Cheap Trick Albums (16)
What The Critics Say
If calling their fifteenth studio album The Latest doesn't exactly suggest enthusiasm on the part of Cheap Trick, keep in mind that the band has never shown much enthusiasm for album titles anyway, titling two albums after their band and one after their hometown of Rockford, IL. The Latest follows 2006's Rockford by three years and does indeed offer the latest spin on the band's classic power pop, flowing naturally from that quite excellent back-to-basics set, offering another collection of 13 guitar-heavy pop tunes. After the brief, ominous opener "Sleep Forever," a misleading slice of spacy, hazy, mood rock fades away, Cheap Trick tear into the overlooked Slade gem "When the Lights Are Out," suggesting that The Latest will be a high-octane rock-fest, but apart from a handful of other moments -- including the raging "Sick Man of Europe" and the "Slow Down" revamp "California Girl" -- a lot of the record consists of thick Beatlesque psychedelia, an appealing shift in tactics that makes this something a little bit different than yet another Cheap Trick record. That said, reinvention isn't the order of the day, staying true to the spirit of their classic '70s trilogy is, and the band acquits themselves admirably, turning out a tight, tuneful collection of proudly unfashionable power pop. And if the best song here is a cover of Slade's "When the Lights Are Out," well, it could be argued that the Move's "California Man" was the best song on Heaven Tonight, too. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Cheap Trick's recorded work has been so inconsistent for so long, bouncing back and forth between belabored attempts to reach radio and self-conscious returns to their classic early work, it's kind of a shock to discover that 2006's Rockford is a good, solid Cheap Trick record. Scratch that -- it's a very, very good Cheap Trick record, glistening with Beatlesque harmonies, sugary hooks and snarling guitars, and built on a set of songs that emphasize their strengths without seeming fussy or formulaic. They also don't seem tired or juvenile, either, nor do the band try to rock too hard or heavy, the way they did on the good but occasionally stilted Steve Albini-produced 1996 self-styled comeback, Cheap Trick. Albini is back for portions of Rockford, as is Jack Douglas, the producer behind their early masterworks, and 2000 rock's flavor of the month Linda Perry drops by for a single too -- but far from being a case of too many cooks spoiling the soup, it's more that each producer/engineer/collaborator helps bring out a different aspect of Cheap Trick. Sure there are songs that serve up crunching hard rock along with a little bit of streamlined arena rock, but there are pop songs built upon the British Invasion, bittersweet ballads, even a little bit of disco-funk on "One More." When all these different sounds are put together, it does indeed add up to the most diverse album they've made in many a moon, but since there's such a strong emphasis on melody, vocal harmonies, and guitar hooks, all wrapped up in three-minute songs, it also winds up as Cheap Trick's first genuine power pop album since their heyday, and their best album since Dream Police. After all these years and all those uneven albums, it's a bit of a surprise to have the band deliver an album this good completely out of the blue but, as their catalog proves, Cheap Trick have never done things the easy way -- and it's better to finally get a very, very good Cheap Trick record unexpectedly, some 27 years after the last good one, instead of not getting one at all. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Silver'
Release Date 2/27/2001
Tracks 29
Label Cheap Trick Unlimited
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
On August 28, 1999, power pop masters Cheap Trick played a special show for fans at Davis Park in their hometown of Rockford, IL, to salute their 25th anniversary as a band together. The show included several musical celebrities making cameo appearances (as well as relatives of Cheap Trick bandmembers) and the inclusion of the Rockford Symphony Orchestra String Quartet on several tracks, while the 29-song set list dipped deep into the band's catalog -- including at least one song from every album of their career thus far. The evening's proceedings have been captured on the 2001 double-disc Silver, the band's second live release in two years. All of the expected fan faves are included -- "Ain't That a Shame," "I Want You to Want Me," "Surrender," "Dream Police" -- but longtime fans will go straight to the set's abundance of more uncommon material. Standouts include two standards of early MTV ("If You Want My Love" and "She's Tight"), the Big Star tribute "That 70s Song," the forgotten 1979 Beatlesque power ballad "Voices," a song that two members of CT cut with John Lennon back in 1980 ("I'm Losin' You"), the jamfest "Gonna Raise Hell," plus tracks sung by other members -- "World's Greatest Lover" (Rick Nielsen) and "I Know What I Want" (Tom Petersson). Also featured are guest appearances by big-name fans Billy Corgan ("Just Got Back"), Slash ("You're All Talk"), and Art Alexakis ("Day Tripper"). Although it lacks the punch of their 1979 classic At Budokan (widely regarded as one of the greatest live rock albums of all time), Silver shows that the band is still having fun on stage 25 years later. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'Music for Hangovers'
Release Date 6/15/1999
Tracks 14
Label Cheap Trick Unlimited
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Cheap Trick celebrated their 25th anniversary in the best way possible. In a handful of major cities, the band did a brief residency, performing one of their classic first three albums in its entirety on three separate nights. And for their stay at Cabaret Metro in their hometown Chicago, they added a fourth night, where they ran through Live at Budokan. Music for Hangovers collects 14 highlights from their stand at the Metro, including selections from the encores, where they dipped into songs from Dream Police, One on One, and Next Position Please. In this context, the music is stripped of the novelty -- after all, it's not every day that a band decides to run through a classic album, in its original running order -- and left to stand on its own merits. Astonishingly, the record rivals the legendary Live at Budokan and, at times, sounds harder and rocks harder than that album. They may be doing oldies, but their hearts are in it, and the results are giddily entertaining. There are no new arrangements or anything unexpected (even the cameos from Billy Corgan and D'arcy of the Smashing Pumpkins fit seamlessly into the band's sound), just tight, exciting versions of classics, from hit singles ("Dream Police," "I Want You to Want Me," "Surrender") to cult favorites ("How Are You?," "Madocello," "Oh Caroline"). Music for Hangovers proves that getting older is not necessarily a death knell for a rock band, since Cheap Trick sounds as good as ever throughout the record. A welcome surprise from a great band. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Cheap Trick's influence was hard to miss in the 1980s, but unfortunately, Cheap Trick itself was hurting (both artistically and commercially) by the middle of the decade. After making a commercial comeback with 1988's Lap of Luxury, they entered the '90s with the less successful Busted. Although decent, this is far from one of Trick's strongest albums. Though slick pop-rock songs like "I Can't Understand It" and the single "Can't Stop Falling Into Love" are fairly enjoyable, most of the writing falls short of the type of cleverness one expects from this band. And the glossy power ballad "Wherever Would I Be" screams "corporate rock" in no uncertain terms. Only Trick's most devoted fans should acquire Busted -- more casual listeners would be much better off with In Color, Heaven Tonight or Woke Up With a Monster. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Cheap Trick's comeback album is by no means a return to the creativity and vitality of their glory days. But even though Lap of Luxury is largely formulaic, the band's strongest collection of material in some time fills that late-'80s pop-metal formula quite well. Combining grandly romantic power ballads ("Ghost Town") with catchy hard rockers ("Never Had a Lot to Lose"), Lap of Luxury consistently delivers strong hooks and well-crafted songs, proving that Cheap Trick were still capable of outdoing many of the bands they helped inspire. The album produced two Top Five singles in a cover of Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel" and the band's first number one hit, "The Flame." ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The career choices of Rockford, IL's most famous quartet are always perversely peculiar: After a strong return to straight power pop for Standing on the Edge, Cheap Trick promoted Standing's engineer Tony Platt (AC/DC, Patto) to producer and inauspiciously squeezed out the Doctor. Overbearing keyboards trample through decent ideas ("Take Me to the Top," sole single "It's Only Love") and careen into bizarre throwaways ("Man-U-Lip-U-Lator," the Kiss-referencing "Doctor"), resulting in the shrill nadir of bad '80s radio or lost Rundgren records. Hit producer Ritchie Zito harnessed Trick's combusting commercial soundscape for the follow-up smash, Lap of Luxury, but he also forced outside songwriters on the band. Thus, the glib but slight Doctor now stands as guitarist/guiding light Rick Nielsen's last gasp, a chipped nugget of Americana from pop's greatest disposable heroes who romance their brief reign in the review mirror. ~ Doug Stone, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Sounding more assured with Standing On the Edge, Cheap Trick shows once again that they always had a way with a great pop tune. "Tonight It's You" is pure pop and was a glimpse of what the band would sound like in the very near future. It's flawed, but okay. ~ James Chrispell, All Music Guide
