In Color [Remaster]

Performer: Cheap Trick
Engineer: Antonio Reale
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Also available in a 3-pack with CHEAP TRICK and HEAVEN TONIGHT. Cheap Trick: Robin Zander (vocals, guitar); Rick Nielsen (guitar, vocals); Tom Petersson (bass, vocals); Bun E. Carlos (drums). Reissue producer: Bruce Dickinson. Recorded at Kendun Recorders, Los Angeles, California; Ardent Studios, Memphis, Tennessee; Live at The Whiskey, Los Angeles, California. Includes liner notes by Greg Kot. Digitally remastered by Vic Anesini (Sony Music Studios). Cheap Trick: Robin Zander (vocals, guitar); Rick Nielsen (guitar); Tom Petersson (bass guitar); Bun E. Carlos (drums). Just a shade less rewarding than Cheap Trick's self-titled 1977 debut, IN COLOR is still another stellar recording (released in the same year). Although the more noticeable pop-gloss sound (courtesy of producer Tom Werman) may hamper some of the tracks, the songwriting is still top notch and the performances inspired. After the commercial underachievement of the debut, the band was probably advised to tone down their rawness a notch or two, which helped IN COLOR crack the Billboard Top 100 album charts. But ultimately, it would not be the big breakthrough they had hoped for (that was still a ways off, with 1979's AT BUDOKAN). Many of the tracks would re-appear on AT BUDOKAN as live versions. Still, songs such as "Hello There" (a perennial concert opener), "Downed," "Big Eyes," "Oh Caroline," "Come On, Come On" and "Clock Strikes Ten" are all bona fide hard rock classics. An anemic "swing" version of "I Want You To Want Me" will leave many a listener befuddled, especially when compared to the vibrant AT BUDOKAN version that would eventually serve as the band's breakthrough hit single.

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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