Cheap Trick — The Essential

Despite the fact that Cheap Trick are still one of the best live bands kickin’ it (Aerosmith aren't using them on their current tour for their good looks), the bulk of their recorded output after 1979’s Dream Police is pretty shoddy. The Essential Cheap Trick makes this painfully clear as the first of the two discs far outweighs the second. It's a damn tragedy that somewhere along the line, the band that belted out simple rock songs like "Hot Love" and "He's A Whore" got so severely neutered that they were cranking out over blown schmaltz ballads like "The Flame" and "Can't Stop Falling Into Love." If you really want to rock your nuts off, then check out Cheap Trick At Budokan (The Complete Concert). THAT's essential Cheap Trick.

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