Seen them play a number of times. The best of them all was a free show I saw them do at a random little barbeque festival in Raleigh, North Carolina in the late '90s.

Interesting (and probably not a coincidence) the after-Dream Police period is exactly the point that they started with producers who were not Tom Werman. That flat sound was construed as authenticity somehow, I guess. But come on--George Martin, Roy Thomas Baker, Todd Rundgren? They all sound good.

I thought Gary glitter, but same diff in a sense - “atlas” was a post-rock spin on a glam novelty hit.

i was in buffalo in 2011 & absolutely devastated bc i had to fly out a day before cheap trick did a free show in the park

I prefer One On One - as a whole - to everything but In Color! It’s a really fun example of pre-pyromania new wave-metal synthesis, like Kix’s Cool Kids. Then the s/t, then heaven, the dream police. Distinctions not cost effective beyond that.

There's a lot of random good stuff in that post-phase, that's for sure. "If You Want My Love" alone!

I did not know this was a thing.

The no strings mix goes so hard

When I first got into Cheap Trick decades ago the received wisdom was first four albums and Budokan only, go no further, and it’s funny to me that even in our age of reassessment ‘post Dream Police Cheap Trick’ is still a red line

I think they are playing some kind of "inexpensive prank" on you ;)

@bestalbumbrackets.bsky.social too much talk about 1977 today <shaking head>

@bestalbumbrackets.bsky.social 2001 in the wild: the band at the Illinois women’s basketball game just played a daft punk medley that included “digital love” and “harder better faster stronger” (not as cool as the 1989 in the wild experience of “back to life” in the team’s hype video but it’ll do)

I don't see it that way. The '00s has much to discover for me, and the '70s has far more artists I have my mind a bit made up on as the common point of reference. Will I like Missy Elliott? Who knows, but it's a more inspiring question to me than if I'll like Cheap Trick, or if I do like Pink Floyd.

I think it's because Cheap Trick have always been good at casting themselves as almost a "take" on pop rock as much as an earnest example of it. They have a very ironic, knowing quality about them

I can understand why the general public might find the first album to be too aggressive for their tastes, but it does puzzle me that so many professional music writers happily embrace the more benign cheesiness of "In Color".

I hit play on the first track and was like “Oh, nice reggae.” I hit play on the Lee “Scratch” Perry version and it’s instantly dubbed out of its gourd. I only heard 10 seconds but I think I got a contact high?

Depends on what you're going for--the original '77 mix is more lo-fi and rootsy, the '78 mix is more Lee Perry (heavier echo, more percussion, etc.). Seems like more people prefer the second. The 2017 40th anniversary release has both versions, should one wish to compare and contrast.

I am not as big on Cheap Trick precisely for this reason. I want them to be punkier, or poppier, or shlockier. They played it too safe and satisfied nobody. "Dream Police" is a big swing and I appreciate it.

Other than the debut and Budokan, Cheap Trick are one of those quintessential "their biggest fans complain endlessly about the production of their classic era" bands. Part and parcel of them falling between stools trying to be Foreigner, the Cars, and the Raspberries

I think the thing is that the George Martin production was a sign that they were moving on from their power-pop origins to the glossier MOR stuff (which, listen, as much as I love "The Flame," that's fair). But the album itself ROCKS.

Wait, people don't like Dream Police? What the fuck, I've had it on vinyl for like 15 years, it's so good

That's where Trump lives in Florida, right?

'77 is huge for reggae: The Congos' HEART OF THE CONGOS, Augustus Pablo's EAST OF THE RIVER NILE, Junior Murvin's POLICE AND THIEVES, Joe Gibbs' AFRICAN DUB ALL-MIGHTY CH. 3... (Hope springs eternal, even though it seems like anything this side of EXODUS will have a hard time getting the votes.)

A lot of the diehard fans never embraced it but I absolutely am a "Dream Police" gal.

Need to hear Beginnings by the Allmans. Dreadful production

I like In Color fine - I‘m that weirdo who prefers I Want You To Want Me as wimp-rock - but the first one has the juice

End the polls, just admit that Morbid Angel’s ‘Altars of Madness’ was the best after all

I've always wished that particular dueling, ringing guitar tone/style that seemed particular to southern rock bands and Thin Lizzy had been adopted by more bands

Southern rock always seemed less vulnerable to bad production somehow (even when there were other things wrong with it). Credit to the recording engineers, maybe (?). They never sounded quite as awesome as the Frazetta cover art seemed to promise, but those early Hatchet records do sound good.

It's a miracle Molly Hatchet sounds as good as they do. But I see he's not the sole producer credit...

I'd rather watch his fence dry than listen to 90% of seventies albums

I was 0-9 so I don’t get the issue

Nope, nothing to do with being aged 5-15 in that decade, nothing at all.

It’s younger than me. So… what are you saying? 🤣

Well it's nearly 50 years old

Just go ahead and name the man: Tom Werman. Solid ear for bands as an A&R man, but produced records like he was painting a fence--lay a coat down, let it dry, lay another coat down....

Before he was traumatized by the explosion at Mega-Lo-Mart

I’m listening to the album now and I was thinking it doesn’t sound as bad as I remember but I just hit its toothless “I want you to want me”

We're all forgetting the greatest album of 1977 and the peak of modern mainstream flugelhorn.

Fine. I’ll include Jackson Browne. Running On Empty was the album which most defined my *actual* memories of the late 70’s. That and the “No Nukes” concert album (from ‘79) were the primary musical indicators of my early childhood (and Tom Lehrer).

We were talking about this somewhere in these posts a while back...along with "Baby Talk"/"Brontosaurus" single: youtu.be/Tca2S2x_Rxg?...

I will unironically devote any and all listening to disco, funk, and bluegrass if we do 1977. I’m just waiting for the 1977 discourse to finish. This is getting old.

Fair point, but despite that “Hello There” still tears the roof off.

I just want to randomly add that the 93 Mexico City Metallica live album is them at their best.

100% the production is the major issue for me

In Color being the "classic" has always puzzled me. Might be the first album I heard where I went "what the FUCK is this production". Self-titled tho..that's pure rock and roll right there. And has that Blue Öyster Cult frisson of the songs being kinda fucked up despite sounding very meat & potatoes

Have you ever heard his version of the album? youtu.be/6bsT3EWlsJM?...

Didn't someone who won a pick also put the Margo Guryan demo record in too? Those were recorded in the '60s and '70s.