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Cheap Trick

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The guitarist Rick Nielsen and the bassist Tom Petersson had previously played together in Fuse, with the drummer Bun E. Carlos. They chose the name Cheap Trick after Petersson, following a Slade concert, said that the group used all the cheap tricks in the book. In 1974 the singer Robin Zander joined. The band played for years in warehouses, bowling alleys and other venues in the Midwest before releasing their first album in 1977, Cheap Trick, followed by In Color.

Music and breakthrough

In Japan the group caught on first. The live album At Budokan from 1979 broke them in the United States, partly thanks to the live-recorded I Want You to Want Me, which reached the top ten. That same year came Dream Police, their commercially most successful studio album. In the 1980s their popularity declined, until the power ballad The Flame from Lap of Luxury topped the American charts in 1988. Other well-known songs are Surrender, Voices and Can't Stop Fallin' into Love.

Influence

The music combines the guitar pop of the 1960s, the hard rock of the 1970s and the shorter, faster form of punk. It features hefty guitars beneath sweet melodies, with a singer who can both scream and sing softly. The group is regarded as a model for later power-pop bands and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to I Want You to Want Me in the live version from At Budokan and notice the screaming of the audience and the hefty guitar playing. Try to hear how a simple, sweet chorus is played hard and energetically.

Discography

Studio albums

Mentioned in other articles

See also

Categories: ArtistsPowerpop