Cheap Trick | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 3, 1977 | |||
Recorded | Fall 1976, Early 1977 | |||
Studio | Record Plant, New York City | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 40:00 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Producer | Jack Douglas | |||
Cheap Trick chronology | ||||
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Singles from Cheap Trick | ||||
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Cheap Trick is the debut studio album by the American rock band Cheap Trick, released in 1977. It was released under Epic Records and produced by Jack Douglas, a frequent collaborator of the band. The album did not reach the Billboard 200 chart but did "bubble under" at number 207 for one week in April 1977. [1]
Most of the songs have a more raw sound akin to hard rock bands of the period compared to the group's later more polished power pop style, and the song lyrics deal with more extreme subject matter than later albums. For instance, "The Ballad of TV Violence (I'm Not the Only Boy)" is about serial killer Richard Speck, "Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School" is about an ephebophile, and "Oh, Candy" is about a photographer friend of the band, Marshall Mintz, who committed suicide. [2]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Record Guide | B [4] |
Record Mirror | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | positive [6] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | (10/10) [8] |
Trouser Press | positive [9] |
The album was generally well-received by critics with favorable comparisons to the Beatles and the Who, with critics likening Robin Zander's vocals to John Lennon's. Charles M. Young, writing for Rolling Stone , said the album had a "heavy emphasis on basics with a strain of demented violence" and that the lyrics "run the gamut of lust, confusion and misogyny, growing out of rejection and antiauthoritarian sentiments about school—all with an element of wit." [6] Ira Robbins of Trouser Press noted the album's "wall-of-guitar sound" and said the band was "sarcastic, smart, nasty, powerful, tight, casual, and destined for something great." [9] Juliana Hatfield, speaking to Melody Maker in 1993, praised Cheap Trick as "the quintessential rock record" and one that "entertains all the way through". [10]
All songs written by Rick Nielsen except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Elo Kiddies" | 3:41 | |
2. | "Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School" | 4:44 | |
3. | "Taxman, Mr. Thief" | 4:16 | |
4. | "Cry, Cry" | Nielsen, Robin Zander, Tom Petersson | 4:22 |
5. | "Oh, Candy" | 3:07 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Hot Love" | 2:30 | |
2. | "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace" | Terry Reid | 4:35 |
3. | "He's a Whore" | 2:43 | |
4. | "Mandocello" | 4:47 | |
5. | "The Ballad of TV Violence (I'm Not the Only Boy)" | 5:15 |
Note: The original vinyl record had "Side A" printed on the label on one side and "Side 1" printed on the other, a humorous touch reflecting the band's conviction that they didn't have any "B material". The placement of the track listing on the jacket seemed to indicate "Hot Love" was the first track on the album. When the album was released on CD in the mid-1980s, it followed the same sequence. However, when the album was re-issued in 1998, the band's preferred sequence was used, placing "Side 1" before "Side A" and included five bonus tracks:
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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11. | "Lovin' Money" | 4:09 | |
12. | "I Want You to Want Me" | 2:43 | |
13. | "Lookout" | 3:30 | |
14. | "You're All Talk" | Nielsen, Petersson | 3:31 |
15. | "I Dig Go-Go Girls" | 3:06 |
Chart (1977) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200 [11] | 207 |
Chart | Peak position |
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Oricon (Japan) [12] | 113 |
In the documentary End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones , Johnny Ramone stated that the guitar riff in "The KKK Took My Baby Away" was inspired by the riff in "He's a Whore".
Big Black released a cover of "He's a Whore" as a single with a picture sleeve in the style of Cheap Trick's album cover. The back of the sleeve was a similar take on the German band Kraftwerk and their song, "The Model". Big Black's version was included as a bonus track on the CD release of their second album, Songs About Fucking .
The Methadones covered "He's a Whore" on 21st Century Power Pop Riot , an album of covers released in 2006. Concrete Blonde covered "Mandocello" on Still in Hollywood .
Cheap Trick at Budokan is the first live album by American rock band Cheap Trick, and their best-selling recording. It was first released in Japan on October 8, 1978, and later released in the United States on February 1979, through Epic Records. After several years of constant touring but only middling exposure for the band, At Budokan steadily grew off radio play and word-of-mouth to become a high-selling success, kickstarting the band's popularity and becoming acclaimed as one of the greatest live rock albums of all time and a classic of the power pop genre.
Next Position Please is the seventh studio album by American rock band Cheap Trick, produced by Todd Rundgren and released in 1983.
Heaven Tonight is Cheap Trick's third studio album, produced by Tom Werman and released in 1978. The album was remastered and released with bonus tracks on Sony's Epic/Legacy imprint in 1998. The album cover features lead singer Robin Zander and bassist Tom Petersson on the front, with Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos on the back.
Dream Police is the fourth studio album by American rock band Cheap Trick. It was released in 1979, and was their third release in a row produced by Tom Werman. It is the band's most commercially successful studio album, going to No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart and being certified platinum within a few months of its release.
One on One is Cheap Trick's sixth studio album, and seventh release in general. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, it was released in 1982 via Epic Records and was the first Cheap Trick album to feature their new bassist Jon Brant.
Standing on the Edge is the eighth studio album by the American rock group Cheap Trick, released by Epic in 1985. The album was produced by Jack Douglas, the producer of Cheap Trick's 1977 debut album, Cheap Trick. Standing on the Edge reached No. 35 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the charts for 18 weeks.
Lap of Luxury is the tenth studio album by American band Cheap Trick. Released on April 12, 1988, it is the band's second-most commercially successful studio album, reaching number 16 on the Billboard 200 and being certified platinum in sales. The album contains the band's only US number-one hit, "The Flame", as well as the additional hit singles "Don't Be Cruel" and "Ghost Town".
In Color is the second studio album by Cheap Trick, released in 1977 and produced by Tom Werman.
Special One is the fourteenth studio album by the band Cheap Trick. It was released in 2003 to mixed reviews and features the single "Scent of a Woman." It charted for one week, reaching 128 on the album charts.
All Shook Up is the fifth studio album by American rock band Cheap Trick. Released in 1980, it was produced by former The Beatles producer George Martin. It was the first studio album since their debut to be produced by someone other than Tom Werman.
The Doctor is the ninth studio album by Cheap Trick, released in 1986. It was produced by Tony Platt and reached No. 115 on the Billboard 200 Chart.
Busted is the eleventh studio album released by Cheap Trick, which was released in 1990 and peaked at number 44 on the US album charts. After the success of "The Flame" from the previous album Lap of Luxury, the band recorded Busted with a similar format, especially on the single "Can't Stop Fallin' into Love." The single peaked at number 12 on the US charts. The album failed to be as successful as the label had hoped, and about a year after the release of Busted, Epic Records dropped the band.
Cheap Trick, commonly referred to as Cheap Trick '97, is the second eponymous album, and thirteenth studio album, by the American rock band Cheap Trick, produced by the band and Ian Taylor and released on Red Ant Records and Alliance Entertainment. The album is referred to as "Cheap Trick II" when it is referenced on the promotional DVD that was released with the band's Special One album in 2003. Ian Taylor had previously engineered the One On One LP in 1982 and produced a handful of other tracks from 1983's Next Position Please LP, as well as the title track for the 1983 Sean S. Cunningham comedy film Spring Break.
"She's Tight" is a song by the American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 1982 as the third single from their studio album One on One. It was written by guitarist Rick Nielsen and produced by Roy Thomas Baker. It reached No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.
Need Your Love is a song written by Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson that was originally performed by American rock band Cheap Trick. The song appeared on Cheap Trick's 1979 album Dream Police. A live version was included on the 1978 album Cheap Trick at Budokan, which initially appeared only in Japan but eventually was in the United States in early 1979. Because Cheap Trick was immensely popular in Japan, the band's Japanese label demanded that At Budokan include three new songs. The three songs were "Ain't That a Shame", "Goodnight Now" and "Need Your Love."
"Auf Wiedersehen" is a song co-written by Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson and first released on the band's 1978 album Heaven Tonight. It was also released as a single as the B-side of "Surrender". Since its original release, it has also been released by Cheap Trick on several live and compilation albums, including Budokan II; Sex, America, Cheap Trick; The Essential Cheap Trick, and the 30th Anniversary Edition of Cheap Trick at Budokan, which also includes a DVD with a video performance of the song. Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the song as one of the peaks of Heaven Tonight and as one of Cheap Trick's "stone-cold classics." It has often been used by the band to close their concerts. Since its original release, it has been covered by Anthrax, Cell, John Easdale, and Steel Pole Bath Tub.
"Way of the World" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 1980 as a single from their fourth studio album Dream Police (1979). The song was written by Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander and produced by Tom Werman. In February 1980 it was released as a 7" vinyl single in the UK only, backed by "Oh, Candy," from the first Cheap Trick album, and peaked at #73. It attempted to capitalize on the success of the mid-1979 single "I Want You to Want Me" and the live album Cheap Trick at Budokan which both entered the top 30.
"Let Go" is a song by the American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 1988 as the fourth single from their tenth studio album Lap of Luxury. It was written by guitarist Rick Nielsen and Todd Cerney, and produced by Richie Zito.
"Stiff Competition" is a song written by Rick Nielsen that first appeared on Cheap Trick's 1978 album Heaven Tonight. It is famous for the sexual double entendres in the lyrics, and subsequently appeared on live and compilation albums. In the UK, "Stiff Competition" was the B-side to Cheap Trick's second single from Heaven Tonight, "California Man."
"World's Greatest Lover" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 1981 as the second and final single from their fifth studio album All Shook Up (1980). The song was written by Rick Nielsen and produced by George Martin.
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