Amazon.com: Power pop pioneers and one of the all-time greatest live bands, Cheap Trick seems rock's answer to Rodney Dangerfield. CT may get no respect from the Rock Hall of Fame, corporate radio and most pop pundit fashionistas, but that hasn't stopped them from delivering another career highlight on their third studio effort since bolting the major label tilt-a-whirl a decade ago. Indeed, the album's bracing aggro-pop bent seems as rooted in stubborn defiance (of age, odds and indifference) as it does Trick's evergreen pantheon of influences. The only thing resembling a concession here is the Linda Perry co-written/co-produced single "Perfect Stranger," a burnished condensation of CT's still potent power-pop charms. The band-produced (with help from Steve Albini and vet Jack Douglas) balance is more to the point, with the hard-charging "Welcome to The World" and careening "Come On ..." setting an energetic tone that's less willfully precious than the previous Special One, if no less adventurous. "If It Takes a Lifetime" serves up an infectious slab of harmony-rich pop metal that rivals Def Leppard's prime, while the baroque-bubblegum of "Oh Claire" and chiming perfection of "Dream the Night Away" showcase a wealth of hooks that nonetheless remain only half the band's equation. Guitarist Rick Neilsen's penchant for the obtuse yields the deliciously loopy James Brown-meets-ELO workout "One More" while "Decaf" wraps it all up with a blast of patently snotty Trick energy, tracks where man-of-a-thousand voices Robin Zander adds a couple more to his burgeoning resume. --Jerry McCulley
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Album Description: The combined talents of Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson and Bun E. Carlos continue to resonate with generations of musicians and fans alike. The album was produced by Cheap Trick and co-producers Jack Douglas, Steve Albini, Julian Raymond and Chris Shaw. The first single "Perfect Stranger" was produced by Linda Perry and co-written by Perry and Cheap Trick. "Rockford" concentrates these formidable strengths into 12 stellar songs that form an album which can stand beside any of the band's prior releases. Cheap Trick: four great guys, one great album--ROCKFORD!
It made me a fan! I bought Rockford on somewhat of a whim after seeing them perform "Perfect Stranger" on Conan O'Brien's show and then noticing that I could pick up this new album for a mere $9 at the local Wal-Mart.
I really really liked it and soon bought their first four albums, a Greatest Hits and At Budokan.
I don't know how their music fared in the 80's and 90's (though I'm told its not so hot), but this album sounds just as good to these ears as those great albums from the 70's. Plenty of loud guitars, good melodies, and a ton of energy (these guys sound way more vibrant than most bands 30 years into their career). Plus, unlike some of those overly-glossy 70's albums, Rockfords production really lets the band kick it loud and proud.
Fans should be happy with these catchy loud rock songs, and folks new to Cheap Trick will probably find this album to be so good that they just might want more (I know I did!).
Totally underrated I admit to having a bias in favor of the boys from Rockford but this is really a tremendous effort. Better accolades were deserved.
Best rock-n-roll band ever! This is the album we have been waiting for. I'm buying "Rockford" and "Budokan the complete concert". I should have done this 2 years ago. I have rediscovered Cheap Trick. I was a huge fan when I was 13 back in 78. I saw them live at the Sunken Garden's show in San Antonio back in 79....it was simply the best concert I have ever seen to this day. I then saw them on the Dream Police tour(w/out Tom P.). I have become highly disillusioned when it comes to the current music scene. The "American Idolization" of the biz has made it a joke. Cheap Trick has managed to survive and thrive in this mess. All of today's young power pop/punk bands owe it all to Cheap Trick. I prefer to listen to the original!!!! Thanks guys....keep it up!
Will the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Please WAKE UP!!!! Cheap Trick is your most horrific and continued snub.... Okay, how many more decades does this highly respected quartet have to go on before ever truly getting the respect they deserve?
Now don't get me wrong as I am a fan of the Beastie Boys as well, but having to see them get inducted into the 2008 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before legends like Cheap Trick tells me that those who vote on the inductees are perhaps the same clueless dopes who spent time as executives at commercial radio stations or record labels.
Keep up the great work Cheap Trick. Your fans know how relevant you are and will always be!!!
If you grew up with Cheap Trick, it fits right in Looking back at my life and the music that carried me through the years, the band Cheap Trick percolates to the top. While they are not the only band I have ever had a fondness for, clearly, for me, CT has been the band that has stood the test of time.
As a teenager in the 70s, CT was there with me each step of the way. Success and failure, love and heartbreak, they were the soundtrack to my life. Most recently, on a whim, I saw them in San Diego, with my fiancee, and as a result, I happened upon Rockford.
What a delight. Rockford clearly delivers all I have ever come to expect of the band, and fits in with all the other CT albums I own. Tear jerking ballads, and music with an edge. It's all here, and sounds as fresh as ever.
The Beatles surely were a ground-breaking band. But Cheap Trick, in my opinion, has always delivered so much more, and Rockford only helps to validate, for me, that belief. Way to go guys, and keep it coming.
My favorite track? O Claire. What an amazing song.
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