Style: hard rock, pop rock
Label: Sony Japan
Year: 2018
Home: n/a
Members: Robin Zander ~ vocals/rhythm guitar
Rick Nielsen ~ guitar/b. vocals/keyboards
Tom Petersson ~ bass/b. vocals
Bun E. Carlos ~ drums
Additional: Jai Winding, Paul Klinberg, Kim Bullard ~ keyboards
Mark Radice ~ keyboards/vocals
Steve Lukather, Todd Rundgren ~ guitars
I've never been a huge fan, as their songs have been a bit too pop for me. I'm more interested in the how to, than the what is. Everyone knows the famed multi-necked guitars of Rick Nielsen, but bassist Tom Petersson has a unique custom bass & sound I'm a bit envious of, speaking as a fellow bassist. They aren't my thing, but I appreciate the fact that they've made some classic ear worms, which you end up enjoying even if its not your style. I also give them credit for making all their early music themselves without an array of session players. They are creative & talented, no doubt. I will listen to them, but do not actively seek them out. I will confess I really enjoyed their 2017 album We're All Alright!, which I wanted to hear having not heard anything they had done since the '90's. It deserves a revisit & review here. I don't know how this album is reflective of their current sound, as the pop music Cheap Trick excelled in has come & gone from the charts. This leads me to the problem I have always had with them. I call them pop rock, but are they? Pop love ballad lyrics with careening guitar solos feels so contradictory & mismatched o me. I'm reminded of the Smithereens, who I recently reviewed & called out for the same reason. Are they rock, punk, pop? I could never get what Cheap Trick was trying for, while their sound went through changes making them more unpredictable & hard to pinpoint. This might be why I enjoyed We're All Alright!, as it leaned more ragged punkish than pop. Also, his is where Greatest Hits: Japanese Single Collection is actually good for someone like me. It includes the live versions of "I Want You To Want Me", a "Ain't That A Shame," plus the U.S. hit singles "Surrender", "Voices", "Dream Police", "Stop This Game", "If You Want My Love", "Tonight It's You", "The Flame", "Don't Be Cruel", "Can't Stop Fallin' Into Love". It also includes lesser known songs. There is the punkish "Clock Strikes Ten", punk meets rockabilly "California Man", "Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace" with a great thumping bass, the rolling pop song "Everything Works If You Let It", the rockin' "(Love Comes) A Tumblin’ Down", the new wave-esque "Dancing The Night Away", the pop ballads "Ghost Town" & "Wherever Would I Be", & soundtrack contributions "Mighty Wings"& "Stop That Thief." The hits are nice to hear, but these deep cuts I enjoyed so much more. They sounded like a whole different band. Having not heard much beyond the hits I didn't know this side of the band existed in years past. I'm actually impressed by their musical range the band has tried after hyearing these deep cuts. All but the last four named I enjoyed. Dump the keyboards I maybe would have enjoyed them more. These additions make this hits comp a worthwhile purchase. This hits collection, one of many to choose from, includes all the singles released in Japan between 1977 & 1990 while on Epic. More precisely, every album is represented here from their debut to 1990's Busted, which also is before the departure of drummer Bun E. Carlos. There are a few songs missing that were hits in the U.S., like "She's Tight", but the deep cuts make up for it. I had a domestic hits comp years ago that didn't have these songs on it. I wish it did. This includes the versions released in America, a bit odd as this is a Japanese label, & it feels almost like they are catering to both countries. These are the original mixes, no remastering. The DVD, which I haven't seen, has the music videos & clips from their Budokan concert, & was previously released as the Every Trick In The Book DVD. I don't review music video DVDs here.
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