Standing On The Edge | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 19, 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1984–85 | |||
Studio | Sound Summit Studios, Lake Geneva, WI, Atlantic Recording Studios, New York City, Cherokee Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA, Unique Recording, New York City | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 39:44 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Producer | Jack Douglas | |||
Cheap Trick chronology | ||||
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Singles from Standing On The Edge | ||||
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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. [1]
Standing on the Edge saw Cheap Trick return to their standard hard-rocking sound. The album was produced by Jack Douglas, who also produced the band's eponymous debut album as well as the Found All The Parts EP. Originally, Cheap Trick planned on returning to the rough sound of their first album. However, Douglas backed out of the mixing process due to legal issues he was having with Yoko Ono. Mixer Tony Platt was called in, and as a result, keyboards and electronic drums were featured more prominently than the band and Douglas had intended.
The first single, "Tonight It's You", is the most successful and well-known track from the album and also appears on numerous greatest hits compilations. Two promotional music videos were made for the song, and both clips received much airplay on MTV.
The song "Love Comes" was re-recorded for Zander's solo album Countryside Blvd. This album was due for release in 2010 but has been held back, remaining unreleased to date, although various download sites did legally offer the album for a few hours.
Bun E. Carlos insisted on being credited with "acoustic drums" because of Platt's addition of electronic drums to much of the album during post-production.
Song doctor Mark Radice was brought in to help the band with the songwriting process. He played keyboards and co-wrote 8 of the album's 10 tracks.
Guitarist Rick Nielsen's name is misspelled on the back cover of the original American compact disc pressing as "Rick Nelson", although the Japanese version has his name spelled correctly.
Physical copies of the album were out of print for several years (except in Japan), making the original pressing of the CD something of a collectors' item.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
Upon release, Billboard stated: "Cheap Trick's checkered recent career could get a boost from this spirited set; lusty, layered production spotlights the band's sense of guitar-driven rock classicism." [4] Cash Box wrote: "The pranksters of pop are back in full splendor. This record really could be the one that pulls this band out of its recent doldrums. All the elements that contributed to the group's worldwide success are here." [5] David Fricke of Rolling Stone commented: "Cheap Trick roars back to life with its best collection of bubblegum bazooka rock in years. Standing on the Edge recombines the devious Beatlesque gestures and Who-ish arena-rock jolt of the band's brief platinum period with melodic authority and playful wit." [6]
In a retrospective review, Mike DeGagne of AllMusic felt the album's only highlight was the "silvery-sounding" "Tonight It's You". He added: "Like 1983's Next Position Please, Standing on the Edge finds the band without any pizzazz or rock & roll exuberance. The tracks are dull and colorless, with only the single sporting any signs of enthusiasm." [2] Dave Swanson of Ultimate Classic Rock highlighted tracks such as "Little Sister", "Tonight It's You", "Cover Girl" and the title track, but felt the album was "bogged down by the use of contemporary production techniques". [7]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Little Sister" | Nielsen | 3:55 |
2. | "Tonight It's You" | Nielsen, Zander, Brant, Radice | 4:47 |
3. | "She's Got Motion" | Nielsen, Radice | 3:17 |
4. | "Love Comes" | Zander, Nielsen | 4:40 |
5. | "How About You" | Zander, Nielsen, Radice | 3:00 |
6. | "Standing on the Edge" | Nielsen, Zander, Radice | 4:44 |
7. | "This Time Around" | Zander, Nielsen, Brant, Radice | 4:33 |
8. | "Rock All Night" | Nielsen, Zander, Carlos, Radice | 2:51 |
9. | "Cover Girl" | Nielsen, Radice | 3:41 |
10. | "Wild Wild Women" | Nielsen, Zander, Carlos, Radice | 4:16 |
No. | Title | Length |
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11. | "Tonight It's You" (Single Re-Mixed/Edited Version) | 3:31 |
Chart (1985) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200 [8] | 35 |
Chart (2017) | Peak position |
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Oricon (Japan) [9] | 135 |
Year | Single | Billboard Hot 100 [10] |
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1985 | "Tonight It's You" | 44 |
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and Petersson. Their work bridged elements of '60s guitar pop, hard rock, and punk rock, and would help set the template for subsequent power pop artists.
Cheap Trick at Budokan is the first live album by American rock band Cheap Trick, and their best-selling recording. Recorded at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, the album was first released in Japan on October 8, 1978, and later released in the United States in 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 the third studio album by American rock band Cheap Trick. It was produced by Tom Werman and released on April 24, 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 guitarist Rick Nielsen and drummer 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.
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.
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".
All Shook Up is the fifth studio album by American rock band Cheap Trick. Released in 1980, it was produced by former Beatles producer George Martin. It was the first studio album since their debut to be produced by someone other than Tom Werman.
Rockford is the fifteenth studio album by Cheap Trick, released on June 6, 2006 by Big3. The album's title refers to Rockford, Illinois, the band's hometown.
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.
Woke up with a Monster is the twelfth studio album by Cheap Trick which was released by Warner Bros. Records in 1994. Produced by Ted Templeman, the album peaked at number 123 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was Cheap Trick's first and only album for Warner Bros., who dropped the band from their roster shortly after its release.
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.
"The Flame" is a power ballad released in 1988 by the American rock band Cheap Trick and the first single from their tenth album Lap of Luxury. It was written by songwriters Bob Mitchell and Nick Graham.
"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.
"Tonight It's You" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 1985 as the lead single from their eighth studio album Standing on the Edge. It was written by Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Jon Brant and Mark Radice, and produced by Jack Douglas. "Tonight It's You" reached No. 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks Chart.
"Kiss Me Red" is a song written by the songwriting duo of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, and first released in 1984 for the soundtrack of the short-lived TV series Dreams, where it was performed on the show by the fictional title band. The song was notably covered by Cheap Trick in 1986 on their ninth album The Doctor, and by ELO Part II in 1990 for their album Electric Light Orchestra Part Two.
"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.
"It's Only Love" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 1986 as the lead single from their ninth studio album The Doctor. It was written by guitarist Rick Nielsen and lead vocalist Robin Zander, and produced by Tony Platt. The song failed to chart in the US. Despite the commercial failure of the song, the music video is notable for the use of American Sign Language.
"When I Wake Up Tomorrow" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 2016 as the second and final single from their seventeenth studio album Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello. It was written by Julian Raymond, Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson, and produced by Raymond and Cheap Trick. Released as a promotional single in the United States, "When I Wake Up Tomorrow" reached No. 24 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.