Disco de Cheap Trick: “Greatest Hits”

Dunno, I'm a big Cheap Trick fan and can't deny that GREATEST HITS delivers what it promises. As much as I like the band, it's my opinion that most of Cheap Trick's hits isn't among their best songs. For example, "Tonight It's You" is my least favorite tune from their dynamite album STANDING ON THE EDGE, yet it was a hit single. If all you want is the top forty music, pick up Cheap Trick's GREATEST HITS. For those willing to listen more, try Cheap Trick's box set SEX AMERICA. The four CD set includes all but maybe two of the GREATEST HITS selections and serves up a lot more of Cheap Trick at its best.

Cheap Trick always seemed like three bands rolled up into one, and most of their career has been spent trying to find a balance between the different styles. You have your Beatlesque power pop tunes, which brought the band deserved hits in the 70's and a place in the heart of indie rockers from Nirvana to Guided by Voices. You have the 80's AOR years, filled with ballads that are musically pleasing with great choruses but artistically less interesting, and often heavily produced. And finally, you have the side of the band that was capable of cranking out menacing rockers with dark lyrics such as "Auf Wiedersehen" and "I'm Not The Only Boy".

While the third side of Cheap Trick is pretty much ignored here, the first two are covered pretty well. There's a decent cover of "Magical Mystery Tour" here, though it seems like the boys are rocking by rote rather than adding anything new to the song. All of the big hits are here, including the two songs that guaranteed Cheap Trick their place in the classic rock pantheon - "Surrender" and "I Want You To Want Me".

If you're looking for a disc that captures Cheap Trick as you heard them on the radio, this is a good single-disc encapsulation of their biggest hits. But if you really want to find out what Cheap Trick was all about, and still get most of their big hits, splurge for all five of their first records - Cheap Trick (self-titled), In Color, Heaven Tonight, At Budokan, and Dream Police. While Dream Police is the weakest of the bunch, all of these albums are absolute classics and really cover ALL sides of Cheap Trick - one of the most misunderstood bands of all time.

This fine collection of hits from one of the hottest bands of the late 70's and 80's has something for everyone. Included are the rock-n-roll staples "Surrender", "Dream Police", and the live version of "I Want You to Want Me". All of these great songs feature Robin Zander's fine vocals, Bun E. Carlos' thundering drums, and Rick Nielsen's screaming lead guitar. For those of you who like ballads, there are two excellent ones included in this collection; "The Flame" and "Tonight its You". The disc is rounded out with other Cheap Trick greats including "She's Tight" and "Magical Mystery Tour".

This band originated in a town only 30 miles from where I live, so I've followed them very closely over the years, and this cd has remained one of my favorites. It is perfect for the "casual" Cheap Trick fan who doesn't want to buy each one of their albums just to get their favorite songs. This great cd has all of their greatest hits, so just pop it in the cd player, sit back, and enjoy some GREAT rock and roll!

I agree with most of the reviews here. Cheap Trick- Greatest Hits gives you most of their chart hits but doesn't give you their best stuff. The fact that there are no studio tracks from either of their first two (and best albums) underlines the problem with this collection. To be fair, there is still a lot to love here. You have the excellent "Voices" and the awesome title track from Dream Police. You have their signature track in "Surrender" along with the two big singles from At Budokan ("I Want You to Want Me" and "Ain't That a Shame"). You also have some golden nuggets from their inconsistent `80s albums, most notably "Tonight It's You", "She's Tight", and "I Can't Take It." Then you get "The Flame", "Can't Stop Fallin' Into Love", and their mediocre version of Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel." Big hits? Yes. Their best songs? Not even close. To top it off, you have the unnecessary cover of the Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour." Your best bet? Pay an extra 6 bucks and pick up The Essential Cheap Trick which gives you a generous portion of their great early stuff (the first four albums) as well as the aforementioned nuggets and even the schmaltzy big hits.

I've already worn out one copy of this CD so just HAD to get it again! One thing: there is an extra song on this one which isn't all that great, but at least all the others are still there!!