Cheap Trick - At Budokan (1979)

"Cheap Trick at Budokan" is a live album released by Cheap Trick in 1979 and their best-selling recording.

While their records were entertaining and full of skillful pop, it wasn't until At Budokan that Cheap Trick's vision truly gelled.

"Come On Come On" and "Lookout" really let the listener know how BIG the boys from Rockford, Ill., were in Japan. These are great songs for their mostly teenage female audience.

The best on this set are in the middle: "Big Eyes," "Need Your Love" which have been woven together to give Rick Nielsen a nice long guitar riff, and Robin Zander some reverberating vocals to woo the Japanese girls with and their remake of the Fats Domino tune, "Ain't That A Shame." "I Want You To Want Me" has a harder edge than in the studio version, thankfully played without that tinkling piano.  But, the best in the set is "Surrender," which was recorded before the studio version was released. Appropriately, it closes with "Goodnight," a reworking of "Hello There". "Cheap Trick At Budokan" was ranked number 430 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2003.

Tracklist

01.   Hello There  (Nielsen)  - 2:27

02.   Come on, Come On  (Nielsen)  - 3:17

03.   Lookout  (Nielsen)  - 3:01

04.   Big Eyes  (Nielsen)  - 3:55

05.   Need Your Love  (Nielsen, Petersson)  - 8:46

06.   Ain't That a Shame  (Bartholomew, Domino)  - 5:09

07.   I Want You to Want Me  (Nielsen)  - 3:45

08.   Surrender  (Nielsen)  - 4:25

09.   Goodnight  (Nielsen)  - 3:08

10.   Clock Strikes Ten  (Nielsen)  - 4:01

Personnel

Robin Zander – lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Rick Nielsen – lead guitar, backing vocals

Tom Petersson – bass, backing vocals

Bun E. Carlos – drums

 

Notes

Released:  1979

Recorded at:  Nippon Budokan, Tokyo April 28 and 30, 1978

Genre:  Hard Rock

Length:  42:27

Label:  Epic

Producer:  Cheap Trick