Okay, so I've been a bit of a criminal by not reviewing any Cheap Trick albums on this blog, but then again, there's always more to come. Here's a band, who, next to Enuff Z Nuff manage to use hordes of Beatles hooks and melodies but somehow get away with it. I don''t know how they do it, but 'The Latest' is a fantastic record that should see them filling stadiums, but which of course won't. Cheap Trick have always been underrated, their sugary rock all about sweetness and light, and the occasional tear. I don't personally think they are as mighty as Enuff Z Nuff but there's enough on offer here to suggest what we've always known, that most of the more successful bands in the world are crap and the coolest bands never get anywhere. Cheap Trick have been around for decades, but somehow they continue to evoke images of hazy days and love-filled summer's. 'The Latest' pines, swoons and dips its strawberry into the sugar, making you think you've heard every track before, possibly on a Beatles record, and yet somehow it still sounds new and refreshing. 'When The Lights Are Out' just sounds like a timeless classic of upbeat melody. It's hooks are in and you'll be humming it forever. 'Miss Tomorrow', 'These Days', 'Miracle'...utterly beautiful and majestic, evoking images of Lennon and Macca. It really is that good at times. Of course, the band can still rock, 'Sick Man Of Europe' and 'Alive' are big groovers, but again, it's back to those sweeping , soul-searching tracks which are born to be classics, if only in the minds of the metalheads fortunate enough to hear it. Gorgeous.
8.5/10
1 comment:
I need to pay more attention to Cheap Trick - I'm sure I'd like them but bar the obvious I've hardly heard anything by them. I think being of an age from when 'The Flame' was released may have put me off a little. Will investigate!
Post a Comment