Bang Zoom Crazy ... Hello
Cheap Trick
(Big Machine)
Four stars
Some classic rock bands limp into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the basis of past glories.
Cheap Trick, the American hard-charging, melodic rockers, on the other hand, continue to race full speed ahead towards the accolade fuelled by their best album in decades. While former drummer Bun E Carlos is sorely missed, guitarist Rick Nielsen’s son, Daxx, provides a shot of new energy as his replacement.
The album, which kicks off with a blast of feedback and a classic guitar-bass-and-drum roar on Heart on the Line, features at least four potential hit singles: A remake of the 1960s Dobie Gray track The In Crowd, Long Time No See Ya, the clap-happy Blood Red Lips and No Direction Home.
As they have since the 1970s, Cheap Trick infuse their songs with Beatles-esque harmonies, dramatic chord changes and progressions, and Nielsen’s quirky, minimalist guitar solos, all atop a pounding beat that makes these songs easy to listen to and hard to forget.
After 40 years, Cheap Trick remain a true American original that has not surrendered to age, inertia or hip-hop. Here’s hoping they never do.
* Wayne Parry / Associated Press
