Cheap Trick has just released a new album named Rockford (2006), easily their best album since 1979's Dream Police. I'm so psyched about this album, I'm going to write it in the style of the back sleeve to Boston's debut album from 1976.
Cheap Trick started by recording three classic albums which were ignored by the American Public but loved in Japan-Listen To The Record!-In 1977 Cheap Trick recorded a live album for the Japanese market only but it crossed over to the US to make Cheap Trick a platinum selling band-Listen To The Record!-The follow up album Dream Police should have taken Cheap Trick to the next level but only went Gold instead-Listen To The Record!-Cheap Trick spent the next 25 years recording bad albums while desperately trying to keep up with the times. Even a late 80's power ballad ("The Flame") and alterna-rock cool (Smashing Pumpkins often cited the band as an influence) coudn't keep them afloat-Listen To The Record-Now that the world is ignoring Cheap Trick, the Tricksters come up with their best album since Dream Police, Rockford-Listen To The Record!
Yes, just when it seemed like they were down for the count, Cheap Trick return to their basic sound of crunching guitar riffs, beatlesque harmony vocals and sharp songwriting. I can't think of another album they have done which has been consistently more enjoyable. Much of the music fits the above description, such as "Give It Away", "This Time You Got It" and the lead single "Perfect Stranger". The band rocks hard in "Come On Come On Come On" in a way reminiscent of their late 70's song "Come On Come On" (running short on song titles I see).
The best song on the album is their most slighted, the McCartneyish ballad "Oh Claire". It's so Beatles it sounds like a B side from Paul McCarney's recent Chaos and Creation album (2005). The band allows piano and orchestra to stretch out on this track, giving it a unique beauty amid the cluster of masterful power pop. On a similar tack, "Every Night And Every Day" and "If It Takes A Lifetime" both float on high melodic vocal hooks to make the songs seem softer.
The only negative comment is that Rockford needed a killer single to put this album over the top. As it is, Cheap Trick's Rockford is an 9 out of 10.
Another band that's into rockin' is at number 84:
Dokken - Under Lock And Key (1985)
My first impression was that they were a speed metal band, the only song I knew of theirs was "Tooth & Nail" from the album of the same name. After buying the Tooth & Nail album, I found that I liked most of their album except the production was a little to flat and austere. To solve these problems, Dokken released another album, Under Lock And Key.
Key was produced by Michael Waegner while Tooth & Nail was produced by Tom Werman. Both albums maintained a high level of songwriting, but the sound differed greatly. Werman's sound was stripped down to the minimum to allow focus on individual performances. Waegner overproduces everything, forcing a softer, formalized sound. After some debate, I have chosen Under Lock And Key as my favorite Dokken album.
Under Lock and Key have something for everyone in hard rock. Anthemic midtempo rockers, ("In My Dreams", Unchain The Night" and "Don't Lie To Me") , midtempo groove songs ("The Hunter", "It's Not Love"), power ballads ("Slippin' Away", "Jaded Heart") and all-out rockers ("Lightning Strikes Again" and "Will The Sun Rise").
The focal point is always Don Dokkens' wailing heavy metal voice or guitarist George Lynch's award winning blazing guitar solos (Lynch is amazingly fast). The battle of these two egos is the stuff of Rock Music Legend. Fortunately, their infighting did not interfere with the music of Dokken, who'se album I definitey recommend to metal heads.
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