At Budokan (30th Anniversary Edition)

Performer: Cheap Trick
Engineer: Gary Ladinsky; Tomoo Suzuki
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Cheap Trick: Robin Zander (vocals); Rick Nielsen (guitar); Tom Petersson (bass); Bun E. Carlos (drums). Producers: Cheap Trick, Jack Douglas. Reissue producer: Bruce Dickinson. Recorded live in April 1978. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Cheap Trick: Robin Zander (vocals, guitar); Rick Neilsen (guitar); Tom Petersson (bass); Bun E. Carlos (drums). Recorded live at the Budokan, Tokyo, Japan in April 1978. This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks as well as multimedia computer files. CHEAP TRICK AT BUDOKAN: THE COMPLETE CONCERT includes the original album's ten songs plus nine other tracks from the same concert, one more from a show in Osaka recorded on the same tour, multi-media content and lavish packaging. Cheap Trick: Robin Zander (vocals); Rick Nielsen (guitar); Tom Petersson (bass); Bun E. Carlos (drums). Producer: Cheap Trick. Reissue producers: Bruce Dickinson, Cheap Trick. Recorded live in Budokan, Tokyo, Japan in April 1978. Includes liner notes by Greg Siegel and Rick Nielson. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Cheap Trick: Robin Zander (vocals, guitar); Rick Nielsen (guitars, background vocals); Tom Petersson (bass guitar, background vocals); Bun E. Carlos (drums, background vocals). Audio Mixers: Robb Williams; Danny Kadar ; Mike Beriger; Tim Patalan; Bill Kozy. Audio Remasterers: Jack Douglas; Jay Messina; Vic Anesini; Lawrence Manchester. Strangely enough, Cheap Trick's big breakthrough, 1979's AT BUDOKAN, was almost never released stateside. The band had become superstars in Japan on the strength of their first three studio albums, and when they toured the country in '78, several of their shows were taped for a Japan-only live release. When the resulting album began racking up impressive sales in the U.S. as an expensive import, Epic wisely released it domestically, where it peaked at #4 on the Billboard charts and spawned the top ten hit single "I Want You To Want Me." One of the reasons for the album's success is that it resembles the raw, direct approach of their self-titled debut, rather than their other two more produced releases. Add the energy of a concert setting, and you have one of the greatest live rock albums ever. If you were to own only a single Cheap Trick release, AT BUDOKAN would be the one (the entire AT BUDOKAN was merged with BUDOKAN II for 1998's 2-CD set CHEAP TRICK AT BUDOKAN: THE COMPLETE CONCERT). Remember that rush you got from hearing Robin, Rick and the boys tear into "I Want You To Want Me" from Cheap Trick's original LIVE AT BUDOKAN album? Their ballsy but breathlessly effervescent power pop was the very essence of summertime in late-'70s America, rock and roll in its purest form. You don't remember? Okay, well, maybe your mom does, then. In either case, you'll be pleased to discover that the entire Budokan concert is now available for your edification. With nine extra tracks that stretch this recording out to two discs, the rock and roll magic that was Cheap Trick in their heyday is both reiterated and further illuminated. If you're an old fan, you'll want to hear the rest of the story. If you're a newcomer, this is the place to begin.

Spin (p.86) - "[T]hey were a great power-pop band whose records still sound fresh today." Entertainment Weekly (5/15/98, p.103) - "...Now, in correct sequence, with digitally remastered (and apparently amplified) audience shrieks, one of rock's crucial live documents just got a little livelier." - Rating: A

Cheap Trick's first few albums are often cited as an influence on both '80s pop-metal and the pop-punk phenomenon of the '90s. Robin Zander's rock-star looks and powerful voice played perfectly off guitar hero Rick Neilsen's oddball image and onstage antics, and the band frequently subverted standard rock song structures with odd, ironic lyrics. In their late-'70s heyday, Cheap Trick's fusion of power-pop and hard rock won them credibility with rockers, new wave fans, and pure popsters. Their 1978 release AT BUDOKAN still stands as one of rock's finest concert albums.

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