CHEAP TRICK

Classic rock radio is hard to find in Britain (not that I listen to music radio anyway) and therefore, strange though it may sound, classic rock bands that have been beaten into the brain of every sentient American citizen are as unfamiliar to me as the latest music craze hitting the streets of, say, Uzbekistan. Prior to getting this album my knowledge of Cheap Trick stretched to their contribution to the Top Gun soundtrack ("Mighty Wings") and the butt of a few Simpsons' jokes. I knew they had a soiled reputation but I also knew the general critical consensus was that their early albums 'actually aren't that bad' and, particularly, their eponymous debut and, of course, the omnipresent 'best ever live album' At Budokan. In the end, I pushed aside my second-hand pre-conceptions, swallowed my pride, and bought myself a copy of their debut. I knew Cheap Trick were famed for their melody so it was not a surprise to find the majority of the songs were independently recognisable and eminently hummable. What I was taken aback by was just how edgy some of this stuff is. Sharing a producer with Aerosmith (Jack Douglas) is obviously an instant clue as to the similarity in approach between the two bands, with a dual guitar approach borrowing much from the Stones and sixties rock'n'roll generally. However, if anything, the sound is rawer and more stripped back, without a cheesey keyboard in sight. Although it is hard to really associate any of this with the contemporaneous punk scene, it certainly isn't blown away by it, and, indeed, one could make the argument that this album is no more poppy than Never Mind the Bollocks, it just has a slightly more mature attitude. This album is often credited as the birth of 'power pop' but it is certainly more aggressive and more visceral than I expected. That said, the band are obviously consummate professionals and although I wouldn't necessarily label it cynical the steadiness of their approach suggests they knew the best way to cultivate their popularity. In any event, they also know how to mess with people's pre-conceptions and one of the most celebrated facets of this album is the fact that the lyrics irrevently blasted out by Robin Zander often deal with the darkest elements of society, including paedophilia ("Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School"), serial killers ("The Ballad of TV Violence"), and suicide (the wonderful "Oh, Candy"). The 1998 remaster, for a reason I find unfathomable, tinkered with the sequencing of the album so that it now opens with the tongue-in-cheek glam rock of "ELO Kiddies", actually a somewhat underwhelming introduction. I am afraid I do not know the original sequence of songs but in its current incarnation the strength of the set converges in the middle, with the four song run from "Oh, Candy" to the breathless "He's a Whore" forming the heart of the album. The self-acknowledged centre-piece is the towering "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace", a climatic bluesy rocker that features Zander's best vocal performance, with his high-pitched vocals far stronger than Steven Tyler's screech. Furthermore, Cheap Trick are arguably better pop songwriters than Aerosmith and therefore the fast-paced rockers like "Hot Love" and "He's a Whore" fizz with a melodic energy unmatched by Aerosmith's similar efforts. Indeed, the Beatles obviously have as much influence over proceedings as the Stones, a point borne out by the unashamed tribute "Taxman, Mr. Thief", which takes the lyrics of George Harrison's "Taxman" but incorporates them into an equally infectious melody. Indeed, the highlights of the set are as magnificent as those achieved by any major artist and Cheap Trick only have themselves to blame for compromising their artistic reputation through taking such a cynical, corporate-minded approach to creating and performing music from then on. No doubt that thought comes back to haunt them during their quieter moments on their own personal golf course or private jet.

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Email me at: jackfeeny@yahoo.co.uk