Cheap Trick's "Dream Police" C/D?

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Lot ridin' on this one being the first album release after the "At Budokan" monster.

The nostalgia waxer in me calls it a 'classic in spades' but the realist in me just calls it a cult classic. Just about every track is solid and the packaging/concept was so clever and well-executed, down to the music videos, rare for the time.

Cheap Trick was at quite possibly at their most creative peak at this juncture and "Dream Police" doesn't disappoint. Classic? Hmm.. As a Trick fan, I'd like to believe that. However, I don't think that many people outside of the tricksters truly appreciate this one.

GONNA RAISE HELL GONNA RAISE HELL GONNA RAISE HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Saturday, 7 May 2005 18:47 (twenty-one years ago)

tricksters= core cheap trick fans

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Saturday, 7 May 2005 18:48 (twenty-one years ago)

"Dream Police" is completely OK, but "Heaven Tonight" remains their pinnacle album.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 7 May 2005 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Dream Police is pretty glorious, and I'm still a bit miffed that apparently there's no remastered release like was the case with the first three and Budokan. Hell, I think I'm going to put the title song on right now.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 7 May 2005 19:00 (twenty-one years ago)

vaguely C, but the other two classics are way more classic.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Saturday, 7 May 2005 19:06 (twenty-one years ago)

"Dream Police" was released as part of the same remaster series as their first three studio albums.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 7 May 2005 19:08 (twenty-one years ago)

So Radiohead recorded a song about Cheap Trick fans?

― willem (willem), Saturday, 7 May 2005 19:09 (twenty-one years ago)

"Dream Police" was released as part of the same remaster series as their first three studio albums.

Maybe over there it was. Over here it was just the first three, with a two disc Budokan coming out separately.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 7 May 2005 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I swore also that "Dream Police" has never been reissued. I'm part of the wishers and hopers that they might play the album live in it's entirety, like they did for the first 3.

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Saturday, 7 May 2005 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Good lord, I forgot how good Carlos's drumming is on "Gonna Raise Hell" -- it's like glam drum impact but with a steady disco rhythm.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 7 May 2005 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

first four, mi malo

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Saturday, 7 May 2005 19:12 (twenty-one years ago)

OTM Ned, I noticed that also! Bun E- king of the skins, representing all genres since the 1960s!

Does anyone else think that the breakdown of "Dream Police" is just spectacular. All that racket really DOES sound like them cops is coming to get you.

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Saturday, 7 May 2005 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

We can actually tie this in about the Killers/dead girl song issue a bit, since I gather "Gonna Raise Hell" was inspired lyrically by Jonestown -- and that knowledge does give the paranoid good time vibes of the whole thing even more of a grim twist.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 7 May 2005 19:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I actually listened to this just last night! Anyway, first side classic, second side, not so much. And the title track makes me want to wash my car and playfully spray the neighbours with the hose.

― Vic Funk, Saturday, 7 May 2005 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks "Gonna Raise Hell" is the premiere track from Dream Police.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Saturday, 7 May 2005 20:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Classic. Probably my favorite of their stuff.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 7 May 2005 21:05 (twenty-one years ago)

The header may also refer to the actual track, and that one is undoubtedly a classic. Cheap Trick's last great moment.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 8 May 2005 00:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Deeply disappointed at the time of its release, I now rank Dream Police as my second favorite Cheap Trick LP after the debut.

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Sunday, 8 May 2005 00:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Curious, what didn't you like about DP at the time, Lovebug?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 8 May 2005 00:26 (twenty-one years ago)

The group members themselves are still disappointed with it, thinking there were way too many synths, and generally too much production.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 8 May 2005 00:28 (twenty-one years ago)

The production was just too much for my punked-out 1979 ears. I always rooted for the Trick to reproduce their live sound on record. I've since seen the light. How about some revision on All Shook Up? Was it all downhill for these guys after DP?

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Sunday, 8 May 2005 00:32 (twenty-one years ago)

"Dream Police" was the only Cheap Trick song I've heard that I ever liked.

― The Silent Disco of Glastonbury (Bimble...), Sunday, 8 May 2005 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

i tried to pick out on my bass how the synth/strings-bridge went, but eventually just gave up.

― kingfish, Sunday, 8 May 2005 00:58 (twenty-one years ago)

'All Shook Up' is a interesting gloss on their sound; I actually prefer a lot of the material to most of the songs on 'Dream Police.' 'One on One' is also a really good album, with their ultimate studio creation, "If You Want My Love."

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Sunday, 8 May 2005 01:47 (twenty-one years ago)

The extended "If You Want My Love" on the box set is some kinda apotheosis. I only heard it for the first time when they did the show/encore with the Pumpkins on the radio in 1995 and it damn well blew my mind. Then they did "Auf Wiedersehn" and destroyed the world.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 8 May 2005 01:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm a big Trick fan, but I've never been all that impressed with "Dream Police," the title track and "The House Is Rockin' (With Domestic Problems)" aside. "Voices" is my least favorite "classic" Cheap Trick song. "Gonna Raise Hell" gets points for its inclusion in the "Halloween" episode of "Freaks & Geeks."

As for their post-"Police" work, the discussion should start with "Stop This Game." When I saw them in concert in '96, it was the only post-"Police" song on the setlist, and it worked really well. "If You Want My Love," "She's Tight," "Tonight It's You" and a few of the cuts off the '97 album are worth looking into.

― John Fredland (jfredland), Sunday, 8 May 2005 03:18 (twenty-one years ago)

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