Cheap Trick's roots lie in Fuse, a late-'60s Rockford, IL, band formed
by Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson, who released an unsuccessful
album on Epic in 1969. After the record failed to gain any attention,
the band relocated to Philadelphia and changed their name to Sick Man of
Europe. The group toured Europe unsuccessfully in 1972, returning to
Illinois in 1973. Upon their return to Rockford, Nielsen and Petersson
ended up naming their band Cheap Trick after adding drummer Bun E.
Carlos and vocalist Randy "Xeno" Hogan. Hogan left the following year
and ex-folk singer Robin Zander joined the group. Between 1974 and the
band's first album in 1977, Cheap Trick toured constantly, playing over
200 concerts a year, including opening slots for Queen, The Kinks, Kiss,
and Santana. During this time, the band built up a solid catalog of
original songs that would eventually comprise their first three albums;
they also perfected their kinetic live show. During the Queen tour Rick
wrote a "journal" for a Japanese music magazine that would familiarize
Cheap Trick with the Japanese long before their records would be
released there.
Cheap Trick signed with Epic Records in 1976, releasing their
self-titled brilliant debut in early 1977. The record sold well in
America, yet it failed to chart. However, the group became a massive
success in Japan, going gold upon release. Later that year, the band
released their second album, In Color. Epic A&R man/producer Tom Werman
backed In Color away from the harder rocking Cheap Trick, featuring a
slicker production and quieter arrangements that spotlighted the band's
melodic skills. Due to their constant touring, the record made it into
the U.S. charts, peaking at number 73; in Japan it became another
gold-seller.
The band realized that they were virtual superstars in Japan when they
toured the country in early 1978. Their concerts were selling out within
two hours and they packed the Budokan Arena. Cheap Trick's concerts at
the Budokan Arena were recorded for a television program -- which ended
up becoming an album that appeared after their third album, 1978's
Heaven Tonight. Heaven Tonight captured both the loud, raucous energy of
their debut and the hook-laden song craft of In Color, leading to their
first Top 100 single, "Surrender," which peaked at number 62. However,
the live performances on At Budokan (1979) captured the band's
energetic, infectious live show, resulting in their commercial
breakthrough in the U.S. The album stayed on the charts for over a year,
peaking at number four and eventually selling over three million copies;
a live version of "I Want You to Want Me" pulled from the album became
their first Top Ten hit. Later that year, the group released their
fourth studio album, Dream Police, which followed the same stylistic
approach of Heaven Tonight. It also followed At Budokan into the Top
Ten, selling over a million copies and launching the Top 40 hit singles
"Voices" and "Dream Police." In the summer of 1980, the group released
an EP of tracks recorded between 1976-79 called Found All the Parts.
Petersson left the group in the summer of 1980 after recording the
George Martin produced All Shook Up, released toward the end of 1980.
The album performed respectably, peaking at number 24 and going gold,
yet the single "Stop This Game" failed to crack the Top 40. For
subsequent tours Pete Comita, and shortly thereafter Jon Brant replaced
Petersson. The first album recorded with Brant was One on One, the
group's seventh album that appeared in 1982. Although it peaked at
number 39, the record was more successful than All Shook Up, eventually
going platinum. Next Position Please, released in 1983, failed to launch
a hit single and spent only 11 weeks on the charts. Standing on the Edge
(1985) and The Doctor (1986) suffered similar fates.
Petersson rejoined the band in 1988 and under CBS Record's direction the
group began working on a new album with the help of several outside
songwriters. The resulting album, Lap of Luxury, was a platinum Top 20
hit, featuring the number one power ballad "The Flame" and a Top Ten
version of Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel." Busted, released in 1990,
wasn't as successful as Lap of Luxury, peaking at number 48 and
effectively putting an end to the group's tenure with CBS Records. Over
the course of the 90's the band experienced several new lows when Sony
Music, the successor to the band's CBS Records contract, put Cheap
Trick's name on several budget compilations including Voices, I Want You
To Want Me, Don't Be Cruel, and several others without their prior
knowledge, consent, or agreement.
Robin Zander 's self titled record produced by Jimmy Iovine was released
in 1993 and quickly cut out. In 1994 Cheap Trick signed with Warner
Brothers and released Woke Up With A Monster; the record spent two weeks
on the chart, peaking at 123. That same year, Sony Records released a
sequel to At Budokan, entitled Budokan II. Following the poor
performance of Woke Up with a Monster, Cheap Trick decided to go back to
the basics. They left Warner Brothers and over the next few years
several alternative rockers, who were influenced by Cheap Trick, gave
the band opportunities to restore their reputation. The Smashing
Pumpkins had the band open some shows in 1995 and the group performed on
the 1996 Lollapalooza tour. That same year, the box set Sex America
Cheap Trick appeared to good reviews and the band signed with the
fledgling indy/distributor; Red Ant/Alliance. Early in 1997, the group
released a Steve Albini produced single Baby Talk on Sub Pop, which was
followed by Cheap Trick, their critically acclaimed debut for Red
Ant/Alliance in the spring. Seven weeks after releasing the record Red
Ant/Alliance declared Chapter 11 causing a furious music retail
community to yank the record from stores nearly bankrupting the band in
the process.
1998 saw the band rebuilding by trying to restore normal relations with
Sony and the music retail community and establishing their own record
company; Cheap Trick Unlimited. They toured behind the re-mastered
re-releases of Budokan: the Complete Concert, and their first three
records. One of the multi-night stands from this amazing tour resulted
in Music For Hangovers, a brilliant and vibrant live effort. Amid much
criticism Cheap Trick Unlimited sold the CD exclusively on amazon.com
for 8 weeks prior to releasing it in stores. To support the record they
headlined, co-billed with Guided By Voices, and opened for Pearl Jam. In
similar fashion to The Black Crowes with Jimmy Page and The Who, early
2000 found Cheap Trick entering into a license with musicmaker.com to
directly download and create custom CDs for over 50 great songs.
Currently Cheap Trick is working on a new studio record, touring, and
gearing up their record company for the new release(s).
