Hard 20 |
Cheap Trick"Special One" Not that Cheap Trick's been sitting on their hands willing to let time do its thing and live off the luxury of the past they've been busying themselves running their own self-titled label, producing live records and anniversary sets, summer gigging… but it's been a while since the band's produced any new material. And now that it's been firmly established of their influence on the many big-namers past to present Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins… anything today produced by a Steve Albini, well, it's almost frightening to think of the repercussions if the band came out with a bad record. Let's face it, they've done Classic Rock fests and Greatest Hits records for a reason; though one might suggest they'd still had plenty of relevant and more recent material to draw from unlike many other aging veterans seeking a quick fun in the sun cash in. So "Special One" is their first studio record in six years and for anyone that remembers, follows their ill-fated, second self-titled release for the defunct "Dead" Ant, or Red Ant label and as such, has an additionally high standard to live up to. Acknowledged or not, Cheap Trick's '97 release was their strongest and most meaningful record in years. "Special One" is less effective at first listen. By the third or fourth a band of their class and caliber is worth the effort it's clear that this is easily one of their strongest, more varietal records since before their mid-'80s swoon. While less immediate than the aforementioned self-titled, there's plenty of depth hidden beneath the playful exterior. First thoughts after their punishing that's right "punishing" lead track "Scent of a Woman" are, is this really them? Easily one of their most energetic hard rockin' tracks in recent memory, and not that they're really returning from anything, but if one song exemplified resurgence, it's this one. Beginning innocently enough with Robin's enticing beckoning to the fairer sex, the song explodes by way of Nielson's volumized chords to accentuate a rigorously paced anthem that'll go down in history alongside the likes of "Surrender" or "Way Of The World" types and be a sure live staple for years to come. "Too Much" and "Special One" are breath catching interludes that signify the band's soulful renown that's long held them alongside the likes of The Beatles, while "Pop Drone" is classic Trick recalling the slow burn of songs like "Oh Candy," "Need Your Love" with its stirring psychedelic subtlety and altruistic vocal harmonies. Robin's vox more than hold up under the most extreme of conditions some thirty years after having started, lesser knowns might disguise or embellish what little they've got left, but here, and as usual, his are almost selfishly forefront amongst the music, a highlight attribute that's held the band to an even higher regard even if he's rarely given his just due. Whether delivering a sensuous ballad or screaming like a psychotic, his voice remains both polished and coarse depending on the suitable mood of the moment, and as with everything they do, there are many. "My Obsession" is a straight forward radio ready Pop song that's reminiscent at the onset of "Had To Make You Mine," an undercover "hit" of the long forgotten "Busted" release from '90. "Words" is another gripping love song, something they do well and continue to do in spite of their own documented protests of producing their only number one hit, "The Flame." But then, it's a strength of theirs, they've built on it, and it's part of their character. This one's a sappy love song, let's be honest, and while I question song selection midway through for fear of overdrawing from the well of monotony in maturity see Tom Petty, Jayhawks, Warren Zevon(?), yet the song does build momentum and goes heavy on the electric for a welcome energy boost before finishing like it began, and in total, a well-blended, and beautifully crafted ballad. "Sorry Boy" is amongst the finest they've ever done. Riding an eerily dark opening, akin to The Cars' "Moving In Stereo," it's also reminiscent of CT's own "Twisted Heart," a hidden gem first appearing on their stellar "Sex America" set, and it's vintage Trick, featuring a writhing beat ploughed by Bun E's Bonham-like blasts and Zep-like "Levee" style heavy. "Best Friend" is a dream/nightmare effect, lulling the listener to a false sense of security Zander's compared to a zillion other vocalists of varying renown Lennon, McCartney for starters, but here, damned if he doesn't come off like Iggy Pop before he really tearing it loose in a flood of unrestrained, red-faced screams, ascending guitar power and fuzz-driven jam straightened up then slammed by Petersson's off beat bass and Bun E's cymbal crashing. A can't miss opportunity to restate themselves on stage when the last notes of anything from the first four records fade and they wanna slip in a "trick" of their own for a set ending encore. The last few tracks see the band playing with some studio effects, proving that while they've never forgotten their roots, they're not asleep at the wheel either. What we're left with is a complete record that, like another of their records claims, "Found All The Parts," and they're indeed flying all over the place, sometimes intrusively, sometimes subliminally. There's only one Cheap Trick and while they may never replicate the golden moments of their oft-referred early years, they haven't lost the ability to arouse, entice, or alienate themselves from the rest of the pack that's usually settled in on a hit or two fronting a record of worthless, pre-packaged verbiage. My prediction for this album is it could well, and should, strike it big on the merits of their "Scent of a Woman" single alone, for longtime fans clamoring for a little more of the "power" in the band's Pop. Barring a short-sightedness at rock and/or college radio, "Special One" is an overall busy record, from its cover art to its production to its stylistic diversity, it's undeniably Cheap Trick, unsettled and striving for more. |