Cheap Trick Biography, Songs, & Albums |

Cheap Trick is an American rock band that formed in 1973. The group has experienced many lineup changes, but their original members are Rick Nielsen on guitar and vocals, Tom Petersson on bass guitar, Bun E. Carlos on drums, and Robin Zander on lead vocals.

Cheap Trick is an American rock band that was formed in 1973. The band’s hits include The Flame and I Want You to Want Me. Read more in detail here: cheap trick hits.

Cheap Trick created the essential connections between ’60s pop, heavy metal, and punk by combining a passion for British guitar pop songcraft with crunching power chords and a flair for the ridiculous. The band’s early recordings, headed by guitarist Rick Nielsen, were full of highly melodic, well-written songs that took inspiration from the Beatles’ constructed pop, the Who’s sonic assault, and the Move’s tongue-in-cheek musical eclecticism and comedy. Nielsen, a keen student of 1960s rock, initially collaborated with bassist Tom Petersson in the band Fuse, which lasted just one record before disbanding in 1969. Nielsen and Petersson continued to collaborate in various configurations until 1975, when they joined up with drummer Bun E. Carlos and singer Robin Zander to create Cheap Trick’s classic lineup. Cheap Trick struck an unexpected success with 1978’s At Budokan, a live album initially released exclusively in Japan that became their worldwide breakthrough after three excellent albums — 1977’s Cheap Trick and In Color and 1978’s Heaven Tonight — and continuous touring. Despite the financial success of 1988’s Lap of Luxury and its Number One song “The Flame,” the band’s energy was drained by slicker production and hazy artistic direction on much of their work in the 1980s. However, after 1997’s Cheap Trick, the band had a creative resurgence, confirming the power of their formula onstage and in the studio, and 2006’s Rockford showed they were far from a spent force. They subsequently joined with Big Machine, a popular country label, and released Bang, Zoom, Crazy… Hello in 2016, just months after being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, starting off a prolific run that saw them produce three albums in less than a year. Their music influenced both power pop and arena rock, as well as alternative and heavy metal bands in the 1980s and 1990s, who frequently used the similar mix of loud riffs and catchy choruses.

Fuse, a late-’60s Rockford, Illinois band founded by Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson, is Cheap Trick’s ancestor. In 1969, the band issued an album on Epic Records, but when it failed to gain traction, they moved to Philadelphia and changed their name to Sick Man of Europe. In 1972, the band attempted an unsuccessful European tour and returned to Illinois in 1973. Nielsen and Petersson renamed their band Cheap Trick shortly after their return to Rockford, and recruited drummer Bun E. Carlos and singer Randy “Xeno” Hogan to the lineup. The next year, Hogan was dismissed, allowing space for ex-folksinger Robin Zander to join the group. Between 1975 until the release of their first album in 1977, Cheap Trick traveled nonstop, doing over 200 shows each year and opening for acts such as the Kinks, Kiss, Santana, AC/DC, and Queen. During this period, the band developed a strong library of original songs that would eventually become their first three albums, as well as honing their dynamic live performance.

Cheap Trick signed with Epic Records in 1976 and released their self-titled debut in 1977. Although the album did well in the United States, it did not chart. However, the group was a huge hit in Japan, and the record was certified gold shortly after its debut. In Color, the band’s second album, was released later that year. It steered clear of Cheap Trick’s harder-rocking side, favoring slicker production and calmer compositions that emphasized the band’s lyrical abilities instead. The album made it into the US charts, reaching at number 73, thanks to their continuous touring. However, in Japan, where the band had become virtual celebrities, it became another gold-selling album. Their Japanese performances sold out in just two hours, and the Budokan Arena was almost full.

The Budokan performances were taped for potential publication, but the live album didn’t come out until the band’s third album, Heaven Tonight, in 1978. That third album combined both Cheap Trick’s boisterous energy and In Color’s hook-laden songcraft, resulting in their first Top 100 hit, “Surrender,” which reached number 62. However, the band’s dynamic, contagious live act was recorded on At Budokan (1979), which led to their mainstream success in America. The album spent almost a year on the charts, peaking at number four and selling more than three million copies. Meanwhile, their first Top Ten success was a live rendition of “I Want You to Want Me.” Dream Police, the group’s fourth studio album, was released later that year and followed the same musical approach as Heaven Tonight. It debuted in the Top Ten after At Budokan, selling over a million copies and spawning the Top 40 hit singles “Voices” and “Dream Police.” The ensemble released Found All the Parts, an EP of songs produced between 1976 and 1979, in the summer of 1980.

Petersson departed the group in the summer of 1980, after the recording of the George Martin-produced All Shook Up, to create a band with his wife, Dagmar. Jon Brant took his position. All Shook Up was released towards the end of 1980 and had a respectable chart run, peaking at number 24 and earning gold, but the single “Stop This Game” failed to make the Top 40. In 1982, the trio released One on One, their seventh album and the first featuring Brant. The song was more popular than All Shook Up, reaching number 39 on the charts and ultimately becoming platinum. Despite the fact that the group’s music was getting more polished, the group was on the verge of a commercial downturn. Next Position Please, which was published in 1983 but failed to chart, lasted just 11 weeks on the charts. Standing on the Edge (1985) and The Doctor (1986) were similarly doomed as the group’s creative spark faded.

In 1988, Petersson returned to the band, and the band started work on a new album with the assistance of many professional songwriters. Lap of Luxury, the album that resulted, was a platinum Top 20 success, with the number one power ballad “The Flame” and a Top Ten cover of Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel.” Busted, published in 1990, didn’t have the same commercial success as Lap of Luxury, peaking at number 48 and essentially ending the group’s return.

Cheap Trick entered the new decade by signing with Warner Bros. in 1994 and releasing Woke Up with a Monster, which reached number 123 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for two weeks. In the same year, Epic published Budokan II, a sequel to At Budokan. The album, which was compiled from the same performances as At Budokan, provided as a powerful reminder of why the band had been so famous in the late 1970s.

After Warner’s top executives, Lenny Waronker and Mo Ostin, left, Cheap Trick requested to leave the label’s roster in 1995. The band chose to return to its roots, and many alt rock celebrities who had been inspired by Cheap Trick helped the band reclaim their reputation. They opened for the Smashing Pumpkins on their 1995 tour, and they also performed on the Lollapalooza Tour in 1996. Cheap Trick joined with the budding independent label Red Ant and began production on a new record the same year, with the box set Sex, America, Cheap Trick receiving favorable reviews. The trio released a Steve Albini-produced single on Sub Pop in early 1997, followed by the critically praised Cheap Trick, their debut for Red Ant, in the spring. Unfortunately, seven weeks after the album’s release, Red Ant filed for bankruptcy, abruptly halting the band’s growing momentum.

On April 30, 1998, the band began a four-night residency in Chicago, dedicating each concert to a full performance of one of their first four albums. Music for Hangovers, a 1999 live album by Cheap Trick, was released on the band’s own Cheap Trick Unlimited label. In the year 2000, the band released a hits compilation with their permission. Cheap Trick were still without a label at the turn of the century, but they had maintained their devoted fanbase by touring the globe. In 2001, another live set was released, which was timely. The double-disc record (together with a companion DVD) was named Silver, and it captured the band’s star-studded, career-spanning 25th anniversary concert on August 28, 1999. The band also produced a second studio album, Special One, which was released in 2003. It was followed by Rockford in 2006, which was named after the band’s hometown, and The Latest in 2009. Cheap Trick also maintained a busy touring schedule that summer, playing with Def Leppard and released Sgt. Pepper Live, an homage to the Beatles. Cheap Trick joined with Big Machine Records in late 2015, and their debut album with them, Bang, Zoom, Crazy…, was released in late 2016. Hello was released in April 2016, the same month the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the first time. It was Cheap Trick’s first studio album after drummer Bun E. Carlos left the band. Rick’s son, Daxx Nielsen, joined the band as a drummer in 2010. Without wasting any time, the band released We’re All Alright!, their second album for Big Machine, in June 2017. They’d hardly recovered their breath when they returned in October 2017 with their debut holiday album, Christmas Christmas.

The band’s first full studio album since We’re All Alright, In Another World, was released in April 2024.

The cheap trick band is a rock band that has been around for over 40 years. They have released 17 albums, and are known for their hit songs The Flame and Surrender.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of music does Cheap Trick play?

Cheap Trick is a rock band that has been around since the 1970s. They have had many hits, including Surrender, I Want You To Want Me, and The Flame.

Who was the leader of Cheap Trick?

Rick Nielsen was the leader of Cheap Trick.

How many original members are still in Cheap Trick?

The original members of Cheap Trick are Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson, and Bun E. Carlos.

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