Rockford, IL · power-pop · hard rock

Cheap Trick

1 upcoming festival →

Power-pop hall-of-famers with a five-neck guitar and a catalogue built entirely out of choruses — 'Surrender' still the correct answer to most questions.

Rick Nielsen first formed a band called Fuse in Rockford in 1967 with Tom Petersson, later joined by Bun E. Carlos on drums; the group moved to Philadelphia in 1971 and briefly went by Sick Man of Europe before settling on the name Cheap Trick in August 1973, reportedly inspired by a comment made at a Slade concert. Robin Zander initially turned down the singer's job, and a short-lived replacement, Randy Hogan, came and went before Zander joined for good in late 1974.

The band spent the mid-1970s playing warehouses and bowling alleys around the Midwest before signing to Epic Records in 1976. Their self-titled 1977 debut was well reviewed but sold poorly, and its single, "Oh Candy," failed to chart.

Their second album, In Color, released later in 1977, later made Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums despite modest sales at the time. A frenzied reception on their first Japanese tour in 1978 led to the live album At Budokan, which went triple platinum and produced a Top 10 hit with a live version of "I Want You to Want Me," while the following studio album, Dream Police, reached number six on the Billboard 200.

Beyond "Surrender," "I Want You to Want Me" and "Dream Police," the band's catalogue includes "Voices," "She's Tight," "Tonight It's You," a cover of "Don't Be Cruel," "Ghost Town" and "Can't Stop Fallin' into Love." After a quieter run in the 1980s, they returned to the top of the US charts with the power ballad "The Flame," from 1988's Lap of Luxury.

Nielsen remains known for his collection of custom guitars, including multi-neck instruments. The band has played more than 5,000 live shows since forming and sold over 20 million albums, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

Read more

power-pophard rock