Cheap Trick History

Internationally acclaimed Cheap Trick has been rocking since the ‘70s & their legacy continues into the present & beyond.

Cheap Trick: History
Cheap Trick started as a local Rockford, Illinois band called Fuse. After a brief reworking of band mates, Fuse permanently became Cheap Trick. Cheap Trick played local venues around Rockford and Chicago before opening for acts like Boston, The Kinks, and Santana. Cheap Trick continued at the rate of about 250 shows a year and also gained a large following in Japan. It was during this time that Cheap Trick released In Color and Heaven Tonight. Heaven Tonight included the single “Surrender”.

Cheap Trick: Japan Success
Although Cheap Trick’s first albums weren’t commercially successful in America, in Japan Cheap Trick became known as the Japanese Beatles. In 1978 Cheap Trick recorded a live album in Nippon, Budokan, Japan and later released the album At Budokan. At Budokan not only launched Cheap Trick’s Japanese fame to new heights, it kick started Cheap Trick’s American breakthrough. Soon after At Budokan, Cheap Trick released Dream Police with the single “Voices”. Next Cheap Trick teamed up with Beatles producer George Martin for their album All Shook Up which was certified gold and reached No. 24 on the charts. The single “Everything Works If You Let It” appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Roadie.

Cheap Trick: Rise to the Top
In the ‘80s, Cheap Trick was on their way to the top after releasing the album One on One. One on One contained two hits “If You Want My Love” and “She’s Tight” and the music videos for each received heavy rotation on MTV. Cheap Trick’s next album Next Position Please featured the popular single, a cover of The Motors’ “Dancing the Night Away” as well as the fan favorite “I Can’t Take It”. Next came what the critics call their best collection of “bubblegum bazooka rock” in the form of Standing On The Edge which contained the chart climber “Tonight It’s You”. Soon after the release of Standing On The Edge Cheap Trick was launched further into stardom when they recorded the end title track for the movie Top Gun appropriately titled “Mighty Wings”.

Cheap Trick: ‘90s Stardom
After the success of “Tonight It’s You” Cheap Trick released another album called Lap of Luxury which produced their first No. 1 single called “The Flame”. Cheap Trick’s cover of Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and the single “Busted” also from Lap of Luxury were successful as well. During this time Cheap Trick elevated ticket sales by going on tour with big names like Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam who cited Cheap Trick as an influence.

Cheap Trick: Legacy
Cheap Trick honored Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 40th anniversary in 2007 by playing the full album in its entirety with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra along with vocalists Joan Osborne and Aimee Mann. Cheap Trick recently returned to Budokan and played the 30th anniversary of At Budokan. Cheap Trick is currently on an extensive summer tour and plans to perform another Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band show.

Cheap Trick: Greatest Hits

• "Dream Police" from the Dream Police album
• "Voices" from the Dream Police album
• "Don't Be Cruel” from the Lap of Luxury album
• "The Flame" from the Lap of Luxury album
• "Tonight It's You" from the Standing On The Edge album
• "She's Tight" from the One on One album
• "If You Want My Love" from the One on One album
• "I Want You to Want Me [Live Version]" from the At Budokan album
• “Ain't That a Shame" from the At Budokan album
• "Surrender" from the Heaven Tonight album
• "I Can't Take It" from the Next Position Please album
• "Can't Stop Fallin' into Love" from the Busted album