Label: Epic Records (US), EK 65573
Style: Hard Rock, Power Pop
Country: Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
Time: 46:19
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 311 Mb
Charts: US #73, AUS #93, JPN #30. US & CAN: Platinum.
“Any
fears of a sophomore slumber party were put to bed with the brilliant
In Color. Producer Tom Werman captures a softer and zanier Cheap Trick
on songs like I Want You To Want Me and Come On, Come On that has as
much in common with The Bay City Rollers as The Beatles.
“As with
their first record, underneath the perfect three-minute pop songs run
Rick Nielsen’s dark currents of sexual angst. Hello There asks the
musical question ‘Would you like to do a number with me?’ and, knowing
Nielsen’s sense of humor, I’d guess the number he has in mind is
somewhere between 68 and 70. Clock Strikes Ten is a blatant booty call.
On later albums, Nielsen would cross the lines of good taste, but he’s
got his ducks lined up in a perfect row here; the first four tracks on
this record are as strong an opening as you’ll find on any pop or rock
record.
“In Color also has a surfer-boy swagger to it that seemed to
emanate from Robin Zander’s persona: Southern Girls, Oh Caroline and
‘Come On, Come On’ have an indelible twang to them. [Yes, I actually
wrote ‘indelible twang,’ as if there are twangs that come off with a
good rubbing.] It’s worth mentioning to newbies that ‘I Want You To Want
Me’ is the exception on In Color. When I first bought this album as a
kid, I was disappointed to find that the whole thing didn’t sound like
‘Mr. Blue Sky.’ Looking back, I can’t believe I didn’t fall head over
heels for Downed, ‘Oh Caroline’ and ‘Southern Girls,’ but I was kind of a
wiener as a kid. I’ve since gotten a handle on that. So, to sum things
up, great power pop record, half of it classic Cheap Trick, and not
nearly as lascivious as my little review would make it out to be.”
I
didn’t say it was a good review, but I guess I’m feeling a bit nostalgic
this morning. I would add that In Color, even more so than Cheap Trick,
is the quintessential power pop record. Any band that could rock as
hard as Aerosmith and lace their songs with melodies as sweet as
anything from Electric Light Orchestra was destined for some measure of
immortality. Of course, Cheap Trick eventually proved mortal (the muses
being fickle things), but for their first three or four albums, there
wasn’t a better power pop band on the planet.
(progrography.com/cheap-trick/review-cheap-trick-in-color-1977/)
01. Hello There (01:41)
02. Big Eyes (03:09)
03. Downed (04:10)
04. I Want You To Want Me (03:11)
05. You're All Talk (03:34)
06. Oh Caroline (02:59)
07. Clock Strikes Ten (03:02)
08. Southern Girls (03:43)
09. Come On, Come On (02:39)
10. So Good To See You (03:46)
11. Oh Boy (Instrumental version) (Bonus track) (03:10)
12. Southern Girls (Previously unreleased demo) (Bonus track) (03:03)
13. Come On, Come On (Previously unreleased demo) (Bonus track) (02:06)
14. You're All Talk (Previously unreleased live version) (Bonus track) (03:41)
15. Goodnight (Previously unreleased live version) (Bonus track) (02:18)
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