CHEAP TRICK'S FIRST ALBUM

Cheap Trick’s self titled debut album was released in February 1977.

Before cutting their first record, reputedly armed with a repertoire well north of 200 songs, the members of Cheap Trick were already the kind of hardcore road dogs that could work the bar band circuit from Rockford to Rochester with their eyes closed. It is rumored that many roads upon which they traveled were not even paved yet before Cheap Trick literally blazed a trail through the Midwest. From the opening strains of “Hot Love”, the first song on their first album, Cheap Trick fearlessly and ferociously matched the fire and intensity of the burgeoning brats of the late 70s Punk scene. Already a globe-trotting, guitar-collecting veteran when he and Tom Petersson assembled Cheap Trick from the ashes of their previous band (Sick Man of Europe), Rick Nielsen launched into the band’s 1977 rip-roaring and raw debut album with a frenetic guitar riff that sounds like a yelping coyote leaping through fire. From there, the record does not let up, bringing the heat and the hooks for forty unrelenting minutes of pure pop fire. Like so many other cover tunes in their repertoire, Cheap Trick long ago took possession of Terry Reid’s “Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace” and there has never been any doubt as to its ownership since their rendition first appeared. A tentative groove pulses from Petersson’s eight-string bass to introduce the song. Soon, all hell breaks loose with subtle pounder Bun E. Carlos laying down a primitive beat to introduce Nielsen’s howling guitar. When describing Cheap Trick though, one must reserve that word—”howling”—for vocalist extraordinaire Robin Zander. The most underrated vocalist of the Rock era, Zander hit the ground running right out of the gate, immediately staking his claim as the new gold standard of cocksure crooning. By the song’s end, Zander’s voice is irrefutably without peer, springing forth fully-formed from the starting line. The album’s opening go-for-the-throat sequence continues with “He’s A Whore”, a hook-laden rocker that contains the earliest clues of chief songwriter Rick Nielsen’s twisted sense of humor. It remains a highlight of many of the band’s live performances. The high energy relents only briefly for the tender “Mandocello.” The only ballad on the record, it reveals an unexpected gentle side to Nielsen’s songwriting and Zander’s vocal skills. You better catch your breath during that beautiful ballad because the intensity returns with homicidal vengeance for the next tune, the switchblade insanity of “The Ballad Of TV Violence (I’m Not The Only Boy).” Nielsen’s menacing guitar tone threatens to maul and shatter everything in its path (and in its past). By the song’s blazing and frenzied conclusion, you’ll be convinced that Robin Zander’s guttural howls are the sound of a man in primal scream therapy coming unglued and slashing to shreds everything, everybody, and every thought within reach. Zander's harrowing vocal performance here will wring you out and leave you breathless. Side two scales back the gas-fire intensity only enough to better spotlight the band’s incredible arsenal of pop hooks and melodic mastery. As “Elo Kiddies” and “Daddy Should Have Stayed In High School” introduce the second half of the LP with razor sharp distortion and nightmarish invitations to lechery, one realizes that this is not quite the usual pop song fare. “Taxman, Mr. Thief” eerily picks up the sentiment where George Harrison left off, but musically Cheap Trick paints a much more dire picture of the Taxman’s iron-fisted rule with a minor key jam that smells like it’s been singed by the flames of hell. Closing out the record with “Cry, Cry” and “Oh, Candy”, Cheap Trick showed, perhaps for the first time in the rock era, that fire and fury, “sturm und drang,” pathos and pain, can all inform a rockin’ pop song about lost love. Such is the case of “Candy”, about a friend who took his own life and left not one but many to lament the heartbreaking loss. Ironically, due to a mix-up in the mastering process, sides one and two were reversed at the time of the record’s original release in February 1977. (Perhaps due to the band’s insistence that it be labeled with a “Side 1″ and a “Side A”, making the first Cheap Trick album the first “cheap trick”?) As a result, this incredible album was never heard as the band originally intended until the re-mastered, re-sequenced CD was released in 1998. Take this writer’s advice and listen to it as it was originally, albeit erroneously, sequenced. That is, after all, how it was heard for many years and subsequently how it earned its reputation. The point here was to capture the band's live sound in the studio, hoping to lure listeners out to the gigs. Their mission was a success but the record stiffed. Barely registered a blip on the radar. This writer believes that Cheap Trick's first half dozen records are irrefutably brilliant, a feat not matched by many in the music business. But never again would they capture lightning in a bottle quite like they were able to do on their debut. Opting for a more high-gloss style of production on every subsequent release, one can hardly argue with any steps Cheap Trick took in those early days. Budokan beckoned, and worldwide stardom lie just around the corner. A string of early hits included "Surrender", "I Want You To Want Me" and "Dream Police". By 1980 they were headlining arenas and working with Beatles producer George Martin. But don't take my word for it. Ask around. Many record collectors and fans of Rock music will mention the first Cheap Trick record whenever there is a discussion about the greatest debut albums of all time. It's that good. If you haven't heard it, you really should.

Cheap Trick followed up with their second album just five months later, releasing the In Color LP in September 1977. Producer Tom Werman brought out more a of the band's Pop sensibility with a lighter touch and less of the screech and squawl of Nielsen's guitar. For many years it seemed as though the band hardly ever performed any of the tunes from their first record. I myself attended several Cheap Trick concerts before hearing them finally bust out "He's A Whore". Eventually they came to their senses as over time the debut record earned its reputation through numerous name checks in interviews with the many younger artists who referred to its influence. Nowadays it's not uncommon to hear several tunes from the album on any given night that Cheap Trick is performing. But back in 1977, when the LP was still fresh, they'd all but abandoned it. One can be certain that the record label was encouraging them to promote the In Color LP upon its release in the Fall of that year. The band's performance on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert from November 10, 1977 includes not even one song from the debut album. But it stands as irrefutable testament to what a powerful live act they were in those early days. 44 years later, they remain one of the best live bands in the world. Every time I see them listed as an opening act I always feel bad for the headliner. I don't care who you are. You don't want to take the stage after Cheap Trick.

(An edited version of this piece originally appeared in the Crate Digger column on Crawdaddy.com.)