Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Album For Anyone Who Hated "Lap of Luxury", April 1, 2004
On VH1's countdown of the 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock (Cheap Trick landed at #25), respected sound engineer and recent CT producer Rob Albini described the group's music as having "moments of rage and ugliness and power...but there are also things about it that are genuinely very pretty and elegant." This album is their "elegant" side (or as elegant as a blistering power-pop band can get anyway).
Like all of their string of commercially-failed 80s albums, "Next Position Please" is a real gem, and a worthwhile reward for anyone who gives panned albums a chance. Renowned pop producing expert Todd Rundgren was brought on board to man the switches, a move that many say is to be given credit for the album's accessibility. On Cheap Trick's previous "failed" album, "One On One," there were subtle hints that their commercial slide was interfering with the confidence in their music, but that's certainly not the case with "Next Position Please." Cheap Trick sounds determined and focused, despite what shows up in many CT bios. The title track sounds like it was written during the band's glory days of the late 70s, and Rundgren's glossy production actually works on 'Y.O.Y.O.Y.', 'I Can't Take It' (Trick at their most sincere), and the album's best track, 'I Don't Love Here Anymore' (which is complete with Beatles-like backing vocals). It's also obvious that the group were trying to regain a younger, modern audience with songs like 'You Talk To Much' and 'Heaven's Falling.' A wildly left-center version of 'Dancing the Night Away' meanwhile, can be seen as only Cheap Trick being their erratic, oddball selves.
Many complain that "Next Position Please" is much too pop-oriented to sound like vintage Cheap Trick; but whoever thinks that can compare this record to their 1988 'comeback' "Lap of Luxury," an album the band members themselves criticize, in which the group was forced to bring in outside songwriters. So in that light, "Next Position Please" is the more Cheap Trick-sounding substitute for "Lap of Luxury." As for this album's commercial stance, the next position for Cheap Trick would be a disappointing peak at number 61.
|
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not great overall, but still containing some excellent songs, July 20, 2001
Coming after the success of One on One, and perhaps especially the ballad "If You Want My Love"'s success, it was inevitable (and perhaps the right time even) for Cheap Trick to let up a little on the throttle in its music. Songs like Y.O.Y.O.Y and the top 40 pop of "Dancing The Night Away" and "Heaven's Falling" (the first too sappy, the second a song that seems forced on the band, and luckily, the third a wonderfully produced, heartfelt number) showed the band was trying to broaden its appeal after seven albums. While the band does hit and miss on some of this material, some other songs like "Borderline," "I Can't Take It," and "Next Position Please" are vintage rock/pop on the Trick's level, which is higher than most ANY other band. Throw in some fiercely rocking tunes like "Won't Take No For An Answer," "3-D," and "Invaders of the Heart," (where you can hear Rick Neilsen count to 24!) this is underrated (like everything past "Budokan") fun rock. Certainly worth a listen!
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Wizard Strikes Again, April 3, 2005
Had "Heaven's Falling" been the lead single, this record would have returned Cheap Trick to the pop firmament. That's because it's actually a Todd Rundgren record with Robin Zander singing lead, delivering what is probably his greatest vocal performance ever. Pretty much everything else is prime Rundgren: monstrous yet melodic guitar, background choruses that go on for days, and one irresistable hook after another. Pure pop perfection of a type almost never heard these days.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
album Next Position Please 
