CHEAP TRICK: Cheap Trick at Budokan - The Complete Concert (Epic / Legacy)

The year was 1978. The place: Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan--the scene of what would become one of the most successful live albums ever. The band planned to release Cheap Trick at Budokan as a nod of appreciation to their fans in the Far East. It was never intended for release here in the states. Since the Japanese audiences at that time were much more interested in pop songs, most of the harder-edged tunes like "Elo Kiddies," "California Man" and "Auf Wiedersehen" were left off. Not anymore. The show's original 19 songs are presented here in the order they were played, and the new double CD has a much better flow than the original release.

The original master tapes were digitally remixed and remastered, and the sound quality is noticeably improved. Legacy also added new liner notes and photos, live video clips of "Surrender" and "Auf Wiedersehen" from the original 1978 performance, as well as current interviews with all four members of the group. They took a great album and made it even better. No Cheap Trick fan should be without this one.

© 1998 Steve Marshall