The bad news - The Smiths were snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (As were The Cars, Nine Inch Nails, Kraftwerk, and Chic).
The good news - Cheap Trick will be inducted this year!
There are bands that just make you feel good when you listen to their music - No thought needed. They just fill your veins with melodic goodness and Cheap Trick for me is one of those bands.
The secret to their success is not the recognition for all the radio hits and association with AOR as well as the most commercial of new wave acts, but rather that Cheap Trick is a power pop band and a very good one. Never a scene with a strong sense of identification beyond the musical influences especially The Beatles (which were strong indeed), Cheap Trick broke out from the local Illinois power pop bands and the clubs they played in.
It bears repeating that their most immediate influence is and was The Beatles. George Martin even produced one of their records - My personal favorite ALL SHOOK UP.
Although they went off the rails for a bit in the late 80's early 90's into AOR soft pop nothingness, they recovered in time to see their influence everywhere and to make several good independent records in the last decade or two (most notably ROCKFORD).
The elements of a good Cheap Trick tune - The catchy traditional structure with breathless verses and gigantic choruses, Rick Neilsen's crunchy guitars, Robin Zander's totally committed forceful yet enthralling vocals like McCartney straining to sing "Oh Darling". In the 1970's and early 1980's, Neilsen was the primary songwriter although that changed with time.
Sometimes a band's sound is everything. Cheap Trick's sound at their peak (which they have been a lot in their career) was perfect, Beatle-y bursts of hard rock glory but they wouldn't have been able to do it without the great songs....
So many classic Cheap Trick songs but here is my Cheap Trick song masterlist
World's Greatest Lover
I'll Be With You Tonight
She's Tight
Heaven Tonight
Next Position Please
Dream Police
He's a Whore
High Priest of Rhythmic Noise
On Top of the World
Stop This Game
There are bands that just make you feel good when you listen to their music - No thought needed. They just fill your veins with melodic goodness and Cheap Trick for me is one of those bands.
The secret to their success is not the recognition for all the radio hits and association with AOR as well as the most commercial of new wave acts, but rather that Cheap Trick is a power pop band and a very good one. Never a scene with a strong sense of identification beyond the musical influences especially The Beatles (which were strong indeed), Cheap Trick broke out from the local Illinois power pop bands and the clubs they played in.
It bears repeating that their most immediate influence is and was The Beatles. George Martin even produced one of their records - My personal favorite ALL SHOOK UP.
Although they went off the rails for a bit in the late 80's early 90's into AOR soft pop nothingness, they recovered in time to see their influence everywhere and to make several good independent records in the last decade or two (most notably ROCKFORD).
The elements of a good Cheap Trick tune - The catchy traditional structure with breathless verses and gigantic choruses, Rick Neilsen's crunchy guitars, Robin Zander's totally committed forceful yet enthralling vocals like McCartney straining to sing "Oh Darling". In the 1970's and early 1980's, Neilsen was the primary songwriter although that changed with time.
Sometimes a band's sound is everything. Cheap Trick's sound at their peak (which they have been a lot in their career) was perfect, Beatle-y bursts of hard rock glory but they wouldn't have been able to do it without the great songs....
So many classic Cheap Trick songs but here is my Cheap Trick song masterlist
World's Greatest Lover
I'll Be With You Tonight
She's Tight
Heaven Tonight
Next Position Please
Dream Police
He's a Whore
High Priest of Rhythmic Noise
On Top of the World
Stop This Game
No comments:
Post a Comment