Cheap Trick, Dream Police
Featured Album
Relentlessly uptempo, hooky, smart new wave pop for knowledgeable people
Dream Police, Cheap Trick's third studio album, was recorded in 1978 but its release was delayed by the unexpected success of Live in Budokan in Japan and, ultimately, the United States. "Delay" was relative in those days, when it was not unusual for a band to release two albums in a year: Dream Police came out in 1979, Cheap Trick's fifth album in three years. This was the new wave moment: England had Elvis Costello, L.A. had The Knack, and Cheap Trick split the difference, the pride of Rockford, Ill. Dream Police is prime Cheap Trick, relentlessly uptempo, hooky, smart and tight, the product of years of playing every VFW gig in the Quad Cities. "The House is Rockin '(With Domestic Problems)" shows their gift for mixing teen angst and big riffs, and "Gonna Raise Hell" is an arena rocker as simple and irresistible as AC/DC. They switch gears smoothly with "Voices," which was a "Beatlesque" ballad before that term got worn out. "Writing On the Wall" has the easy bopping presence of a Nick Lowe tune, and like Lowe, they transcend clichés by both acknowledging them and challenging them: the unexpected chords and complex arrangement of "I'll Be With You Tonight" is pure pop for knowledgeable people.
