Year: February 3, 1977 (CD 1998)
Label: Epic Records (US), EK 65572
Style: Hard Rock, Power Pop
Country: Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
Time: 57:13
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 395 MbLoud, raw, noisy, messy: those are the adjectives that spring to mind when hearing Cheap Trick's debut. Too bad the melodies are hit and miss, and the noise kind of buries the hooks ocassionally. Other than those problems, though, this is one exciting platter; it rocks crazier and harder than they ever would again, veering close to anarchy in a few spots. I'm glad that their producer reined them in for a concentrated attack on their next two discs, but the chaotic mess here is fun in its own right - it sounds like what Nirvana were shooting for on Nevermind, but were a little too glossy to get right. Hell, Steve Albini even covered "He's A Whore" in his Big Black days. For once me and Albini meet at the same taste - that song rocks! It's probably the catchiest number on here, with Zander screaming "I'll do anything for money!", sentiments which he would unfortunately live up to during Trick's asslicking '80s tenure. Oh, but there's "Taxman, Mr. Thief", which pushes its Beatles homage far beyond any reasonable call for obviousness, but only in the title and lyrics - the Fabs would never have played music this heavy and sinister, though they would have written the melodic chorus. "The Ballad Of TV Violence" is sung from serial killer Richard Speck's point of view, as Zander keeps screaming over and over, "I'm not the only boy!". "Elo Kiddies" is a warped kind of Garry Glitter style chant that advises youngsters to ditch school for crime 'cause it's all that matters and everybody steals it anyway; for some reason the song starts off with the sound of alarm bells. The whole shebang kicks off with the driving lust ditty "Hot Love", which ends with a barely audible (put your head next to the speakers and turn it up really loud) Nielsen cackling "Hello there I'm Steven Tyler of Aerosmith" and something more that's unintelligible (they were on the same label). The album ends with "Oh Candy", an elegy for a depressed friend's suicide, and one of the great lost singles from the mid-'70s MidWest. There are some other songs on here, too, but they're not as good.
(starlingdb.org/music/temp/cheaptrick.html)
01. Elo Kiddies (03:41)
02. Daddy Should Have Stayed In High School (04:44)
03. Taxman, Mr. Thief (04:15)
04. Cry, Cry (04:22)
05. Oh, Candy (03:06)
06. Hot Love (02:30)
07. Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace (04:34)
08. He's A Whore (02:42)
09. Mandocello (04:46)
10. The Ballad Of TV Violence (I'm Not The Only Boy) (05:25)
11. Lovin' Money (Outtake) (Bonus track) (04:09)
12. I Want You To Want Me (Early version) (Bonus track) (02:44)
13. Lookout (Previously unreleased studio version) (Bonus track) (03:30)
14. You're All Talk (Previously unreleased studio version) (Bonus track) (03:31)
15. I Dig Go-Go Girls (Previously unreleased) (Bonus track) (03:06)
UploadyIo MexaShare FreedlInk
All my files:
UploadyIo MexaShare
