Review Summary: Cheap Trick still tries to adapt to the new rules in the 1980s
Cheap Trick entered the 1980s in a way similar to many other rock bands that started their confident march during the previous decade. On the one hand, the Rockford fellows had not lost all the goodwill granted by their fans; on the other hand, new musical trends and the gradually expanding synth domination actively put roadblocks in the way of their creativity. Their latest album,
All Shook Up, was clearly enamored with fancy technologies, but it also hinted that this trendy electronic façade served only as a disguise for uncertainty about their future direction.
It is possible that the band felt confounded under the circumstances of the drastically changing preferences of a fickle audience. What were they supposed to do? Should they try to keep their sound, risking being written off as dinosaurs – remnants of a long-gone era? Or would it be better to change, attempting to adapt to the tastes of new listeners? Such hesitations could have resulted in the transitional
All Shook Up, where Rick Nielsen’s pen was dulled by studio polish. The album’s reception was less than enthusiastic, so Cheap Trick decided to regroup. Breaking their tradition of releasing new LPs on an annual basis, their next studio album came out two years later, in 1982. Amidst all of that, the band also managed to lose one of its members: bassist Tom Petersson.
In general,
One on One (as the record was titled) can be called a kind of error correction. Having probably realized they got somewhat carried away with the modern sound, Cheap Trick here executed an almost 180-degree turn. Even though synths still add some color, their input is minimized this time around. Only
Saturday at Midnight, with its robotic rhythm, and
I Want Be Man, which is based on electronic pulsations and correspondingly processed vocals, act like an overture to dance music and remind listeners of previous flirtations. Even here, however, the guitar grabs the reins in the end.
Other songs included on
One on One recall the band’s second album – the excellent
In Color. Each is a power-pop concentrate wrapped in a neat 3-minute package. However, it should be noted that diversity dwindles compared to
In Color. The main accent here is on a rawer sound, a kind of punkish minimalism that we haven’t encountered since the days of their first album. Aggression is prevalent in Robin Zander’s voice, oscillating between pop sensibilities and an almost punkish growl while maintaining a perfect balance. Rick Nielsen’s guitar became simpler and more rhythmic, preferring to keep the tempo without drawing too much attention. Sure, not everyone will like such a decision, but the approach is soundly implemented.
To be honest, not all of the errors were corrected this time. While the form underwent some serious shake-up, the content remained on the level of
All Shook Up. Only a few of the songs can be compared to the cuts included on the first four albums. However, it should also be noted that there are no obvious failures, unlike the aforementioned
All Shook Up, where the band had a couple of serious slip-ups. So in the end,
One on One can be called a solid effort to regain their footing, giving hope for more robust releases further down the road.
