Shane’s Music Challenge: Cheap Trick – 1977 – Cheap Trick

Shane’s Music Challenge: Cheap Trick – 1977 – Cheap Trick
7/10

I feel very suspicious of anyone who doesn’t just LOVE Cheap Trick: surely they’re the biggest cult band ever, never quite getting the full respect due them, despite a staggeringly awesome back catalog?

This is their debut album, showing they arrived fully formed and ready to rock from the melodic hard rock of Hot Love through to closer Oh, Candy with it’s bubblegum melodies and Rick Neilsen’s crunchy, cascading riffs.

Even at this early point in their career, they struck an exquisite balance between hard rock, garage, bubbly pop and glam, carving a completely unique niche for themselves whilst pretty much inventing power pop.

Highlights include the exquisite acoustic Mandocello (later covered faithfully by Concrete Blonde), the aforementioned Hot Love and the raucous Elo Kiddies, used as their live opener for a time. The band were on fire at this point though, and don’t put a foot wrong from start to finish.

Category: Shane's Rock Challenge