Cheap Trick at Budokan

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I found this disappointing on first full listen. The two big hits are the only great songs. There was a lot more wank than I expected and the vocals on the first track at least are really obnoxious. It's probably worth having anyway just for "Surrender" but are their other records better? IIRC dave q and Kris once had a Boston vs Cheap Trick debate. If this is an indication, there's not even a contest.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 19:59 (twenty-one years ago) link

Who did I pick?

― Kris (aqueduct), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 20:02 (twenty-one years ago) link

This prob'ly isn't something that needs being said here, but once I saw They Might Be Giants in concert introducing literally every single song as a Cheap Trick cover they claimed was straight off this album. You'd think it woulda got old real quick, but it just got funnier and funnier.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 20:02 (twenty-one years ago) link

IIRC dave q and Kris once had a Boston vs Cheap Trick debate.

The two bands don't have much in common, though -- it's like comparing Kansas to Kiss. One band is all pomp and studio-wizardy-circumstance while the other is tongue-in-cheek (or, in this case, waggling out of mouth) rock'n'roll fun.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 20:05 (twenty-one years ago) link

Don't ask me why I remember, Kris, but I believe you picked Boston. On the thread about bands named after places.

Honestly, even "The Flame" seems more memorable than some of this stuff.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 20:08 (twenty-one years ago) link

Yeah but the versions of some of those songs in their original environment i.e. Heaven Tonight without the dubbed applause, esp. of "Surrender," blow Budokan out of the water

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 20:16 (twenty-one years ago) link

Yeah, that's what I'm wondering: are the studio records better? The library has Dream Police as well. Is that any good?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 20:19 (twenty-one years ago) link

The title track was a single, and it's great.

― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 20:31 (twenty-one years ago) link

Their first three records are incredible. My favorite changes from month to month but right now I'd say Heaven Tonight is the cream of the crop. That's the one with "Surrender" ... a true classic.

Their first is the most 'rock' of the three while In Color is more power pop in style. You can often find the remasters in the cutout bin for $8-$9, get all three.

Dream Police is also very good. The quality slides quickly after that.

While I do like to play old Boston, ELO and 10cc records (much to my gf's chagrin) Cheap Trick is really the best of the bunch.

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 20:47 (twenty-one years ago) link

Another plaudit for Cheap Trick is their live show still rocks. Zander's voice is still gorgeously note perfect and the band still has a very strong punch. Plus, they've been doing this for 25+ years and are complete showmen ... they know how to deliver entertainment for your dollar.

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 20:56 (twenty-one years ago) link

Exactly what zaxxon25 said above, to the letter.

― M Specktor (M Specktor), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 21:58 (twenty-one years ago) link

I still don't have a single live album in my collection. Not even by my favourite acts have I bothered to invest in live albums.

Cheap Trick, like all other acts, sound best on studio recordings.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 22:10 (twenty-one years ago) link

I prefer the live "I Want You to Want Me", rocks harder plus the crowd's fun on it, but the live "Surrender" always been a weak substitute for the original to my ears.

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 22:19 (twenty-one years ago) link

And Cheap Trick over Boston a million times.

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 22:19 (twenty-one years ago) link

The highlights of Trick's great albums were better than Boston's best bits based on what I've heard, but I think Boston win by default because I don't know 'em well enough to name a single song by them that I specifically dislike or would balk at singing along to in the bar (and when I do you'd better leave town, cuz I can hit the high notes).

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 23:42 (twenty-one years ago) link

The "Complete Concert" Budokan released in the late '90s is way funner than the original release. My ex bought it for my birthday when it came out but he really bought it for himself and I never did see it again after he "borrowed" it. I still have his keys though so one of these days I'm gonna break in and get it back.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 23:47 (twenty-one years ago) link

I love the way Bun E. gets the biggest screams. I also love 'Surrender''s ending w/"We're all alright! We're all alright!" I love the way it reminds me of Beatlemania. It rocks pretty well, too.

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 3 April 2003 00:20 (twenty-one years ago) link

I accidentally cracked my copy of Budokan (I'd only paid 50 cents for it), but now that I've got the first four studio albums, I'm really in no rush to replace it. I can't say any Cheap Trick album really rocks me all the way through (except possibly One On One, oddly enough). I love the highs, but can't stand it when it doesn't work.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 3 April 2003 00:24 (twenty-one years ago) link

But but but the first and third albums are flawless! < / bias >

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 3 April 2003 00:32 (twenty-one years ago) link

I agree with Jody about the complete version.
Anyone ever notice how much Rick Nielsen looks exactly like Eminem?

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Thursday, 3 April 2003 00:35 (twenty-one years ago) link

Also the 2nd and 3rd ones are like GOOD as well also

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 3 April 2003 00:44 (twenty-one years ago) link

I just noticed listening to it last week the way that almost every song intro and exhortation to the crowd is carefully enunciated ("this is... the first song... on our new album"), which sort of reminds me of the "DO. YOU. SPEAK. ENGLISH?" manner tourists talk to residents of a foreign country while on vacation. Now I can't hear it without snickering.

That said: OMG CLASSIC

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Thursday, 3 April 2003 00:45 (twenty-one years ago) link

I especially don't get the love Heaven Tonight gets (I keep meaning to give it another try but aside from Surrender it hasn't done anything for me). In Color and Cheap Trick have some astonishingly great songs, but Ned, how can you endure "The Ballad Of TV Violence"? How?

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 3 April 2003 00:56 (twenty-one years ago) link

I don't ENDURE that song, I fucking goddamn well love it. :-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 3 April 2003 01:12 (twenty-one years ago) link

and you find Limp Bizkit monotonous? bias, indeed.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 3 April 2003 01:13 (twenty-one years ago) link

At Budokan the Complete Concert = BEST!! LIVE!! ALBUM!! EVER!!

― Evan (Evan), Thursday, 3 April 2003 01:43 (twenty-one years ago) link

Yeah, Nate, I always thought the "I Want You to Want Me" intro sounded ridiculously dorky. "How could this guy have been a sex symbol?"

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 3 April 2003 01:48 (twenty-one years ago) link

Jealous?

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 3 April 2003 01:50 (twenty-one years ago) link

Budokan: best crowd noise of every album EVER.

Yes, Dream Police is amazing, top to bottom, totally worth the listen. It hasn't aged particularly well production-wise but the songs have lots of character and you WILL sing along.

― scott m (mcd), Thursday, 3 April 2003 02:21 (twenty-one years ago) link

TS: number one 'dream police' fan -

VS.

― James Blount (James Blount), Thursday, 3 April 2003 02:29 (twenty-one years ago) link

Apu over Damone
Cheap Trick over Boston
Live at Budokan over every Genesis album

― Neudonym, Thursday, 3 April 2003 02:36 (twenty-one years ago) link

The best part about Budokan is how my memory is that there are lots of tracks saying "hello" then Surrender and I Want You To Want Me then lots of tracks saying "goodbye"

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 3 April 2003 04:59 (twenty-one years ago) link

CAMRA men, the lot of you.

― chris (chris), Thursday, 3 April 2003 06:36 (twenty-one years ago) link

Heaven Tonight

It's not my favorite Trick album, but I do like the remastered version with the "Surrender" demo tacked on ("I had heard the WACs were dykes...").

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 3 April 2003 11:13 (twenty-one years ago) link

The Album is so classic it's not even funny, especially "The Complete Concert" cause for the most part the added material is just as good as what went on (I prefer the studio take of "Speak Now..."). Plus, "Budokan" was, until recently, the only place you could find "Lookout" one of the Trick's greatest "Hits that never were".

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Thursday, 3 April 2003 13:53 (twenty-one years ago) link

I agree with Ned, the first album is brilliant. One of my favorite albums ever.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Thursday, 3 April 2003 14:10 (twenty-one years ago) link

i had the original lp for years and the way it rocked from beginning to end (except for "need your love" and the horrible "i want you to want me") used to leave me wanting more -- if that "want you .." song hadn't been pandemic radio novelty junk back then Live at Budokan wouldn't have been released at all except in Japan, and Rick Nelson reckoned Dream Police wouldn't have been in the can for a year -- the band wouldn't have lost their momentum, as they seem to have peaked around then

Ned is right, the first and third album really do rock (although Heaven Tonight has a couple of silly songs), and Dream Police is a consistently good rocker too

this was the band i always wanted to see appear at the pub when i went out at night, ie one that really rocked -- no bullshit, just thoroughly down-to-work rock music from a band that used to work 200 nights of the year, so they knew how to do it live (so it was nice of Albini to let them headline ATP years after all the fuss)

so when i finally got the double cd it was a great thrill -- the encore stuff in the right order right through to Rick mumbling like some bemused tourist "Mmmm.., the great Budokan .." at the beginning before they hit the stage and get that reaction like nothing they'd ever had back home in the u.s. -- i thought there'd have to be filler in a two cd long concert but no, just this endless energy

as good as the original lps are i think that only "high roller" rocks better in the studio -- the live concert, "warts and all" entirety, really does deliver on live rock, something you couldn't say about most old double live lps that fit on single cds

― george gosset (gegoss), Thursday, 3 April 2003 14:25 (twenty-one years ago) link

six years pass...

BIG
EYES

― Niles Caulder, Sunday, 4 October 2009 19:07 (fifteen years ago) link

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.