Cheap Trick - Live '77 (2021)

When Cheap Trick came roaring out of Rockford, Illinois in 1977 with their uber-cool debut, self-titled album, tired old stadium rockers could only look on with horror and dread. This ballsy, yet nervous romp of powerful pop would cause repercussions in the music world for generations to come. No-one had delivered a sound that would combine Beatles, Badfinger and The Who with such volume and intensity and with tongue situated firmly in cheek.
Cheap Trick’s appearance at the Rockford Armory, Illinois on October 8th 1977, broadcast on WLIR-FM, captures the band at their primeval best, a raw, loud experiment in rock and roll underclass debauchery, a climax of anti-cliché with two fingers up to anyone who cares. Offering a beautiful snapshot of the band as devout protagonists of savage pop, a brutally exciting brand that would influence the likes of Steve Albini (Big Black), Sonic Youth, MX80 Sound et al.