Disco de Cheap Trick: “Live in Australia”

This DVD has a few problems.... The picture quality is late 80s industrial video quality, and the stereo sound mix is only so-so. Rhino Records has updated the sound with a new optional 5.1 mix that sounds TERRIBLE! Trust me, stick with the 2 channel stereo mix on this DVD. The non-concert footage (the band touring Sidney) doesn't really do anything for the package, but thankfully it doesn't interrupt the songs and can be skipped easily (thank God for DVD!).

With that said, this video captures one of the 80s most underrated band at their best. If you've had the pleasure of catching Cheap Trick in concert, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, here's proof. Robin Zander may fall out of key here and there, but he sings with so much feeling that it simply doesn't matter. The rest of the band rocks rocks rocks!

Despite the forgivable problems, fans will eat this DVD up. If you know anyone who doubt how great of a show CT puts on, show them this.

This is not as good as "Silver" but its still essential for Cheap Trick fans. Sound is not as clean nor is the picture as good. Production values are kept to a minimum.The band, however, gives a top notch performance going through all the hits. I don't understand Dave McCoy's comment about Cheap Trick mocking other 70's bands then becoming all that they had mocked. How did he pick up on this notion? Was he even alive at the band's conception? They've never took a position of mocking the state of rock and roll however it may have been or will become. This is tripe. Is perhaps he confusing the band with The Tubes? Which mocked everything about American life, rock and roll included. Failed writers become professional reviewers. Go figure. At the time Cheap Trick was a puppet of the record company EPIC who held ALL the cards for the band. They were forced to record "The Flame" as they had been forced to work with a never ending series of producers for their releases each one with a different "vision and sound" for the band. Listen to the crisp, sparse production of Jack Douglas's 1977 release "Cheap Trick" then compare it to Tom Werman's balless, gelded, thin sound for also 1977's "In Color" album. Talk about a 180-degree sound change. Cheap Trick never had time to "start believing the stuff they had been singing or playing" Mr. McCoy because Epic Records called all the shots, bad or good. They never got control until they signed with RED ANT Entertainment and released the superb "Cheap Trick" in 1997. Epic wouldn't even allow the entire show at Budokan to be released on the eventual "Live at Budokan" effort because some of the songs were too hard edged for their teeny bopper fans to hear. This is how Epic held back the band's natural progression. So take it easy with the harsh critiscism of the band they were barely ever allowed to do what they wanted by a big stupid corporate devil called Epic Records.

I lost track of Cheap Trick some time back,their albums were sounding very heavy to listen to,but this dvd proves that this band is one of the greatest to come out of the U.S.A. Cheap Trick perform all their early classics from the mid 70s, with a couple from the Lap of Luxury album. Visually,their is no better band to see,Robin Zander is the perfect image of a 'rock star',so to is bassist Tom Petersson. But it's the stark contrast of zany Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos that make this band unique. Over here in England,on BBC Television,there was a music show called 'Rock goes to College',it starred Cheap Trick when they had just released Dream Police (late 70s?) They were firing on all cylinders back then. I have the concert on an old Philips video (the first home video that took 1 hour tapes only!),but sadly no machine to play it on. Come on BBC,get moving,there's millions of C.T. fans all over the world that would buy it if it was released on dvd. Is there anyone out there that agrees?

Best wishes from England, Ray.

I actually saw these 2 shows at The Coogee Bay Hotel in Sydney in December of 1988. I'm a big fan and have seen CT a total of 5 times and while they may not fill arenas like some of the other legendary bands I've seen live (Kiss, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi etc) they really put on quite a live show.

I bought the VHS version of this when it first came out & I want to be truly honest - it is awful - really poorly shot & edited. Don't go near this - possibly the worst live performance video in history. Great band, great show, great song list, but the quality of this doesn't do CT justice.

One of my favorite bands, ever. Seeing Cheap Trick and AC/DC back to back in the late 70's may be one of the best concerts i ever attended. You just can't beat Southern Girls, Come On Come On, Surrender, Hello There, Heaven Tonight, California Girls, Auf Wiedersehen, etc. But, unfortunately, This DVD does not live up to the quality of the Live shows, nor the studio albums. Both the video and audio, simply put, are inferior. In Addition, most of the classic songs I just mentioned are not played on this CD. The set list could be better. But, I still recommend it, because its a glimpse of a great rock and roll band. Simple songs, yet superbly written and eloquently played by Robin, Rick, Tom, and Bun E.