Live At The Budokan
I had a few more records of em, “Lap of Luxury” and “Busted”, but in one of my house moves, I lost a whole box of records and those two were in the box. As crazy as it might seem, it was “The Flame” that got me into Cheap Trick and when I found out they had a back catalogue, well it was like my Whitesnake experience.
But I didn’t purchase much. I taped a few mix tapes from friends and since their music was on radio a fair bit, I used to have blank cassette tapes taping the whole radio show and then afterwards I would go through those cassette tapes and retape the good songs onto another tape.
I know, its hard work, but that’s what I did to have music in possession.
Before “Budokan”, Cheap Trick released three albums which didn’t really set the charts alight, nor did they deliver commercially to the label.
“Cheap Trick”, “In Color” and “Heaven Tonight”. “In Color” is now listed in the “500 Greatest Albums Of All Time” from Rolling Stone but when it was released it was seen as a dud by the same magazine. Then again that mag said similar things about Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and many more acts, whose albums are now in the list.
Cheap Trick took their British influences, Americanised em and off they went to the land of the rising sun, because while their albums didn’t do great business in the U.S, the Japanese market was a different beast.
And “At Budokan’” became bigger than Cheap Trick’s first three albums.
Big Eyes
I reckon the drum intro inspired “Run To The Hills” from Maiden and how good is that interlude riff which becomes the backing riff for the solo section.
I Want You To Want Me
With its “Baby, Please Don’t Go” vibe/influence and that “Radar Love” style drum pattern, and an undeniable melodic line, which merges the best of The Beatles into a hard rock ditty.
Surrender
“This next one is the first song on our new album. It just came out this week and the song is called “Surrender””
This is the song that hooked me in and that addictive chorus.
And Cheap Trick is still relevant today and still rocking.
destroyerofharmony 
I have about 8 albums of theirs and I am in line right now for record store day to get one of their live albums. I guess I’m a fan
Nice
I’m On the prowl for their earlier albums.
CT at the Budokan KISS Alive 2 and Priests Unleashed In The East were all my entry points into there music!
Like Live After Death for me.
Now that is a great entry point
Love Cheap Trick. I got five of their albums on vinyl. You can find them for relatively cheap around here.
I wish Australia had the same cheapness. Second hand is even more expensive than brand new on occasions.
My friend who lives in Japan says the same.
It can be a blessing for bands like Cheap Trick, but then prices shoot up for the more popular stuff.