Disco de Cheap Trick: “Special One [Bonus Track]”

Cheap Trick is back in a big way! "Special One" is long overdue but worth the wait. It has about everything you could expect from Cheap Trick: catchy hooks, reckless hard rock, and a load of enjoyable tunes. The album admittedly has a gay title, one of their stupidest yet (I'm picturing the album riding the "short bus"). The music is great though, with each member giving a solid performance in every song. It's well recorded by the production "dream team" consisting of Cheap Trick, Chris Shaw, Jack Douglas, & Steve Albini. Here's a song-by-song description:

Scent of a Woman - Amazing! A truly amazing song, the best I've heard in years. It has a solid rhythm and a level of passion that is all but lost in today's rock. Sure it starts slow, but don't adjust the volume too much. This one will blow you away.

Too Much - A good rhythmic song with a classic Beatles-inspired Cheap Trick sound.

Special One - Continue's the band's love affair with Japan. An interesting listen because it's different sounding. You can find versions of this song that are actually sung in Japanese.

Pop Drone - A basic pop song, mildly interesting. Most people seem to like this one more than I do.

My Obsession - This is a nice rhythmic pop song with a good sound. I wouldn't be surprised to hear this on the radio.

Words - The album gets a bit slow at this point, but still good music. One reviewer described this song as "Double Fantasy"-era John Lennon. Perfect description.

Sorry Boy - A pounding rocker with a heavy, ominous sound. A nice break from the slow pop songs. Reminds me of "Anytime" from CT '97.

Best Friend - A musical journey into madness. Starts out safe enough, but builds into a screaming, thrashing monster. It'll make you sweat!

If I Could - Another slower pop song. Needs more life to it.

Low Life in High Heels - Amusing title (why couldn't they name the album after this one?) A fairly interesting instrumental consisting mainly of a sleazy guitar riff and Robin humming.

Hummer - Basically an extension of the last song with a cool remix. Some people don't like how they end the album with this song, but I find it creative and interesting.

Overall I'd give this album 3 1/2 stars. It starts off great with Scent of a Woman but never quite reaches that peak afterward. Pretty solid and consistently good though. It's a must for Cheap Trick fans, and enjoyable for non-fans as well.

Cheap Trick came out with a good album in 1997. This album continues where the last one left off, except this one is better.

The band has taken a step beyond the power rock in the 1997 album. They've added a techno feel and some different rythms. More importantly, they have added this feel while still applying their signature. This is classic Cheap Trick with some new dimensions. This is exactly what you want from a band - Continuous evolution.

Lyrically speaking the album is their best. This is truly one of their best albums, and one of the best albums I've heard this year. If anyone has any suggestions of albums that are as good as this one, let me know.

I like this album for what it is: creative, different and classic Cheap Trick. I like it for what it isn't - 10 power pop love songs. Cheap trick is better than that and they've proved it on their last two albums.

Keep going guys, keep evloving and trying new things. You saved us from Disco once, now save us from 'nsync hell and John Mayer banality.

This is a long overdue studio album from one of America's great bands, A solid effort that fits in nicely with their classic catalog. I particularly like the Steve Albini produced "Sorry Boy" (wherein the bands brings the heaviosity, ala "Auf Wiedersehen") and Blur / Gorillaz fans should definitely check out Dan "the Automator" Nakamura's groovin' mix for "Hummer".

As a really cool bonus, the band includes a DVD full of videos of classic songs spanning their entire career. My personal favorite is "Say Goodbye" a fantastic should-have-been-a-massive-hit from the Cheap Trick '97 album.

Despite their solid reputation and overall stellar career, Cheap Trick have had some poor, uneven albums over the years. This is definitely not one of them. Sure the last couple of tracks wander a bit, but this is a great disc. Several tracks jump out as instant Trick classics, rivaling even their best songs from years past. My Obsession is simply an infectious, very well-crafted song with a rich, catchy melody. I think it's one of Cheap Trick's ten best songs. Scent of a Woman is a great opening rocker (and not a cover as one reviewer suggests). Too Much, Words, and Sorry Boy are also very good tracks. And I really like Pop Drone, though other reviewers apparently don't. Overall, this is just an enjoyable disc . . . much better than a lot of stuff that is on the radio and even better than much of Cheap Trick's catalog since the late 70s or early 80s. If you like rock music with a healthy dose of pop sensibility, I think you'll enjoy this CD.

I'm biased--I like Cheap Trick. "Special One" is neither their best, nor their worst effort. It has classic Cheap Trickish songs like "Scent Of A Woman" and "My Obsession", the two best tracks, and it has more experimental work like "Pop Drone", "Sorry Boy", "If I Could" and the unusual two-part ending "Low Life In High Heels" and "Hummer". It even has "The Flame" sound alike "Too Much" and the Beatlesesque "Special One". While all of these songs are competently played and well produced, they lack the inventiveness of former works by the band. After a six year gap from their last effort, 1997's "Cheap Trick", I was expecting a bit more originality. Yet, as a long time fan, I recognize that the band has slipped before ("All Shook Up", "The Doctor", "Standing On The Edge"), but even when they slip they still deliver some goods ("Scent Of A Woman" and "My Obsession"). So, overall, Cheap Trick purists may find this cd dull, but less discriminating fans may enjoy it like I did. The bonus dvd was interesting. Basically a hodge podge of previous material. There's fifteen minutes worth of footage, some are videos like the video for "Woke Up With A Monster" and then there's concert footage of earlier material like "He's A Whore". The dvd was a nice addition.