Birthday and Cheap Trick

Recently it was my birthday in what is shaping up to be a very different year than any ever and I had some cds to listen to.

Currently I'm getting a number of albums on CD by this US Hard Rock band that I've liked from the late 70's.

In Color: Those who know me may recall I used to play this one at high school recess on the music centre from a pre-recorded cassette I had at the time. If anything this really showed how they could take Hard Rock and at the same time add to it poppy choruses you could sing along to together with much melodic playing.

The album features the hit 45 "I Want You To Want Me" as well as "You're All Talk" and "Oh Caroline". I have the first American made cd of this title which sounds pretty good.

Heaven Tonight: It's an album where they get a tad more adventurous with longer numbers such as the Title track and has the 45 "Surrender" and a spirited cover of the Move's "California Man"

I have the last of the European cds before some (but not all) of their albums were re-mastered in 2006 and this isn't as good as my UK lp more kind of acceptable (a bit thin sounding). I might get a cheap 5Disc set that has the album included from the re-masters.

Dream Police: This masterpiece came out in 1979 and easily is one the best albums they ever did with the epic "Gonna Raise hell" and the hit 45 "Voices".

I got the 2006 re-master of it on Epic/Legacy and it's really worth going with that cd not just for the excellent sound but the many bonus tracks included.

At Budokan is a legendary concert issued original as a single lp in Japan in 1979 but rush released in the states and reissued briefly on cd in a two cd complete concert form.

I recently got the 2006 remastered US single cd of this and while not being exactly audiophile it matches the original yellow vinyl lp.