Search - Cheap Trick :: Standing on the Edge

Mixed Trick

G. Smith | St. Louis, MO | 07/06/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"There is a lot of debate on the CT website about whether or not these Wounded Bird reissues are remastered, and while I'm not enough of an audiophile to make a definitive case one way or another, I can say that this version of "Standing On The Edge" sounds markedly better than the original CBS release: the album sounds louder, fuller, and possesses more depth all around. Also, there is no tape hiss evident on this release. Unfortunately, this is not the Trick's finest musical moment, as there is lots of gimmicky mid-80s production throughout and a few sub-par songwriting attempts to compete with then-popular hair bands and techno pop acts ("Rock All Night," "Love Comes."). However, the album includes four genuine CT classics in "Tonight It's You," "This Time Around," Cover Girl," and the title track, the latter of which has never before been avaiable in a version that sounds this good. Well worth the $12 price for completists looking to upgrade."

Merger Material

Juz Man | Hobart, Australia | 05/01/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have a dream. That dream is for this album to be remastered and re-released but not as it was, instead merge this and The Doctor. Sure they're like chalk and cheese in styles but really, do we need to have a remastered version of She's Go Motion and It's Up To You? Who wants that?



(From SotE take:)

Tonight It's You

Love Comes

How About You

Standing On The Edge

This Time Around

Cover Girl

(from The Doctor take:)

Good Girls Go To Heaven

Kiss Me Red

It's Only Love

The Doctor



And you've got yourself a decent album. Maybe add Are You Lonely Tonight instead of The Doctor for something lighter.



For the original listing though:

We all know how great Tonight It's You Is. This Time Around, How About You, Standing on the Edge and Loves Comes are also winners. Cover Girl is OK filler. Wild Wild Women and Rock All Night don't have much to offer. Little Sister and She's Go Motion are two of the worst songs CT ever did.



Merge baby, merge............

"

Trick Forgets the 80s, But Remembers Their Circumstances

Bud | Seminole, Texas, USA | 07/29/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There's a minority of rock critics who call Cheap Trick's 1985 release "Standing on the Edge" a reannaissance of sorts, a return to form after a commercial downslide. While I hope nobody ever calls me a rock critic, I'm inclined to agree with them on this one. After huge success at the end of the 70s, Cheap Trick's market stance began to wane. Not the George Martin-produced "All Shook Up," nor "One on One" or the criminally underrated "Next Position Please" halted their slow sales decline, but "Standing on the Edge" was a return to form, with vicious guitar work on ugly power-pop rockers and tasteful writing on more ballad-esque songs. At least that's how the band and producer Jack Douglas intended it to be. Douglas was unable to stick around long enough to mix the album, resulting in dated 80s synth and electronic drum sounds (hence Bun E. Carlos's insistence to be credited strictly with "acoustic drums"). Nonetheless, there's not enough of the dated 80s sound to water down the album, making "Standing on the Edge" Cheap Trick's best album from that decade (a tie with "Next Position Please"). Though songwriter Mark Radice showed up to assist in the creative process, the album is still distinctly Trick, unlike their comeback (and so-called "sell-out") album "Lap of Luxury." Here, the title track, the opening 'Little Sister,' 'Love Comes' and the superb 'This Time Around' are the tracks the listener is likely to repeat. 'Tonight it's You' received considerable 80s MTV airplay, but it's not one of the group's best songs. The album barely missed the Top 40, and Epic's interest in Cheap Trick was still on the wane (guitarist and songwriter Rick Nielsen's last name was even spelled wrong on the original album sleeve, and not bothered to be corrected on most CD releases).

Worst things have come from 70s bands who struggled in the 80s, but "Standing on the Edge" doesn't deserve to be listed even as "bad." It's a mostly sturdy and dignified album from one of hard rock's most enduring quartets."