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Rick
Neilsen
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Cheap
Trick
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One of rock's most entertaining
attractions, Cheap Trick formed in Chicago, Illinois, USA, in
1973.
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Rick Nielsen (b. 22 December 1946,
Rockford, Illinois, USA; guitar, vocals) and Tom Petersson
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(b. Tom Peterson, 9 May 1950,
Rockford, Illinois, USA; bass, vocals) began their careers in various high
school bands,
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before securing a recording
contract as members of Fuse. This short-lived outfit folded on completing
a
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debut album, and the duo formed a
new group with Thom Mooney and Robert 'Stewkey' Antoni from
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the recently disbanded Nazz.
Mooney was subsequently replaced by drummer Brad Carlson (aka Bun E. Carlos,
b.
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12 June 1951, Rockford, Illinois,
USA), and with the departure of 'Stewkey', the initial Cheap Trick
line-up
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was completed by vocalist Randy
'Xeno' Hogan. He, in turn, was replaced by Robin Zander (b. 23
January
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1952, Loves Park, Illinois, USA;
guitar, vocals), a former colleague of Carlson's in the short-lived
Toons.
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Relocated to America's Midwest,
the quartet embarked on the gruelling bar band circuit before a series
of
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demo tapes secured a recording
contract. Although Cheap Trick is generally regarded as a
disappointment,
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it introduced the group's
inventive flair and striking visual image. The heart-throb good looks of
Zander and
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Petersson clashed with Carlos's
seedy garb, while Nielsen's odd-ball costume - baseball cap, bow-tie
and
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monogrammed sweater - compounded
this unlikely contrast. Having spent a frenetic period
supporting
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Queen, Journey and Kiss, Cheap
Trick completed a second collection within months of their
debut.
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In Color offered a smoother sound
in which a grasp of melody was allowed to flourish, and
established
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the group's ability to satisfy
visceral and cerebral demands. It contained several engaging
performances,
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including 'I Want You To Want Me',
'Hello There' and 'Clock Strikes Ten', each of which became
in-concert
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favourites. Heaven Tonight
consolidated the group's unique approach, while 'Surrender' offered the
consummate
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Cheap Trick performance, blending
the British pop of the Move with the urgent riffing of the best
of
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America's hard rock. At Budokan
followed a highly successful tour of Japan, and this explosive live
set
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became the quartet's first
platinum disc, confirming them as a headline act in their own right.
However,
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Dream Police added little to the
sound extolled on the previous two studio releases, and, moreover, the
title
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song was originally recorded for
the group's debut album. Producer George Martin did little to deflect
this
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sterility on All Shook Up, while
Found All The Parts, a mini-album culled from out-takes,
suggested
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internal problems. A disaffected
Petersson left the group in 1982, but although Pete Comita initially took his
place,
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the latter quickly made way for
Jon Brant (ex-Ruffians). Neither One On One, nor the Todd Rundgren
-produced
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Next Position Please, halted Cheap
Trick's commercial slide, but Standing On The Edge offered hopes of a
renaissance.
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A 1986 recording, 'Mighty Wings',
was used on the soundtrack of the successful Top Gun movie,
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while the return of Petersson the
same year re-established the group's most successful
line-up.
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Lap Of Luxury achieved
multi-platinum status when an attendant single, 'The Flame', topped
the
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US chart in 1988, confirming Cheap
Trick's dramatic resurrection as a major US act. Busted
failed
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to scale similar heights, and
their one album for Warner Brothers Records, Woke Up With A
Monster,
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was completely overshadowed by the
release of a sequel to the Budokan album the same year.
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The band's standing remained high
among the new wave of American alternative rockers, however,
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and they played several dates on
the 1996 Lollapalooza tour before signing with the independent label Red
Ant.
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Their second self-titled album
followed and marked a return to the thundering power-pop of
In
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Color and Heaven Tonight. The
band's stock is currently high following the release of 1996's
4-CD
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box set and the complete Budokan
concert in 1998.
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Photograph of Rick Neilsen of
Cheap Trick by John Robert Rowlands
