Listen to the Podcast:
Hi everybody, or should I say Elo Kiddies...Today's selection is the 1977 debut from power-pop icons, and one of my favorite bands, Cheap Trick. This album isn't full of hits. Those came on later albums. This one is just full of the heavy and boisterous guitar licks and chord progressions, infectious, almost tongue-in-cheek grooves from the rhythm section, and the angelic yet, at times, angry vocals that we've come to expect from Cheap Trick in the 45 years since.
Here's a quick synopsis from Apple Music:
"Cheap Trick’s self-titled debut is a power-pop tour de force that packs a punch harder than a heavyweight’s haymaker, mixing sneering punk rock energy with rousing melodies. Thrills abound from start to finish: Look to the jagged guitar blasts of “Hot Love” and its face-melting blues swagger, or the glittering, emotional burn of “Oh, Candy,” a tribute to a suicidal friend. The paranoid finale—“The Ballad of TV Violence (I’m Not the Only Boy)”—devolves into a wild wall-shaker to end the record on a dangerous note."
I love this album. I don't love exercising, and I've certainly never exercised while listening to this album on vinyl. How did it go? Pretty well, I think. Let's go through it:
Cheap Trick: Cheap Trick (1977)
Side 1
ELO Kiddies
- Tempo: 132bpm
- Energy: thick, heavy, aggressive
- Workout Rating: 8
- Notes: That opening Rick Nielsen chord progression and the groove between Bun E. Carlos and Bassist Tom Petersson is one of the things that I think about when I think about Cheap Trick. This is a great song and feels very motivational as an opener to a workout, to an album, and a career.
Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School
- Tempo: 102bpm
- Energy: slow but with a driving intensity
- Workout Rating: 7
- Notes: Cool, heavy guitar power chords from Rick Nielsen with some Ace Frehley-style leads thrown in, as well as interesting punk rock vocals during the verses from Robin Zander. Of course, there's a catchy melodic chorus, because it's Cheap Trick. Decent for a workout because of its heaviness.
I mentioned him earlier, but Bun E. Carlos is one of my favorite drummers. I'm not a drummer so I can't speak to his technical prowess, but his style of drumming is so fun, accessible, and engaging. I know he's not in the band anymore and they're still great. I just saw them a couple of years ago, but I can't imagine classic Cheap Trick without Bun E. behind the drum kit.
Taxman, Mr. Thief
- Tempo: 112bpm
- Energy: Steady, reassuring (though the lyrics aren't)
- Workout Rating: 7
Notes: This song has a past, a present (mean 1977), and a future in it. You hear the Beatles in here. You hear 1970s pop music in here. You hear what will become alternative rock a la Smashing Pumpkins in here. This song is Cheap Trick in a nutshell. Good for a workout only because it's so interesting and layered.
Cry, Cry
- Tempo: 76 bpm
- Energy: Slow and Stompy (that's not a word)
- Workout Rating: 6
- Notes: A slow gallop might be a better way to describe the verses of this song. Certainly interesting and engaging, with great hooks in the chorus, but it's probably a little slow for a good workout.
Oh Candy
- Tempo: 130bpm
- Energy: Sweet, with a dark underbelly
- Workout Rating: 8
- Notes: Cheap Trick went back to this style of a song a lot over their career, but this was the first. It's so catchy and melodic that you can't help but stay engaged by it, which is what I'm looking for in an exercise song.
Side A
Yes, that's right. Side 1 is side 1 and this side is side A. No B-sides on this one! There’s a little Cheap Trick humor for you.
Hot Love
- Tempo: 180bpm
- Energy: hard rocking boogie - is that a way to describe energy? I think it is.
- Workout Rating: 9
- Notes: This tune opens with a cool Chuck Berry lead, it includes some Beatles-style vocals in the bridge, and it drives fast and hard the whole way through. The guitar in this is so good from top to bottom. One of the best tracks I've listened to for exercising since I started this project.
Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
- Tempo: 116bpm
- Energy: Moderate but combative
- Workout Rating: 7
- Notes: Cheap Trick plays T-Rex? That was my first thought. You also get a little Rolling Stones in here. Even the slower songs on this album have moments that keep your energy up with heavy guitar, massive Bun E. Carlos drum fills, and the commanding vocals of Robin Zander.
He's a Whore
- Tempo: 169bpm
- Energy: high energy, driving
- Workout Rating: 7
- Notes: Not one of my favorite tracks on the album, but it's still really good, prototypical Cheap Trick and you can hardly beat that.
Mandocello
- Tempo: 100bpm
- Energy: A confident stroll down a city street on a cool, overcast day
- Workout Rating: 6
- Notes: This song is so cool. The harmonies are gorgeous. The constant groove is so steady and ongoing. Not a great exercise song but give it a break because it's gorgeous.
The Ballad of TV Violence (I'm Not the Only Boy)
- Tempo: 97bpm (but in places the groove doubles so you could also say 190bpm)
- Energy: Raucous, energetic
- Workout Rating: 7
- Notes: Whether you believe this is the close of the album or just the end of side A, it's still a pretty good closer. The end is boisterous and heavy, and a good way to end your workout.
The Bottom Line:
Of course, I know this album but the vinyl was new to me. I had an idea when I put it on that this might be a record that I was going to enjoy exercising too. I did.
Overall album score: 7.2
That puts it into the lead on the Out of Breath Albums charts. That's pretty good.
Let's see what I pull out of the record crate next. And remember, right now I'm solely pulling from my newly purchased vinyl because I have a self-imposed rule that I won't file or catalog my vinyl purchases until I've listened to it at least once. In the future, I may pull from my full collection, but right now the album choices are a matter of what I’ve bought over the last couple of years. Thanks for listening. I'll see you next time, on Out of Breath Albums.
