lambchops's Full Review: At Budokan [Remaster] by Cheap Trick
When Cheap Trick scored a pair of hit singles in 1988, I took notice. Both The Flame and Don’t Be Cruel were pretty impressive with one today still being recognized as a hair metal/ballad classic and the other as a retro anomaly. What I didn’t realize at the time was that Cheap Trick had been around and recording hits for over a decade.
Oh how I miss those days of relative ignorance…
In 1979, Cheap Trick released their first live album—Live at Budokan. In fact, it is this album that yielded the classic live version of I Want You to Want Me in addition to immortalizing the band as a stage legend. The duo of Rick Nielsen (guitar) and Tom Petersson (bass) first came together in 1968 with the unremarkable band Fuse, but it really wasn’t until 1975 that Cheap Trick was born. Soon thereafter vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos were added to the mix and the lineup was complete. In fact, this is the lineup that still exists today.
Cheap Trick released their first two albums in 1977--Cheap Trick and In Color. A year later, it was Heaven Tonight that brushed the chart. Despite the three relatively popular first albums, the Illinois band still somewhat struggled to connect their appealing pop-rock to audiences. It took up until the subsequent Live at Budokan to really make an impression. As the years passed, the band became better known—and many of their songs are now regarded as classics.
Live at Budokan is by its very nature not my kind of album. It is rock, it is fun, but first and foremost it is live and as a rule I do not like live albums. Fortunately for Cheap Trick, Live at Budokan is one of but a few exceptions. To put it in perspective, the only other two I can think of are Led Zeppelin’s How the West Was Won and Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York. Add Live at Budokan to that extremely short list.
With just ten tracks, this is a brief album but one chock full of fabulously memorable hooks and incredible performances. Like it or not, but it is clear based on this music that Cheap Trick was the inspiration to today’s generation of so called alt-rockers. Live at Budokan is a rousing rock album for the ages—the kind of thing I can’t help but love and expect to enjoy equally in another twenty-five years (after all, it has already been around for a quarter century).
One complaint I generally have about live albums is the recording quality and disruptive yelps from the crowd. Cheap Trick’s album is not at all hindered by any such issues. In fact, the crowd fits perfectly with the band from the rousing opening of Hello There through Clock Strikes Ten. It’s amazing how consistent the effort is—it draws the listener in beautifully.
While there are no bad parts in the entire album, I think there are definitely some moments that are truly outstanding. Come On, Come On is just one of that kind of song—fun rock with a great melody and perfectly assembled instruments. If there is one thing that everybody must agree about it was that Cheap Trick wrote some incredible pop-rock anthems.
The most familiar song here is of course I Want You to Want Me. It is also one of the album high points but don’t skip over the “other” songs just because you want to hear that one. If you did you’d miss out on some other notable moments like Lookout and the enchanting Need Your Love. Most of all, I can’t stress enough that Surrender is my single favorite Cheap Trick song of all time—and this version is flawless. The lyrics are unforgettable and the song itself is timeless. It catches me every time I hear it…
Mommy's alright,
Daddy's alright,
they just seem a little weird
Surrender, surrender,
but don't give yourself away
In any case, I can’t recommend this album enough to fans of rock and classic rock. Cheap Trick is often tossed aside when speaking of great rock bands. Don’t ignore ‘em—they knew how to rock and write and sing and play. Damn. They were just cool. And by the way, they are still recording with the same lineup found on Live at Budokan.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Hello There
02. Come On, Come On
03. Lookout
04. Big Eyes
05. Need Your Love
06. Ain’t That a Shame
07. I Want You to Want Me
08. Surrender
09. Goodnight
10. Clock Strikes Ten
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