In 2016,
Cheap Trick were finally elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is often a double-edged sword for a working band. While the induction represents a powerful acknowledgment of their legacy, it's also an honor most often bestowed on bands that are well past their golden era. The timing is especially touchy for
Cheap Trick, since 2016 also marks the release of
Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello, the group's first release for
Big Machine Records, a label that previously specialized in country product.
Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello sounds like an album that was designed to convince listeners of two things: first, that
Cheap Trick are far from a spent force; and second, that they are still rockin' regardless of their new corporate sponsors. While ultimately this album shows both points are accurate, it hardly captures
Cheap Trick at their best.
Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello often rocks hard, but the poppy,
Beatlesque side of their musical personality gets pushed to the side on most of these songs. (Though it makes its presence known on "The Sun Never Sets" and "When I Wake Up Tomorrow.") The material also leans to the slick side, perhaps thanks to producer
Julian Raymond co-writing ten of these 11 songs, as he did on several tracks of 2009's
The Latest. (In Nashville, it's widely believed most problems are easily solved by bringing in another songwriter.) The album also marks
Cheap Trick's first set without longtime drummer
Bun E. Carlos. Their new timekeeper,
Daxx Nielsen (son of guitarist
Rick Nielsen), is a strong player, but the album lacks some of the humor and bonhomie
Carlos brought to the band. All this said, as a band
Cheap Trick still connect on
Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello.
Rick Nielsen's tough but slightly twisted hard rock guitar figures remain satisfying.
Robin Zander's voice is in good shape, and although his range is a bit narrower than in his youth, he's still plenty commanding. (His
Brian Ferry affectations on the cover of "The In Crowd" are pretty funny, too.) And bassist
Tom Petersson and
Daxx Nielsen hold down the bottom end with style and focus. Anyone who was hoping
Cheap Trick would pull an unexpected triumph out of their bag (as they did with 2006's
Rockford) is out of luck. But almost 40 years after they released their self-titled debut,
Cheap Trick can still make a solid and entertaining hard rock record. If that doesn't sound like much, compare
Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello with the current work of their late-'70s peers and you'll see what a fine surprise that is. ~ Mark Deming
![Then Play On [Deluxe Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0081227964436_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Then Play On [Deluxe Edition]")
