off by critics as arena-rock dinosaurs, Rockford, Illinois's favorite musical sons have become darlings of an influential cadre of alternative and modern-rock superstars and the subjects of an overdue catalog upgrade--and for a slew of good reasons. The first of those would be Cheap Trick, the blistering 1977 debut that confounded reviewers nearly as well as it captured the band's edgy song sensibility and musical chops honed by their 200-plus-gig-a-year work ethic. Producer Jack Douglas wisely opted for a deceptively raw tack that captured Cheap Trick's manic live essence better than any other album--save, of course, Live at Budokan. The band's later bubble-gum rep is viciously and hilariously undercut here by songs about youth-culture cynicism ("Elo Kiddies"), pedophilia ("Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School"), mass murder ("The Ballad of TV Violence"), and gigolos ("He's a Whore"), not to mention a tasty cover of Terry Reid's "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace." Guitarist Rick Nielsen's loud, trashy fretwork presaged "grunge" by a good 15 years, and Robin Zander's vocals show why he's since been tagged the Man of a Thousand Voices. And the rhythm section of drummer Bun E. Carlos and Tom Petersson was (and is) one of rock's most underrated. This Sony Legacy "Expanded Edition" restores the album's original running order (the previous version flipped the vinyl's A and B sides) and features new photos, liner notes, and five bonus cuts. One of rock's greatest albums, unsung or otherwise. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

4 1/2 stars. yowza!.......2007-03-15

Cheap Trick's self-titled debut album is everything a good rock and roll record should be. heavy guitar songs that contain some of the most catchy and addictive melody lines in music history. picking favorite cuts from this cd is tough, but "Cry, Cry" and "He's A Whore" could be some of the best songs ever released in 1977! if you have not heard this yet, just do yourself a favour and pick it up as soon as possible. honestly, i can't think of many more modern bands that deserve your hard-earned cash and respect more than Cheap Trick. long live the music!

Cheap copy of original Cheap Trick Album........2007-01-16

Not as clean as you would expect from a remix, which was disappointing. The song, "I want you to want me" totally blows on this copy. The popular version is not on this CD. Instead, they inserted an "early version" of this tune. You would not even recognize it if you didn't know you had the CD in your player.

Cheap Trick [1977], the first album I ever bought! Ah, the memories.......2005-12-22

1977's Cheap Trick LP is the first in now 25 or so (including
solo projects by several) band members from Rockford, Illinois.
I still marvel at the first LP pre-MTV 5 video clips for 'He's
A Whore', 'Mandocello', 'Hot Love', 'The Ballad of T.V. Violence', 'Oh Candy' (the first three LPs by these guys had 'Oh
[Candy/Caroline/Claire]' girl named songs that began with the letter 'C').

I also remember the vinyl copies had a side 1 and a side 'A'.
WoW! These guys not only rocked but also were funny with single,
double and triple entandres galore. This disk is not as polished as later efforts like: One On One (though every bit as loud - in spots), Next Position Please, The Doctor and Standing on the Edge, but they were young, an opening act back then and just getting started.

Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, among others) produced and did as good a job here as with other Trickster records (whoops, sorry: disks). I got dragged to a Kiss concert (I hate 'Em!), but guess
who opened? I fell in love with 'Em and have seen these guys
(also Pete Comita, Jon Brant) 34 times since 1977. Yea, I am
hooked, I guess.

The proof that opposites attract can be seen in how different
these guys look. This album is not their best by a long shot
and like In Colour (which is not very good), most of the material here is better on their later many Live LPs. A good start though. [Since Amazon uses a different 'rating scale'
then I traditionally use, my rating would be: **.5 stars out
of ****, so I always round up.]

4.5 stars - An incredible debut album.......2005-03-12

Cheap Trick (1977.) Cheap Trick's first album.

In the seventies, many arena-oriented pop-rock artists made it big. One of many was Cheap Trick, whose enormous success was mostly attributed to the mass sales of their Live At Budokan record (in the seventies, live albums were all the rage, and often times an artist's live album would become the band's most popular record.) Unfortunately, due to the success of their live album, Cheap Trick's other work, in particular the material that predated it, tends to go unnoticed by fans of the group. Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Bun E. Carlos, and Tom Petersson released their Jack Douglas produced debut album in 1977. How does the band's first record measure up?

Cheap Trick's debut album blew me away. My expectations were a litle unclear - for the most part, all I had heard from the group were songs from the Budokan album, the big hits, and their contribution to the Top Gun soundtrack. I'm not exactly sure what it was I was expecting, but I am more than satisfied with what I heard. Jack Douglas's production goes toward a raw sound that tries to capture the band's unadulterated, live show energy, and this style of producing the record succeeds beautifully. The general style of music on the record is a sort of hard pop-rock - something not many artists can do! The band's rock stylings are certainly harder and faster than many of a pop artist of the day, but they aren't anywhere near being as heavy as most so-called hard rock and heavy metal bands of the day were. The band's style was the happy medium between two extremes. Despite this debut not being much of a commercial success, it really was a great record. The band explores a variety of themes here, which only adds to the record's overall entertainment value. Rick Nielsen is seriously one of the most underrated guitarists in classic rock. His playing shines through on every track on this album. In the end, it doesn't bother me that this album didn't do that great commercially at its time of release - all I care about is the music, and it rules.

This album was remastered, and I must say, the Sony Legacy people know how to do remasters! The album features the restoration of the original vinyl tracklist, new liner notes, rare photos, and even some bonus cuts (mostly alternative versions of the tracks.) Other record companies that do remasters could really learn a thing or two from Sony.

Cheap Trick's debut is one of the best, and one of the most underrated classic rock releases of the seventies. Sure, it's their Budokan album and their later studio efforts of the late seventies and early eighties that get most of the credit, but this one is every bit as good (possibly better) than the popular stuff. Don't pass it by if you're a classic rock fan.

Still Their Best.......2004-09-25

Among the top 10 best debuts in rock history, Cheap Trick hit their zenith with this one. The follow ups, "In Color" and "Heaven Tonight" should have been nearly as good, but stiff, dull production kept them from reaching the rock stratosphere that CT's debut rocketed into with the help of producer Jack Douglas, who captured a young, raw and brilliant rock band making history. Fans have been waiting for an album this good for nearly 30 years, and there's probably not one of us that doesn't think they can do it. Viva Cheap Trick!

Average customer rating:

Cheap Trick at Budokan
A piece of history
A classic, but you can now do better
The Complete Concert Is So Worth The Extra Money
The Complete Concert Is So Worth The Extra Money

Cheap Trick at Budokan
Cheap Trick
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dream Police
Cheap Trick
In Color
Heaven Tonight
Boston

ASIN: B000063CNH
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Customer Reviews:

Cheap Trick at Budokan.......2005-10-26

Buy the time Cheap Trick recorded at Budokan, they were more or less superstars over in Japan. While their first three albums didn't burn up the charts in the U.S., in Japan they were hits, that went gold. Live at Budokan was originally going to be released in Japan only, but when a couple of DJ's got a hold of imports, and started playing I Want You to Want Me, people started to become interested in Cheap Trick at Budokan and were forking over the big bucks to buy the import. In 1979 Epic records decided to release it here in America, and hold back the release of Dream Police. At Budokan is a great album, because it captures the magic of Cheap Trick in concert, there's a lot more energy in the songs and performances than the album versions. Live, Cheap Trick has something they just can't capture on their albums. Currently they have Cheap Trick at Budokan the complete concert, I would recommend springing for the double disk set instead of this version. Both are great!

A piece of history.......2004-01-26

Yeah, it is not sound recording excellence, nor the greatest sounding performance. It grows on you, and you keep comming back to it. You will probably never admit you like it around your friends. I can imagine life without Surrender. One of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time.

A classic, but you can now do better.......2003-02-03

I remember when this came out, I'd already had a radio only promo that I'd found in a store that always managed to get records like that. I was blown away by the ferocity of it, with power beyond anything the studio albums had come up with.

"Cheap Trick At Budokan" was rushed into the stores after the radio only versions had become big items not only on the request lines of stations playing them, but on the bootleg market as well. This is a must have document of the late seventies, but if you aren't so nostalgic that you absolutley must own the CD as you originally heard it in 1979, then skip this and get the "Complete Budokan" reissue, which takes these ten tracks, those from the (gratefully) out of print "Budokan II", puts them back into thier original concert playing sequence and boasts remastered sound.

The Complete Concert Is So Worth The Extra Money.......2002-04-16

This album is of course a classic just as it was originally released, but the extra songs on the complete conert cd are almost all great, and 3 of them (southern girls, elo kiddies, and auf wiedersehen) are must-have amazing. shell out the xtra 6 bucks or so and get the 2CD set is my strong recommendation for anyone wanting to hear what's probably the best live rock album ever.

The Complete Concert Is So Worth The Extra Money.......2002-04-16

Music Review:

Music Review

Music Review

Dream Police [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]	All Shook Up [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]	Cheap Trick At Budokan: The Complete Concert [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Heaven Tonight [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]	In Color [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]	Music For Hangovers