Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1974. The band currently consists of vocalist Robin Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, and touring drummer Daxx Nielsen. Original drummer Bun E. Carlos stopped touring with the band in 2010 but remains a partner in their business organization…

Standing on the Edge is the eighth studio album by the American rock group Cheap Trick, released in 1985. Jack Douglas, the producer of Cheap Trick's debut album Cheap Trick, made a return for this release. When released, Standing on the Edge peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200 and was on the charts for 19 weeks. After a few albums of more pop-oriented material, Standing on the Edge saw Cheap Trick return to their standard hard-rocking sound. The album was produced by Jack Douglas, who produced the band's eponymous debut album as well as the Found All The Parts EP. Originally, Cheap Trick planned on returning to the rough sound of their first album. However, Douglas backed out of the mixing process due to legal issues he was having with Yoko Ono. Mixer Tony Platt was called in, and as a result, keyboards and electronic drums were featured more prominently than the band and Douglas had intended.

It's hard to say just what was hampering Cheap Trick's productivity in the first decade of the new millennium, but ever since they signed with Big Machine Records, they've become surprisingly prolific. Released in 2017, Christmas Christmas, the veteran band's first seasonal album, is their third full-length release in a span of just 18 months, and while many acts toss off Christmas albums with the care and enthusiasm that six-year-olds display when cleaning their rooms, Cheap Trick have offered up a full-bodied set of Yuletide rock & roll that doesn't spare the volume or the muscle. Christmas Christmas only features three original songs, but Cheap Trick have avoided many of the clichéd seasonal numbers that usually fill up these releases, instead opting for Yuletide numbers from for-real rockers.

Heaven Tonight, like In Color, was produced by Tom Werman, but the difference between the two records is substantial. Where In Color often sounded emasculated, Heaven Tonight regains the powerful, arena-ready punch of Cheap Trick, but crosses it with a clever radio-friendly production that relies both on synthesizers and studio effects. Even with the fairly slick production, Cheap Trick sound ferocious throughout the album, slamming heavy metal, power pop, and hard rock together in a humongous sound.

It's hard to say just what was hampering Cheap Trick's productivity in the first decade of the new millennium, but ever since they signed with Big Machine Records, they've become surprisingly prolific. Released in 2017, Christmas Christmas, the veteran band's first seasonal album, is their third full-length release in a span of just 18 months, and while many acts toss off Christmas albums with the care and enthusiasm that six-year-olds display when cleaning their rooms, Cheap Trick have offered up a full-bodied set of Yuletide rock & roll that doesn't spare the volume or the muscle. Christmas Christmas only features three original songs, but Cheap Trick have avoided many of the clichéd seasonal numbers that usually fill up these releases, instead opting for Yuletide numbers from for-real rockers.

All Shook Up is the fifth studio album by American rock band Cheap Trick. Released in 1980, it was produced by former Beatles producer George Martin. As such, this was the first album since their debut to be produced by someone other than Tom Werman. All Shook Up was even quirkier than its predecessor, the platinum-selling Dream Police. Many of its songs were less radio friendly and more experimental, and the cover art, influenced by Magritte's Time Transfixed, led many to question what the band was trying to accomplish. However, at the time, Cheap Trick had severed ties with long-time producer Tom Werman and took the opportunity to take their sound in a different direction.

Cheap Trick attempted to ride the new wave on 1982’s One on One, but wound up with a wipe-out, so they recovered by hiring Todd Rundgren, one of the few ‘70s album-rockers who proved that he knew how to negotiate the treacherous waters of the early ‘80s, for 1983’s Next Position Please. Rundgren wielded a heavy hand during his production, pushing Cheap Trick toward making a record that could easily be mistaken for a Utopia record – so much so, the Todd composition, “Heaven’s Falling,” slips onto the second side without calling attention to itself. The bright surfaces with the guitars and keyboards melding so tightly with the vocal harmonies they’re inseparable, produce a sound that is uncannily reminiscent of Oops!