Playing the music of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick
WHY WE LOVE CHEAP TRICK
THERE IS NO BETTER PLACE TO START THAN RIGHT HERE!
If, for some reason, you made it to this page and have never seen Cheap Trick, or if time has eroded your memory of what a jolt they were to late-70's rock-n-roll, or if think Cheap Trick was - as Nina so critically put it in Fast Times at Ridgemont High - "just kids' stuff," then use the next 22 minutes to have your mind blown! Or re-blown, as the case may be. Or even re-re-blown!
This is a very young Cheap Trick, erupting on the scene as a little something for everyone (pop, rock, punk, sexy rock stars, class clowns, hook-filled songs, edgy lyrics, and so on). After years of relentless touring and honing their craft, no band since the Beatles returning from Hamburg was so prepared for stardom. Their sound was raw and melodic, and their presence was devastating, the group looked and acted like no one else before or since. From the start, Cheap Trick were the ultimate anti-superstars and simultaneously the coolest band you have ever seen!
This is Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, performed on November 10, 1977. Surrender and I Want You to Want Me weren't even in the set yet, and the Budokan concert was still nearly four months away (and a year from being played on the radio). Still, TMIMB defies anyone to watch this show and NOT feel their rock-n-roll heartbeat pound a little quicker and harder. This is the rush of youth and vigor that can only come from the emergence of a truly great rock band!
And if you don't watch 'til the end, you'll miss Bun E. Carlos' giant drumsticks!!!
Cheap Trick on Don Kirshners Rock Concert, 11-10-1977
THE ALBUMS
Those Men Inside My Turntable!
Everybody has a different "first" Cheap Trick record. For Chris, it was sneaking into his older brother's room to listen to the Dream Police album. For teenage Dan it was One on One on the strength of the She's Tight video! For Pete it was the Standing on the Edge album during high school. Blair came a little later to the party, knowing a lot of songs but not necessarily which record they came from.
For the uninitiated, we highly recommend starting with Cheap Trick's 1977's self-titled first record and At Budokan and then call and thank us for helping you discover your new all-time favorite band!
Heaven Tonight is widely regarded as Cheap Trick's uber-masterpiece. Together with In Color and Dream Police (the trio produced by Tom Werman), they represent the "vintage" Cheap Trick sound.
The albums of the 80's had their ups and downs, but Cheap Trick still amassed an incredible body of work that influenced countless bands to follow. By 1997, Cheap Trick finally took the bull by the horns with their second self-titled album, kind of a rededication to their signature selves. While most bands wind down or peter out over time, Cheap Trick continues to release worthwhile albums that rock, have strong hooks and melodies, explore creative sounds and styles, and are solid from start to finish, oh, and with an election into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along the way. The band is reported to have an album "in the can" awaiting release in 2025, which means The Doctor is about to become Those Men Inside My Brain's 21st favorite studio album!
Those Men Inside My Brain would love to hear from you. Which was your first CT record? Which is your favorite? Which album had a notable impact or impression on your life? Which song always rescues your day? Cheap Trick means so much to so many different people, we'd love to add some comments on this page.
And seriously, crank up that first record and get ready to hold on tight to something (or someone)!
CLICK on an album to visit its Wikipedia page.
