CHEAP TRICK: In Color LP Brilliant Hard Rock, gatefold LP 1977 USA. Check video of “I Want You To Want Me” + samples.

Label: Epic ‎– PE 34884
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Santa Maria Pressing, Gatefold
Country: US
Released:
Genre: Rock
Style: Power Pop, Pop Rock, Hard Rock
Tracklist:
A1 Hello There 1:39 Written-By – R. Nielsen*
A2 Big Eyes 3:04 Written-By – R. Nielsen*
A3 Downed 4:06 Written-By – R. Nielsen*
A4 I Want You To Want Me 3:09 Written-By – R. Nielsen*
A5 You’re All Talk 3:31 Written-By – R. Nielsen*, T. Petersson*

B1 Oh Caroline 2:56 Written-By – R. Nielsen*
B2 Clock Strikes Ten 2:57 Written-By – R. Nielsen*
B3 Southern Girls 3:40 Written-By – R. Nielsen*, T. Petersson*
B4 Come On, Come On 2:36 Written-By – R. Nielsen*
B5 So Good To See You 3:34 Written-By – R. Nielsen*

Phonographic Copyright (p) – CBS Inc.
Recorded At – Kendun Recorders
Mixed At – Westlake Audio
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Santa Maria
Copyright (c) – CBS Inc.

Bass, Vocals – Tom Petersson
Design – Jim Charne, Paula Scher
Drums – Bun E. Carlos
Engineer – Antonino Reale*
Lead Guitar, Vocals – Rick Nielsen
Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar – Robin Zander
Management [PM] – Ken Adamany
Mastered By – George Marino
Photography By – Benno Friedman
Producer – Tom Werman
Reissue with blue labels and barcode.

Brilliant Pop/ Rock tunes throughout…
Cheap Tricks second album (and second of ’77!) doesn’t exactly pick up where its classic, hard-edged debut left off; it was the “Power” and this is the “Pop.” Their workaholic gigs as an unsigned Midwest bar band in the mid-’70s left them with an impressive backlog of original material, another batch of which forms the core of In Color. Though the band disdained producer Tom Werman’s bubblegum-flavored touches, it was indeed the kinder, gentler Cheap Trick that Japanese audiences first took to their hearts at Budokan, with the rest of the world soon to follow. That approach is best exemplified by the evergreen “I Want You to Want Me” (which didn’t become a hit until Live at Budokan), here dolled up with a Fats Domino-flavored piano break. While Wermans poppy approach dilutes the bands wall-of-noise live bent, it also underscores their impressive individual musical talents: Rick Nielsens manic riffing on “Big Eyes” and the albums other retro-burner, “Clock Strikes Ten”; Robin Zanders vocal multiple-personalities that range from the suicidal angst of “Downed” (surely a favorite of Trick admirer Kurt Cobain) through the sweet anticipation of “I Want You” to the world-weariness of “So Good to See You”; and the rhythm section of Tom Petersson and Bun E. Carlos anchoring everything (especially the delicious “Southern Girls”) with a flawless wallop.

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5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BEACH MUSIC
Cheap Trick has been branded as “too sugary” to be considered true rock’n’roll and to heavy to be pop, so what do you say about “In Color” perhaps the best power-pop release of the 70s? This LP was blasting from every cassette and 8-track player on the beaches of Southern California in the late 70s so all you need to say is “Rock On”!
Rick Nielson wrote crunchy “pop” music, that was often incorrectly labelled as hard rock, and the band suffered for it with a too-short appearance at the top of the rock world. Robin Zanders voice may have been ripe with Beatles affectation (perhaps leading to a “wannabe” label) but there can be no denying it as a terrific pop instrument. Songs like “Big Eyes”, “Downed”, “I Want You to Want Me”, “Oh Caroline” and “Southern Girls” are testaments to Nielson’s rock’n’pop sensibilities and to Zander’s perfect delivery.
Cheap Trick is a band that should’ve been stars for decades, so grab onto “In Color” and “Heaven Tonight” and wrap yourself around some free-wheelin’ power-pop tunes before somebody shames you out of it!
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5.0 out of 5 stars Hard Rocking Fun,
Cheap Trick is a band that never took itself too seriously, with a hard rock sound, but a fun attitude. It all works, and “in Color” hits it right on. The album cover plays the “pretty boy” toughness of singer Robin Zander and Bassist Tom Pettersson versus the bad-boy-geek of guitarist Rick Nielsen and drummer Bun E. Carlos perfectly, with Zaner & Petersson looking cool (in color) astride Choppers, and Carlos and Nielsen (in black and white) on scooters. Packaging aside, the music is great. Cheap Trick rocks, but never looses their pop sensibilities. Fully half of this disc would end up on the mega hit live set “At the Budokan” (“I Want You To Want Me”,”Hello There”, “Come On, Come On”, “Big Eyes” and “Clock Strike Ten”), and these original versions have all the energy of the live set. The rest of the songs are every bit as good, especially “Southern Girls”, “Oh Caroline” and “Downed”, which is one of my all time favorite songs.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Their Best,
What can anyone say about this album that hasn’t already been said. Its CTs best. I can’t offer any further insight to the greatness of this album that hasn’t been said a thousand times before.
The original is brilliant from start to finish. Having said that though, it perhaps is a bit poppy. Doesn’t have the rock of their other albums from that era, but its a nice change.
Southern Girls is ranks in their best top 3 songs.
The weakest track for me has always been Clock Strikes Ten – it only scores 4/5!! Even on Budokan its always been a lesser track for me. As mentioned, ranks up the very top of their albums.

Cheap Trick: Why Aren’t They One of the Biggest Bands Ever?

Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame” is widely regarded as a quintessential rock n roll song. Through the years it’s been covered by artists from Pat Boone to Hank Williams Jr. — even John Lennon. Of all the covers, Domino’s favorite was the version by Cheap Trick. And it’s hard to disagree with him.

In a live recording from 1980, Cheap Trick performs the rock staple in front of a star-studded audience. The scene plays out as follows; Robin Zander walks out as the instrumental introduction coming to a close. Tom Petersson, whose hair is larger than life, is driving the crowd absolutely wild. Guitarist Rick Nielsen is running all over the stage like a kid off his medication. And remarkably for one of the first times in history, Bun E. Carlos is pounding his drums without a cigarette in his mouth. When the band kicks off, the energy is off the charts. A performance like that begs the question: “So why aren’t they HUGE?”

It was never about where the band came from; in fact, where they came from was a setback. A group from northern Illinois trying to make it in Wisconsin wasn’t exactly at the top of a record label’s list. If anything, those conditions fuelled rebellion on their part. To bust out of the obscurity of Rockford, Illinois would take something special. And they had it.

Their dynamic was simple but flawless. In front were Zander and Petersson. Zander proved to be a dynamic frontman with an incredible vocal range, rhythm guitar capabilities and the looks to carry him through. Petersson was the entire “Zander” package, only with brown hair and picking a four-string instead of a six. Together the two would line the front of Cheap Tricks’ albums for years to come.

Behind the curtain were two of the most unique figures in rock. Drummer Bun E Carlos looked like a chain-smoking insurance salesman but provided an energetic beat. The backbone of it all was guitarist Rick Nielsen, an enigma that words can never fully convey. His unorthodox wardrobe, eccentric guitar collection, and unprecedented energy were exactly what rock n roll is meant to be.

In 1974, the band set out to make a name after landing a record deal with Epic Records. When they burst on the scene, audiences weren’t entirely sure how to categorize them; They were… a bit of everything. They were rebellious but could write a sophisticated pop song. They cared about the music they played but didn’t care how they came off. They had pop appeal with the legitimacy of a bonafide rock group. Their first three albums embodied a raw sound that toed the line of power pop and the vigor of the upcoming punk scene.

1978’s live album Cheap Trick At Budokan jettisoned them into the spotlight. Fewer albums have captured the magic that Budokan did; it put the group on the map. The energy of the crowd was comparable to that of Beatlemania. Critics were quick to applaud Budokan and help elevate Cheap Trick’s status to top tier rock band. The group quickly followed up with their strongest and highest charting studio album: Dream Police.

Coming off the success of Budokan and Dream Police, Cheap Trick was able to successfully crossover and maintain their rock popularity. Not only was their AOR appeal fortuitous, but the timing of their ’80s peak was equally opportunistic. The ’80s produced some of their biggest hits in “If You Want My Love”, the Todd Rundgren-produced “I Can’t Take It”, and their first # 1 hit, “The Flame.” Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before their own flame started to fade.

Even with their success, the legacy of Cheap Trick has become a bit diluted. It seems they’ve become stuck in a purgatory of a “novelty band.” Their biggest hit, “I Want You To Want Me” has become synonymous with “bubble gum pop.” Some adolescent lyrics, such as “Surrender” haven’t resonated well. Even their biggest exposure came at a price: their theme song for That 70’s Show was merely a reimagining of Big Star’s “In The Street.”

As time passed, something had eluded the group; a trip to the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. The group patiently sat by the phone since their first year of eligibility in 1999. Zander and Petersson even admitted they were never sure if they were ever going to get in. Finally, in 2015, it was announced that Cheap Trick was nominated. Quickly, an online campaign emerged, enlisting the support of Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam. Cheap Trick was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame on April 8th, 2016.

Although the group finally got their due, their reputation still remains in play. Doubters will be quick to pin the group as too juvenile or commercial. But what makes Cheap Trick special is that they have one thing most groups strive to have: an identity. They never pretended to be anything they weren’t and killed it at everything that they were no matter how unconventional. Cheap Trick’s influence is perfectly summed up in an exchange between “Damone” and “Dena” in the 1982 movie classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Damone attempts to sell Dena a pair of tickets to a Cheap Trick concert. After her reluctance, Damone pleads “Can you honestly tell me that you forgot? Forgot the magnetism of Robin Zander? Or the charisma of Rick Nielsen?” Still not convinced Dena is quick to reply with “That’s kids stuff…”

To which Damone can only reply “Kids stuff? But what about the tunes?!?”