At Budokan

I enjoyed the sounds inbetween the ones the band made of loose air in Japan more than the music itself.

I’m at a 5. Maybe just a little higher. Look, I’ll be the first person to tell you it’s pretty damn straightforward power pop. Almost every track is about the ladies, including the Fats Domino cover about a lady leaving him, they repeat a lot of lyrics, and if this weren’t a live album, I suspect the vibe would be incredibly different. This fucking crowd elevates everything, and while I could knock them for reacting to literally anything & everything, I just don’t think it matters. Cheap Trick feeds off of their energy in a way that just makes each track pop. It could obviously be mixed better; I think the vocals could be more present to give Robin Zander even more credit, but doing too much of that would probably take away from feeling the presence of that crowd. The music, for as fun as it is, almost feels secondary to putting headphones in & just feeling the experience of it all. They captured a live atmosphere perfectly here. The only track I could nitpick at is “Need Your Love” for going the full 9 minutes without a bigger dazzling solo, but they make up for it when they occasionally go kinda crazy in the back half of the album. Seriously, it’s a killer run for the final 5 tracks. “I Want You To Want Me” is that good by the way, and yet I think my favorite is “Surrender”. There’s not a bad track here though; some people may call me dumb for saying that, but being straightforward does not automatically make it bad. It’s safe, sure, but I’d prefer a tight 42 minutes that they could safely kill as opposed to a dull & meandering 73 minutes a la the Grateful Dead. Ultimately, I think it’s a 5, if not just a bit higher. I’m very glad it’s on the list. The last 5 tracks really pulled it all together for me, and there’s just a good energy coming off of this album that makes it super easy to listen to. It is one of the breeziest albums we’ve ever gotten on the list, and yet it rocks all the same. I really enjoyed it, and while I think a lot of the complaints about the tracks themselves carry some validity, if you were actually in that crowd that night, you’d probably be calling Cheap Trick a great band too. Either that, or you’d be deaf from all the screaming.

Not sure if warranted or not, but I feel like this album embodies a lot that is wrong with this list: Another fairly forgettable 70s rock album made by white dudes. I mean 'I Want You To Want Me' is a known track, but not enough to warrant a spot on this list to me. 'Goodnight' was high energy, but that was about it.

Shite. I’m just listening to a gig I don’t want to be at.

The Budokan must be a wild place to see a show as every recording I’ve heard from this place includes high pitched screaming… at any rate, this was alright. Of course, I Want You To Want Me is a track I’ve heard a zillion times (more than the original recording) and the only other song I was familiar with was Surrender. Not much of a Cheap Trick fan; this is a (3)

This book has way too many uninteresting live albums on it.

Cool

Not too special if you ask me but not an entertaining listen

SAAI!!!!

Manchurian candidate-esque neuron activation when surrender started playing and I was transported back to being a little kid playing guitar hero 2

Really fun live album, some very good guitar solos, especially in Need Your Love. Definitely worth a listen

Argh it deleted my draft. Good album. Solid rock n roll. Great closers too. Surrender is nice.

Wat een energie heeft deze plaat

Cheap Trick is a band I've always been curious about exploring more. They have a great visual "look" to them (the gimmick that none of them feel like they are from the same band is great), and their live performances appear to have a lot of good energy. It helps also that I like their hit songs. It would make sense that this album is a good place to start, considering it is the one that put them on the spotlight world-wide and therefore was their introduction to many new listeners. That is already interesting on its own since, other than Frampton Comes Alive!, I can't think of many other live albums that have had a similar level of impact. I can think of many examples of well-received live albums, but most of these came from singers and groups that already achieved popularity through at least one studio release. Especially considering the context that this album was initially intended exclusively for the group's passionate Japanese audience, the fact that it blew up to the point that the live version of "I Want You to Want Me" is exclusively played on the radio is pretty impressive. Does this album deserve its notoriety though? I would say it does! It is high-energy and infectious, although a bit short for my liking. While maybe too intimidating and ambitious for the group at the time, I feel like it would have been better a little longer. It is good to know versions exist exploring that. Side two is where the record really starts to kick off, in my opinion. Not just because it contains the group's breakthrough hits, but the energy really reaches its height. Fav Tracks: "Need Your Love", "I Want You to Want Me" and "Surrender".

im not in the right mood today

I love Cheap Trick, but, again, if I still say live albums shouldn’t be on this list. You may as well put greatest hits albums on here. These guys are too cool, though. Nothing lower than a 4. Pride of Rockford, Illinois - all day!

I want you to want me and surrender are catchy, the rest I can take or leave. For a live album I felt it could have been a better performance with better sound but it had a decent energy and they are obviously good musicians. Another fence sitting 3 - not great, not terrible, pretty solid. 3.2

I do like cheap trick and this is a pretty good live compilation of their best stuff.

Solid enough, 70’s rock n roll. Cheap Trick were never anything amazing, and they had little impact here in the UK. Competent playing and songs, but overall pales in comparison to their counterparts in almost every way. Kiss Alive! should have been the live album in At Budokan’s place.

Šta znam, pristojan live album i čini mi se da je sreća pa su zastupljeni kroz ovo jer mi zvuči kao da nema života u ovim pjesmama bez da se publika dere istovremeno.

I don't feel like live albums really belong on this list but I DO like this album.

Ehhh, ahhh, ummmm, hmmmm That’s what it is. Not terrible Not awesome Not shitty Not great It’s a pass

...the sole representation from Cheap Trick is a live album? You couldn't just stick on Lap of Luxury, or Heaven Tonight? That's depressing. I think live albums suffer because 1. they aren't actually live (this recording is nearly 50 years old), and 2. the sound quality suffers. Songs are good, but the album isn't.

First listen Saved 4/10 Top track: Need Your Love

Fun and upbeat, and amplified by the fact that it was played in the greatest country in the world. Sugoi desu neeee.

A good live performance from a band bringing rather generic 70's pop rock. You can already hear the sound of 80's hair metal coming in, with most of the tropes in places.

Dated.

One good song is not enough for an actually good concert album. I heard that one and was like oh that’s who this is. Otherwise just not great.

Asides from the big hit of the album, this is some pretty good power pop. 4.5 bumped down to 4.

Idk this is just an ok love album. Not anything special about it. As if they wouldn't play Dream Police 😭😭😭

Started very meh. Nothing much interesting musically at all in the first half. Perks up in the second half with their catchier songs. Performance and sound is very good for live.

great live album - i am confused how a live album can only be 45 minutes though. i mean, obviously they cut down some fluff, but overall it just seems like such a short show regardless, it rocks all the way through. happy i listened to it

I’m pretty sure this album made the list because it has the absolute best version of I Want You to Want Me and I have no problem with that. Might even be the best live album on the list, or at least best I can think of off the top of my head.

This album's on here for one song alone. " I want you to want me" as one of the few handful of songs that is better live than the studio recording. Awesome song and solid live album. I also didn't realize that "Surrender" was my Cheap Trick.

Would have preferred a studio record, but this was okay. The performances were okay, but the live recording didn't really do much for me. Favourite Track(s): Big Eyes Least Favourite Track(s): Lookout

I know some of Cheap Trick's hits. I also usually don't like live albums but this one was okay I guess. it was listenable but didn't impress me

It was better seeing them live a few weeks ago but this'll do. 4/5

3.5 Being a party rock band during this era had to rule so hard. The boys are out there and just banging tunes. I realize now that this is the version of "I Want You to Want Me" that Ive heard on the radio so much. The crowd makes it so much better. Probably would never buy it but it's a damn fun listen.

...what?

3.5 .. ! Muss mich mit der Band näher beschäftigen.

Schon cool aber hat mich auch nicht übermäßig gehooked. Und live Platten sind immernoch nicht mein Ding

Live is the only way to listen to this band for me. Pretty good.

Recording quality is bad and screaming Japanese ladies annoying but I have come away wanting to listen to their studio recordings

I feel like this is somewhat let down by the poor recording quality at the time but its actually a great album

3.5

Fucking great

Just okay! Kept me going through work at least. Favorite track: Surrender

Per niente male, a parte qualcosina.. e poi ha l'aura magica dei live in Giappone.

Ugh. I did not like this at all.

Excellent live album. Great songs played with great vigour. Enjoyed every minute.

Fun album, nothing too crazy

Completely new to me! But nice!

I'm a bit baffled by this one. The sound mix is poor and most of the songs, including the inexplicably popular I Want You to Want Me, aren't very good. Surrender is fine, I guess. But I'm not going to lie, Need Your Love was a banger.

Love a band that has an intro and outro song for their shows , so this album just made me love Cheap Trick even more! I wasn't sure initially about it being a live album, but I think it does a fantastic job of making it feel like you're in the crowd

Some good songs. Some mediocre songs.

Surrender is a banger.

I was able to see Cheap Trick play live near Grand Beach when I was a teenager. I didn’t know much about their music going to the show. But then realized through radio play I had actually heard a fair bit of their music. Even though that show was cut short due to a thunderstorm damaging some of the sound equipment. It was a great show and gave me an appreciation of their music.

Haven't listened to a full cheap trick album before. It was decent. That about all I have to say.

"This is our newww song called Surrendaaa" (In a british accent) Everyone in the crowd: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Not a big fan, but the early album here was fun. Almost a bit of a Peter Frampton meets Rush vibe... with a little pre-Van Halen? 3

Listening to this reminds me of a story I heard of a Chinese guy who moved to America playing country and rock and metal and all sorts of things on the same playlist at his restaurant. Someone asked him why the wide range of music and he answered he was playing Western music. All of it just sounded western to him and he found it cool. No need to understand the nuances because it was all equally far from what he grew up with. The enjoyment when they play Ain't That A Shame really cements that feeling here. Reading that it's a show in Osaka connects it so well too. They talk to the crowd and the crowd has no idea what they are trying to say. They say it's Tokyo while the package that gets released is Osaka. It's all lost in a cultural translation blur that lets it carry a mystique on both ends that elevates it. The band is fine. Not great, not overly complex or skilled. The melding of what they're doing with an audience that feels like it matters is where this picks up something extra. This would be worse as a better produced studio album. I would've wanted to be at this show. Everyone is having a blast. Band and audience.

The mixing isn't great on this. Big Eyes is a cool track. As always, I'm not big on live albums, but you can feel the energy on this one. This grew on me through the listen. Still don't see myself seeking this out when looking for an album to spend some time with. A fun listen.

I’m jealous, sounded like a great damn show

Live Album Surrender

young dynamic

love album, but not a blown out mess. Some fun covers, and a very interesting time capsule.

#456 This was fairly enjoyable but not particularly remarkable. I don’t know much about them so not sure if a live album is a good representation or whether they have a studio album that merits a place. Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Listen before you die? ❌ Fave track(s): I Want You to Want Me Rating: 6/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don't see the point of live albums. With perhaps a couple of exceptions, they always sound bad and they never capture any of the energy of a live show. But this record goes further - it's an energy-free, bad recording of banal, joyless, rock-by-numbers. The squealing audience is the only memorable thing about it, and that's memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Live albums are a funny thing. I'm sure it helps to be familiar with some of the songs and when it comes to Cheap Trick, I'm not. A couple of songs and I'm mildly diverted but quickly bored with the stodgy rock which I find the screaming response a bit bewildering frankly.

Would not buy

Man, why is this on here? It plays like a pretty generic rock album, except it's also live. The live setting doesn't really bring anything to the table apart from some questionable mixing. There were moments when I thought it actually picked up some speed, which almost pushed it into 3-star territory. “I Want You to Want Me”, “Surrender” and the outro to “Need Your Love” are good examples. But then you get a lifeless cover of “Ain't That a Shame”, which somehow manages to feel even more mundane and sluggish than the '50s original, despite the original being a song I really like. Maybe a weak 3 star if it wasn’t a live album. 2 stars.

Never heard of Cheap Trick before. First impressions - a kind of punky rock. Thin Lizzy or Led Zepp meets The Ramones Interestingly, Lookout has a Blondie kind of energy But there is a scuzzy Led Zepp kind of energy to the band itself ('I need your love') Music is good though, even Need Your Love keeps me tapping my foot throughout its 9min runtime I feel like I'm losing some of that initial punky feel as we go on, and it's becoming standard rock... Ooh, Goodnight brings it back! Best track - Lookout, Need Your Love, Goodnight 3.5 stars - I'll call it 4 for being a quite-enjoyable old-school rock album

Trevligt

Surprisingly good! I enjoyed this.

Hard rock that's very easy to listen to, with lots of guitar hooks and vocals high in the mix. The melodies and rhythms are all pretty simple and compared to a lot of other albums on this list it's a bit boring, but there's a lot of energy and fun that comes through in the performance. I Want You To Want Me was the highlight, but I enjoyed the clock guitar riff on Clock Strikes Ten.

Fell asleep

This is the first Cheap Trick album that I bought. It was great to listen to it after a long time but I'm not sure if this would be the album I'd play to people to win them over to being fans of the band.

Omggg i did not know that cheap trick made I want you to want me!! Absolute masterpiece of a song. Surrender is pretty good too. The rest is mid sadly

dad music (complementary), didn't enjoy the screaming audience tho

Cheap Trick is one of those bands I always enjoy, but I want to deep dive into their music more! They are so much fun and this album was such a jam. Actual Rating...4.5 Liked Songs: The entire album

Chip Trick, den Namen habe ich ja noch nie gehört - aber "I want you to want me" kennt man natürlich! Insgesamt recht harter Rock, aber nicht so übel.

Rate: 7.5/10.

4/5

Super great live performance. Like they are obviously talented as all hell and have the energy to match, but the recording itself wasn't the best and definitely hurt the listening experience. I'd rather just listen to the studio versions. 3/5

Cac

Pretty standard live rock album. Feel like there’s wasn’t much I already got outside of hearing the studio versions of these songs.

Monster concert

Classic album - along with "Frampton Comes Alive", this is one of the first live albums to go huge and really make a band even more popular. Even today they're known as a great live act and this captures them early in their career. It's only 10 songs long, they condensed the show. The 30th Anniversary edition has the full concert. Both versions are missing the classic "On Top Of The World", but the anniversary edition corrects the glaring omission of one of Cheap Tricks best, "Southern Girls" (which should have been switched out for "Big Eyes". The band sounds great live, you can sense they're having fun. "Ain't That A Shame" is just good rock & roll. That rolls right into the megahit that's a generational rock anthem, "I Want You To Want Me". You can hear all the screaming Japanese girls singing along. One of the few live songs that's bigger & more popular than the studio version. "Surrender", another giant hit that still gets a ton of airplay today, sounds upbeat and fantastic. "Clock Strikes Ten" is a raucous way to end the night! This makes the list on influence, longevity, reputation and sales. It's not the best album from CT, that would be "Dream Police" or my personal favorite "One On One". 4 stars for longevity, a HUGE hit, capturing energy and influence.

Fun live album

Meh. Probably better than Dylan at Budokan, in a “skinniest kid at fat camp” way.

Cool album. I knew them for a couple of songs but they are actually better than I expected. The live thing makes it even cooler.

Great live album.

Solid

boring to my taste

I'm partial to live albums usually but I found no joy here. Maybe the music itself is not my vibe or the energy is off but, while some of it is entertaining, it's not my thing.

It's aight. Kinda fun. Does feel like something your dad really likes to put on in his garage on sundays. I don't have a dad, a child or a garage though, so not my thing.

A fun arena rock album. It has some cool songs on here, and it was pretty fun to listen to.

It was ok

It was alright in places. Kind of listenable big nothing earth shattering

I really don’t know what kind of music this is. I think fans of most genres would be offended if you lumped this band in their beloved style. Even cock rock fans would complain that they don’t crank it up to 11. Kind of fun in places but I will never listen again.