I heard Cheap Trick for the first time today. I might have heard them before but I've never listened. WFMU have the song 'Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace' available as a download. I downloaded it and have listened to it four times now. It's great, this song. Everything sounds really good. The bass is big and fat. The guitar is pretty strange really. And the singer's voice is great. Great. I think I've just decided to stop thinking about being a good-enough-to-get-away-with-it bass player and become instead a very good singer in a very good rock band. And I'm going to get some Cheap Trick records.

Seriously, has anyone heard this song? You can feel Robin Zander grow in stature during it, from a needly thin little man to a roaring husky giant godman. Honestly, rock a doodle doo. And the words if you look at them written make no sense at all, but they make complete sense to be sang like this. So good, this Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace song.

It's on here somewhere:

http://wfmu.org/onthedownload.php/byartist

"Speak Now..." is indeed a wonderful song and the Cheap Trick version is so very good!

Terry Reid actually wrote this particular song, but of course we are well aware here of Rick Nielsen's stunning abilities as a songwriter, especially on the constantly aforementioned first three albums. Robin does give an incredible vocal performance on the studio and live version of this song.

The song also has a prominent place in Jonathon Kaplan's movie Over the Edge, which was never released in 1978 due to controversial themes (juvenile delinquency). Great movie as well, Matt Dillon's screen debut. The film also features Downed from In Color and perhaps a couple of more that I'm forgetting at the moment.

Terrific dynamics, that song...

I don't get Cheap Trick at all. On paper they always seem like the type pf band I'd love, but on record I just don't find the hooks strong enough, apart from one or two songs.

CRAP.

2 for Whore and Dream Police.

The bass is big and fat.

Gibson Thunderbird II (the single pickup Thunderbird). Yum.

For my B-Day, my pal Ron got me front row tickets to their Potowatami Fri March 2nd show! Yeah buddy!

Rick Nielsen influenced me enough in 1978 that I purchased a '76 Explorer at DJ's Rock and Roll in Cicero IL.

Those first four albums are slabs of some of the best rock to ever hit the vinyl. Perfect.

Rick Nielsen influenced me enough in 1978 that I purchased a '76 Explorer

Me too (in 1982). I still have it. Covered in decals, stickers, a Khaler, etc...When we played w/ Big Black on the 4th of July, 1985, I taped 200 firecrackers to it and lit them when we started our set. Fun.

etch wrote:The song also has a prominent place in Jonathon Kaplan's movie Over the Edge, which was never released in 1978 due to controversial themes (juvenile delinquency). Great movie as well, Matt Dillon's screen debut. The film also features Downed from In Color and perhaps a couple of more that I'm forgetting at the moment.

Terrific dynamics, that song...

i just watched that not too long ago.

cheap trick has written dozens of awesome songs.

the re-released live at budokan double disc is a good starting point for anyone.

or the first album. i like the unremastered version better. they switched around the tracks on the new one. lame.

that damned fly wrote:or the first album. i like the unremastered version better. they switched around the tracks on the new one. lame.

What do you mean?

connor wrote:

that damned fly wrote:or the first album. i like the unremastered version better. they switched around the tracks on the new one. lame.

What do you mean?

they took the same tracks and put them in a different order. and tacked some live and demo shit on the end.

i liked the old order better.