They--Rick Nielsen, Bun E. Carlos, Robin Zander, and most of the time Tom Petersson--are one of those bands that probably came around about 10 years too late. If they had started in the mod 1960s, Cheap Trick would have been huge. They have it all--the visuals and the musical chops that would have put each one of their singles in the highest reaches of the chart way back when.
As it is, they came on the scene in 1975, as the disco era was dawning. It's clear to me that Epic Records had no idea what to do with these guys, and when their Budokan live album became a huge hit overseas, they figured they would give the band the "Frampton Comes Alive" treatment and try to create a hit from a live album.
And it worked to a charm. They followed with an uneven recording career that has had as many ups as downs. They hit No. 1 with "The Flame," oddly as un-Cheap Trick sounding a song as they ever recorded.
Here I have uploaded one of their most schizoid singles ever. "Dream Police" is one of their best songs, a mix of bubblegum and metal that is hard to resist. It hit No. 26 in October 1979. "Heaven Tonight," the flip side, is the title cut from their album of that time, and it can put you to sleep if you let it.
Their recording career aside, you really have to see these guys in concert. That is where they are truly the coolest.
As far as picture sleeves, they have had many released both here and abroad. The Japanese picture sleeves really aren't even that, they are basically one sheets with pictures on the front and lyrics on the back.
Anyway, although Cheap Trick was probably never as huge as they should have been, they have had a fantastic 35-year career, and I am glad that I was with them at the start.
Cheap Trick - Dream Police.mp3
Cheap Trick - Heaven Tonight.mp3
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