- Cheap Trick Planning to Release New Version of ‘In Color’ (spinner) – open the comments to hear from original In Color producer, Mr. Tom Werman!
- Ain’t That A Shame (Hamer Workshop) – awesome look at Rick’s guitars!
- Cheap Trick (Garlic Never Sleeps)
- Cheap Trick’s stage collapses in Ottawa (The Day Tripper)
- Rockbrat’s Audio Archive: Cheap Trick Live At Jindabyne Hotel, NSW 18 August 1990 (The RockBrat Blog)
- Cheap Trick’s Official Website (cheaptrick.com)
Cheap Trick's 1998 re-recording of their classic, In Color
Cheap Trick – In Color 1998
Cheap Trick’s original recording of In Color is from 1977 and is universally considered one of the greatest hard rock/power pop recordings of all time. However, the band has never been satisfied with the album’s finished sound because it didn’t capture the edginess of their style, as anyone who has ever seen them live can attest. So after leaving Warner Bros., the band hooked up with recording purist Steve Albini and re-recorded the whole thing, plus five bonus tracks. Let me just say: it will rock your face off.
After a full 21 years of performing these songs literally thousands of times, the band knocks them out in the studio, guitars blazing, vocals ripping, drums booming. The production is absolutely raw and glorious — and it works here so very well. I came by the recording recently and it gets more satisfying with every listen.
And I can only imagine what satisfaction it must have been for the band to lay down these songs so familiar to them, then finally hear their music documented as they themselves hear it, show after show. And especially in all its edgy glory. That’s when Cheap Trick are at their best. Their debut album (one of my favorite records of all time) captures this, and their subsequent records are is progressively more tidy (except, maybe Budokan), but this one breaks all that down with abandon.
Says guitarist Rick Neilsen of this re-recording:
As for the re-recorded Albini In Color album, “we haven’t made any plans for it, but we didn’t record it for a joke,” he quips. “We didn’t go at it trying to come up with crazy new arrangements, but sonically we never liked In Color. The songs were good, but sonically it’s wimpy and we’re not wimpy. We left before it got mixed and were told ‘We’ll fix it in the mix’ by our record company (back then) and our ex-manager. Well, they went the other way,” Nielsen says finishing his thought. – via BraveWords.comCheap Trick singer Robin Zander once signed my tape inlay card at a gig.
The original In Color is responsible for much of the band’s success, and will forever be a classic. My point here is just that if you like that, you might like this one, too.
I’m not sure how much longer the tracks will be available on the Interwebs, but a quick search brings up several places currently hosting the recording in its entirety (which I would gladly pay for, as I did my original copy of In Color and all their other records). They have long been one of my all-time favorite bands for their sound, individuality, sense of humor, and enduring work ethic. Having seen them live on multiple occasions, I’ll say this is about as good as it gets to being there. If you like the rock, this revisiting of a classic is worth your time.
Just dropped in and read your review and went to amazon to sample. Wow! Def brought back some great memories. Not sure how old you are but in 1977 I was a rock and roll freak and still love 70's rock. Of course, I never treated my vinyls with care and have replaced some of my favs with CDs. This one should be one I add! Just recently 're-bought' Supertramp's Live in Paris and I can't get enough of it! May be one you want to take a listen to? But thanks for the Cheap Trick reminder!! Great music!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you got something from this! I was a kid about the time this music came up, but I've been a fan since the 80s (teen years) and can't say enough about Cheap Trick, especially live, and ESPECIALLY this recording. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteGreat article/review, and it got me to discover your website. I'm such a big fan of Cheap Trick I've got a Google Alert set for them, and your blog came up. This re-recording was the holy grail for CT fans for the longest time...I enjoy it, and get why they did it. But for me, the sound of the original In Color still means a lot to me. To me, there was and is always a...is "warmth" the right word? There's a warmth to it, there's something about the way that album sounds...to me, Heaven Tonight was the result of the band and Werman trying to get the sound of the first two albums together. And the first album is pure genius.
ReplyDeleteI like the agressiveness of the playing on the Albini version - that's from years of playing live, obviously. But the more I think about it, and ramble on, the more I realize I would have LOVED to hear Jack Douglas producing the second record - or the re-recorded version. The sounds he got on that first album. Live on to tape and the energy there...wow!
Hey Steve — you really hit an important point: these are BOTH great recordings on their own. And I'd say it's OK to prefer one to the other, too; they're both legit in their unique ways. The original, as you state, does have a certain "warmth." And there's no denying its mass appeal, both at the time and through the years. At the same time, this newer recording definitely has an edge matching the live performance; and we all know the live experience of any act is a different in energy and intensity from any studio recording.
ReplyDeleteAnd wow, I'd never considered what In Color might sound like if Douglas produced... that's fun to imagine, and I'd love hear it, but I have to wonder — would the band have gained the exposure that they did if this were the case? Part of the fun for me of Cheap Trick is the energy they bring to their concerts (fun for others too, e.g. Budokan). I don't know that seeing them live would have been as exciting if we already got that on the record. Regardless, I think this all reaffirms Cheap Trick's enduring appeal: they can make great records AND kick ass live.
Very glad you found this post & commented!