Label: Epic Records (US), EK 65573
Style: Hard Rock, Power Pop
Country: Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
Time: 46:19
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 311 Mb
Charts: US #73, AUS #93, JPN #30. US & CAN: Platinum.
“Any fears of a sophomore slumber party were put to bed with the brilliant In Color. Producer Tom Werman captures a softer and zanier Cheap Trick on songs like I Want You To Want Me and Come On, Come On that has as much in common with The Bay City Rollers as The Beatles.
“As with their first record, underneath the perfect three-minute pop songs run Rick Nielsen’s dark currents of sexual angst. Hello There asks the musical question ‘Would you like to do a number with me?’ and, knowing Nielsen’s sense of humor, I’d guess the number he has in mind is somewhere between 68 and 70. Clock Strikes Ten is a blatant booty call. On later albums, Nielsen would cross the lines of good taste, but he’s got his ducks lined up in a perfect row here; the first four tracks on this record are as strong an opening as you’ll find on any pop or rock record.
“In Color also has a surfer-boy swagger to it that seemed to emanate from Robin Zander’s persona: Southern Girls, Oh Caroline and ‘Come On, Come On’ have an indelible twang to them. [Yes, I actually wrote ‘indelible twang,’ as if there are twangs that come off with a good rubbing.] It’s worth mentioning to newbies that ‘I Want You To Want Me’ is the exception on In Color. When I first bought this album as a kid, I was disappointed to find that the whole thing didn’t sound like ‘Mr. Blue Sky.’ Looking back, I can’t believe I didn’t fall head over heels for Downed, ‘Oh Caroline’ and ‘Southern Girls,’ but I was kind of a wiener as a kid. I’ve since gotten a handle on that. So, to sum things up, great power pop record, half of it classic Cheap Trick, and not nearly as lascivious as my little review would make it out to be.”
I didn’t say it was a good review, but I guess I’m feeling a bit nostalgic this morning. I would add that In Color, even more so than Cheap Trick, is the quintessential power pop record. Any band that could rock as hard as Aerosmith and lace their songs with melodies as sweet as anything from Electric Light Orchestra was destined for some measure of immortality. Of course, Cheap Trick eventually proved mortal (the muses being fickle things), but for their first three or four albums, there wasn’t a better power pop band on the planet.
(progrography.com/cheap-trick/review-cheap-trick-in-color-1977/)
01. Hello There (01:41)
02. Big Eyes (03:09)
03. Downed (04:10)
04. I Want You To Want Me (03:11)
05. You're All Talk (03:34)
06. Oh Caroline (02:59)
07. Clock Strikes Ten (03:02)
08. Southern Girls (03:43)
09. Come On, Come On (02:39)
10. So Good To See You (03:46)
11. Oh Boy (Instrumental version) (Bonus track) (03:10)
12. Southern Girls (Previously unreleased demo) (Bonus track) (03:03)
13. Come On, Come On (Previously unreleased demo) (Bonus track) (02:06)
14. You're All Talk (Previously unreleased live version) (Bonus track) (03:41)
15. Goodnight (Previously unreleased live version) (Bonus track) (02:18)
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