Back in 1977, I was just out of high school, blundering through my first year of college, working in a record store, kinda just thrashing around. The Beatles had broken up. The Ramones weren't on my radar yet. I wouldn't get them until about their 4th album. English punk hadn't hit these shores yet. I had heard of the Sex Pistols but they didn't seem like my cup of (English) tea.
But these guys from Rockford, Illinois, who were "Beatlish" with a hard rock edge, brash yet still melodic. They hooked me right away. Their first album was a classic. On stage, the good looking guys, Robin Zander and Tom Petersson, contrasted interestingly with Rick Nielsen(the one that looked like Huntz Hall) and Bun E. Carlos (the one that looked like your Dad, or your Dad's accountant).
"ELO Kiddies" was one of the great first album originals. With a sound reminiscent of Nambla member Gary Glitter and a title that nodded to hero Roy Wood, "ELO Kiddies" crammed in more hooks than a tackle box. I thought Cheap Trick were going to rule the world, and they did, for a while. They lost steam after the Budokan and Dream Police albums.
A few years back, Cheap Trick kicked off the craze of classic artists going back and playing their classic albums all the way through in one show. They toured small venues, playing 3 nights in each town. "Cheap Trick" in it's entirety night one. "In Color" night two and so on... Followed up with a smattering of hits from their catalog. I planned on going all nights when they announced a 3 pack at St. Andrews.
That first night was great! The "Cheap Trick" album is essential and sounded great live played all the way through. They also played "Surrender" and some choice CT tunes. But they were so loud, and my 40 something ears rang so badly the next day, I feared permanent damage if I went back. Looking back now, I knew I had seen the essential Cheap Trick that night.
Interesting note. Their 2007 release, "The Latest" was released on cd, vinyl and a limited "8 track" tape edition.
No comments:
Post a Comment