Cheap Trick [Bonus Tracks]

by Cheap Trick

Overview

Cheap Trick's eponymous debut is an explosive fusion of Beatlesque melodic hooks, Who-styled power, and a twisted sense of humor partially borrowed from the Move. But that only begins to scratch the surface of what makes Cheap Trick a dynamic record. Guitarist Rick Nielsen has a powerful sense of dynamics and arrangements, which gives the music an extra kick, but he also can write exceptionally melodic and subversive songs. Nothing on Cheap Trick is quite what it seems. While the songs have hooks and attitude that arena rock was sorely lacking in the late '70s, they are also informed by a bizarre sensibility, whether it's the driving "He's a Whore," the dreamy "Mandocello," or the thumping Gary Glitter perversion "ELO Kiddies." "The Ballad of TV Violence" is about mass murder, while "Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School" concerns pedophiles. All of it is told with a sense of humor, but it doesn't come off as cheap or smirking because of the group's hard-rocking drive and Robin Zander's pop-idol vocals. Even "Oh, Candy," apparently a love song on first listen, is an affecting tribute to a friend who committed suicide. In short, Cheap Trick revel in taboo subjects with abandon, devoting themselves to the power of the hook, as well as sheer volume and gut-wrenching rock & roll -- though the record is more musically accomplished than punk rock, it shares the same aesthetic. The combination of off-kilter humor, bizarre subjects, and blissful power pop made Cheap Trick one of the defining albums of its era, as well as one of the most influential. [A 2008 CD re-release added five outtakes: "Lovin Money" and "I Want You to Want Me," and the previously unreleased "Lookout," "You're All Talk," and "I Dig Go-Go Girls." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	02/01/2008
Label:	Legacy
UPC:	0886972400228
Rank:	30856

Tracks

1. ELO Kiddies
2. Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School
3. Taxman, Mr. Thief
4. Cry, Cry
5. Oh, Candy
6. Hot Love
7. Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
8. He's a Whore
9. Mandocello
10. The Ballad of TV Violence (I'm Not the Only Boy)
11. Lovin' Money
12. I Want You to Want Me
13. Lookout
14. You're All Talk
15. I Dig Go-Go Girls

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Cheap Trick   Primary Artist
Robin Zander   Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Rhythm)
Rick Nielsen   Guitar,Vocals
Bun E. Carlos   Drums
Tom Petersson   Bass,Vocals,Guitar (Bass)

Technical Credits

Cheap Trick   Producer
Jack Douglas   Producer
Sam Ginsberg   Assistant Engineer
Rick Nielsen   Composer
Danny Kadar   Mixing
Tom Petersson   Composer
Vic Anesini   Mastering
Jay Messina   Engineer
Robin Zander   Composer
Frank Harkins   Art Direction
Greg Kot   Liner Notes
Jim Houghton   Photography
Terry Reid   Composer
Paula Scher   Design
Joy Gilbert Manfried   Product Manager
Bruce Dickinson   Reissue Producer