Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick Greatest Hits (14 tracks) +Album Reviews

An OK Primer for Cheap Trick

Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 02/05/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm glad this came out with a reorganized sequence, because Cheap Trick's cover of "Magical Mystery Tour" is one of the worst songs they have ever recorded. By bumping it to the close of this CD where you can just hit eject and pass it by, you're better off. Using a live version of "Clock Strikes Ten" gives you a much better opening idea to what Cheap Trick, in their heyday, was really about. Loud fast fun!

It's also a sweet victory for Cheap Trick that their late 80's comeback material holds up pretty well next to their classics from the 70's. "Tonight It's You" should have been the hit, instead of the band having to hire songwriters to get "The Flame" for. We must also not forget the obvious...any album that contains the amazing "Surrender" and "I Want You To Want Me" is worth owning.

ON THE OTHER HAND: The "Authorized Greatest Hits" contains a couple other strong selections ("Walk Away" and "Stop This Game" most notably). The main reason I would suggest having THIS version of the greatest hits is for the studio version of "The Flame." ("Authorized Greatest Hits" substitutes it with a live version.) Otherwise I'd wholeheartedly recommend passing on this version for "A.G.H.""

My First Cheap Trick Album!

Michael Meunier | Brooklyn, NY | 02/01/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Guided By Voices frontman Robert Pollard often goes on about how much he loves Cheap Trick and has been influenced by them. Then, when I saw the video for the Dream Police, I was pleasantly bugged out by the funky images and the awesome guitar work- very imaginative and rocked like hell.So, the other day, I was able to get this particular version of their greatest hits for a low price... And this is a terrific starter album. The regular albums are probably sequenced better.It sounds like a pretty mixed bag- no chronological order, which I prefer anyhow. The live tracks are terrific- these guys could make "My Little Buttercup" sound like total rocker, and they're very creative. The old-school studio tracks (first released when I was born) like Dream Police, Surrender, and Voices still sound fresh and exciting- there is no such thing as "over the top" in rock n' roll!As for the latter-day ballads...well, that's a matter of taste. I used to not like hair metal ballad stuff when I was growing up in the 80's. The market was really flooded with it and I just couldn't relate to the majority of it. Now that I'm a little older, I enjoy it as a bit of a kitchy thrill and the Cheap Trick tracks of this nature are better than most.It's a pretty inexpensive disc so, while you're shopping, you may as well pick this up- cheap, of course (they wouldn't have it any other way)."

Great intro to a great band, if a bit lightweight

Perry M. Koons | Crownsville, MD United States | 08/09/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."

"Mommy's Allright, Daddy's Allright"

Jeffrey T. Munson | Dixon, IL | 04/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"

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	Cheap Trick Cheap Trick - Greatest Hits Genres: Pop, Rock, Classic Rock Track Listings (14) - Disc #1 Clock Strikes Ten (Live) Dream Police Don't Be Cruel Tonight It's You She's Tight I Want You To Want Me (Live) If You Want My Love Ain't That A Shame (Live) Surrender The Flame I Can't Take It Can't Stop Fallin' Into Love Voices Magical Mystery Tour
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