Turn On The Video: Cheap Trick On YouTube

Posted in Music, Reviews, Video |

Sydney, Australia, 1988

Here are a few more performances from 1988, although I actually prefer the Acapulco clips, with the exception of the always-outstanding “Ain’t That A Shame.”

Tom Petersson is smoking.

Hard Rock Live, 1997

I remember watching this when it aired originally on VH1. Watching it again brings back memories of how excited I was at the time. And I still am! Around this same time period, I saw Cheap Trick play once a year, every year, for six years. A pittance to those fans with dozens of notches on their belts to be sure, but I treasure every single one.

Boston, 1997

It’s unfortunate that the audio recording on most of these songs is glitchy because the band sounds incredible here. Several tracks from their terrific self-titled 1997 release are in this set: “Eight Miles Low,” “Wrong All Along,” and “Any Time,” during which Robin’s vocals just blast away anyone and anything. Bun E. Carlos has a great drum solo during “Clock Strikes Ten,” marred only by the sketchy recording.

Silver DVD, 2005

The Silver DVD is another one that I have never seen, so these three performances are enjoyable, especially the elaborate “Gonna Raise Hell,” which almost sounds better than the original studio version.

Rick Nielsen is gonna raise hell.

Miscellaneous Clips

The interview with Rick circa-early ’80s with Steve and Steve in Australia showcases his typical smartass tomfoolery (and marvelous sweaters). I now think Cheap Trick might be the most branded band in all of rock & roll. There are a few TV performances here as well: a live “I Can’t Take It” from Thicke Of The Night and two outlandish lip synced clips from Laugh Trax, which I likely saw at the time since I watched the show religiously back then. (Yet I don’t recall Robin looking quite so much like Rod Stewart.) It’s good to see any performance of the underrated “Saturday At Midnight,” however.

There are some newer selections too, such as a 1999 video of “Out In The Street” (the theme from That ’70s Show), where the guitar intro to the bridge is so fine, I almost forgot how much I like the Big Star original. A half-animated alternate version of John Lennon’s “I’m Losing You” makes me wish this version was the one on the Double Fantasy album instead (and the original one is a favorite of mine). We also are treated to a neat live rendition of “Don’t Be Cruel” featuring James Burton, who played with both Elvis and Rick Nelson (among others).

The newest clips I watched were from 2008: a over-the-top New Year’s Eve performance (from Louisiana) of “Just Got Back”/”Auld Lang Syne” during which sparkling confetti rains from the ceiling and a couple of lovely acoustic performances at a Tokyo press conference.

“She says I’m home on my own, home all alone.”

It’s probably fairly obvious by now that I have a massive crush on Cheap Trick. Hey, I’m only human; I can only resist their charms for so long (I confess I haven’t really tried to resist them). If you have not yet fallen victim to the power wielded by this tremendous and peerless band, I hope you will watch some of the videos on their YouTube channel, if only to keep me company in my lovestruck state.

To watch more videos, please visit Cheap Trick’s Official YouTube channel.

RELATED LINKS:

Cheap Trick, The Latest, Popshifter July/August 2009 issue

Tinted Windows, S/T, Popshifter July/August 2009 issue

Pages: 1 2 3 4