This my favourite early album by Cheap Trick. The musical landscape was changing at the time, and rock music was becoming heavier with bands like Van Halen and AC/DC having a big influence.
Rick Neilson seems to play way more guitar on this than usual, especially on tracks like Gonna Raise Hell (which is epic), Need Your Love, and the wonderful The House Is Rockin’ (which is my favourite on the album and Rick is really showing his chops). Of course there is their usual patented brand of power pop with tracks like Dream Police and I’ll be With You Tonight, with the infectious hooks and grooves. Voices sounds like something from the George Harrison song book, and the sleeper track that no one mentions is I Know What I Want. Cheap Trick are one of America’s greatest exports and they have this knack of writing amazing catchy pop/rock songs, and long may they continue. Would you say they are America’s Beatles?
9/10 from The Grooveman.
