#448: Cheap Trick's In Color

Part of the appeal of Cheap Trick has always been that they carved out their own niche at a time when much of the rock world was penning itself into neatly defined market categories. They were a little too heavy to be considered pop, a little too radio friendly to be taken seriously as hard rock, not nearly self-indulgent enough to run with the prog crowd... Bun E. Carlos and Rick Nielsen presented a quirky visual spectacle that more than hinted at self-effacing irony (see the back cover of the album, below) and counterbalanced the more composed rock personae of Robin Zander and Tom Petersson. And they were from Rockford, Illinois. Not from Chicago by way of Rockford, mind you, just... from Rockford. Who comes outta Rockford? Perhaps it's not much of a surprise, then, that they hit it big in Japan before becoming a household name in the States, but it's worth noting that half of this record made it onto the live album that would establish them as superstars back home, Cheap Trick at Budokan, most famously "I Want You to Want Me."


The other part of the appeal of Cheap Trick is that they delivered really good songs, which were showcased as well on In Color as on any of their other records (with the possible exception of Heaven Tonight). "Hello There" announces the band's intentions with unabmiguous swagger. "Downed" is power pop genius and leads into the aforementioned "I Want You to Want Me," one of Cheap Trick's signature songs (I have to say, though, for my money this version of the song, while good, can't hold a candle to its fraternal twin on Budokan). "Clock Strikes Ten," while one of In Color's weaker tracks on paper, stands out for me as a bluesy barn burner, a throwback reminiscent of Jerry Lee Lewis or Little Richard. "So Good to See You" closes the record, and sees one of Neilsen's more successful juxtapositions of rock and pop textures.

Some other thoughts:

#447, Devo's Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo: And, speaking of eccentric bands from obscure mid-western towns... Akron's Devo were discovered by David Bowie and Iggy Pop, who secured them a contract with Warner Bros. before handing them off to Brian Eno to record this, their debut, which contains by far the most interesting treatment of Jagger/Richards material I can think of.

#446, Suicide: Alan Vega and Martin Rev may not have invented the sub-genres of synthpop, industrial and electronica single-handedly, but they arguably made it possible to discard the guitar/bass/drums paradigm; everyone from Depeche Mode to Nine Inch Nails to Squarepusher owes them a debt of gratitude.