Disco de Cheap Trick: “In Color (Remastered)”

Cheap Trick is a band that never took itself too seriously, with a hard rock sound, but a fun attitude. It all works, and "in Color" hits it right on. The album cover plays the "pretty boy" toughness of singer Robin Zander and Bassist Tom Pettersson versus the bad-boy-geek of guitarist Rick Nielsen and drummer Bun E. Carlos perfectly, with Zaner & Petersson looking cool (in color) astride Choppers, and Carlos and Nielsen (in black and white) on scooters. Packaging aside, the music is great. Cheap Trick rocks, but never looses their pop sensibilities. Fully half of this disc would end up on the megahit live set "At the Budokan" ("I Want You To Want Me","Hello There", "Come On, Come On", "Big Eyes" and "Clock Strike Ten"), and these original versions have all the energy of the live set. The rest of the songs are every bit as good, especially "Southern Girls", "Oh Caroline" and "Downed", which is one of my all time favorite songs.

I've had this record since it's release on vinyl, it was one of the first records I bought on CD.

The band's second album is a very good one. It's good to play loud when driving or at the computer (like right now...) The songs itself are great. "Big Eyes," "Downed," "You're All Talk," and "Clock Strikes Ten" show that the band didn't lose their edge despite an almost-too-clean production. Indeed, the liner notes state that "the band has since grumbled about the pristine production." The weakest song on here is "Come On Come On," which was done better on 'Live At Budokan' and as a bonus track demo. I also have to be in the right mood to hear "Oh Caroline." Some people complain about "I Want You To Want Me" on this album and how different it is from the big live hit version. All I can say is that it's different, but in a good way. The honky-tonk piano part makes it sound like it came straight from Vaudeville. As for love ballads, they're kinda nonexistent this time around, which is a shame. The album clocks in at just around 30 minutes, so there's no real bad song on the album. Did I mention "Southern Girls" and "So Good To See You" are excellent songs? The bonus tracks are neat too: "Oh Boy" is a good song, but I personally think that a vocalized version could have been included. The demos ("Southern Girls" and "Come On Come On") show how the album would have sounded sans the super-clean production job. (Tom Werman mustn't have been to bad-he went on to do the next two albums!) The live version of "You're All Talk" is a bit of a throwaway, and the live version on 'Sex America Cheap Trick' is a lot better. That song was meant to go fast. And the live version of "Goodnight Now" is better than the one on 'Budokan.' It's a great album, just be sure to get it before you get 'Heaven Tonight' or 'Dream Police' or their debut. This album really can't compete with those three. All in all though it's just fun harmless rock, and that's all that really matters, right?

Given the near heavy metal of their debut album, the second offering from Cheap Trick was decidedly more subtle. Producer Tom Werman understood the band's song writing dynamic and brought out the best in the individual members. By downplaying the heavier aspects of (for instance) "I Want You To Want Me," as compared to the live version that would become a hit, the strength of the composition shines through, as well as the song's melody.

That is not to say that Cheap Trick had wimped out. "Clock Strikes Ten" and "Big Eyes" pounded out guitar chords for the former and a booming drum sound on the latter. Zander had become even more assertive vocally, as his aching on "Downed" and his powerful glee on "Come On Come On" run the gamut.

The remaster here is excellent, from the sound to the CD book reproduction. The bonus tracks give you an idea of what the band originally had in mind for the songs, and how the live show was taking shape prior to "At Budokan." This was a re-issue worth the wait.

I have the old 10-track CD version of In Color, Cheap Trick's 2nd album (I had the gatefold LP back in the day of course). In Color can be easily overlooked because it falls between the band's incredible debut and the chart-topping Heaven Tonight. And to be honest, yes it's not as good as either of those two but Cheap Trick on a bad day is still one of the best bands around. In Color is a fantastic record, HIGHLY recommended to any Trickster. It's fun to hear the "lame" version of I Want You To Want Me, and In Color contains two of my all time favorite songs, Downed and Come On Come On. Southern Girls is also great. The lyrics to Downed get to me every time, I love the opening verse:

I'm gonna live on a mountain

Way down under in Australia

Its either that or suicide

Its such a strange strain on you

IN COLOR the is a great album by CHEAP TRICK. Now this band has always been about great music filled with great music and melodies, and this album doesnt disappoint. This is another great album from this band that for some reason hasnt really been given their due. We have the studio version of I WANT YOU TO WANT ME, but we also get the great songs DOWNED, BIG EYES, SOUTHERN GIRLS, OH CAROLINE, YOURE ALL TALK. The sound on this remastered disc is awesome and you can really hear how tight this band is. Album for album, CHEAP TRICK is one of the greatest American rock 'n' roll bands ever, only AEROSMITH might be better. This is a must for any rock fans collection. With the bonus tracks, its even a better deal