Cheap Trick at Budokan
Joe Siegler
- AllMyVinyl #20
- Band: Cheap Trick
- Album Title: At Budokan
- Release Date: 9 Oct 1978 (Japan), Feb 1979 (US)
- Date purchased: Unknown
- Location purchased: Unknown
- Color of vinyl: black
- Number of discs: 1
- Links: [ Wikipedia | Discogs | Band Website | Complete album on Youtube ]
This is going to be one of the reviews where I don’t write a ton. Not because I don’t like the thing, but because there’s not a ton to say. Cheap Trick at Budokan is one of the top live albums of all time by any band. Right there with Kiss Alive and “Frampton Comes Alive”. The odd thing about that is this album has pushed itself into legacy status in my mind. As I sat down to listen to it this morning, I couldn’t tell you the last time I intentionally did listen to it. I know the album from reputation mostly, not as one I have committed to memory.
To that, I can’t even remember buying it. This is one of the albums from my old collection in my mom’s basement that was recovered. For nearly everything in there, I remember buying it, even if I don’t remember WHERE. This one however is completely lost to time. I have no memory of buying it, but I obviously have done so since I have it. Unless it was something I borrowed from someone, never returned, and forgot about THAT. Who knows? The vinyl itself isn’t in the greatest shape. It played well enough but has a fair amount of pops in it. Disc looks a bit dirty, but is an original, so in that regard, I’m just glad it plays without skips. :)
But it’s here now, and next up on the list, so it got a spin this morning. Twice, actually. I did that because I wanted to make sure I gave it a good enough listen as it was on during work. The first thing I noticed is the guy introducing the band at the start of the record sounds a lot like the guy from Kiss records who goes “You wanted the best, you got the best…”. I don’t know if it’s ACTUALLY the same guy, but it kinda sounded like him.
Then the tunes started, and honestly the first side of the album while I liked it, I can’t say I recalled any of the tracks individually – especially by title. I enjoyed it well enough – good slice of American rock & roll. Having said that, I really liked “Big Eyes”, as it has a nice riff to get started with. Need Your Love finishes out with a great jam and a good beat.
But overall I enjoyed side 2 I enjoyed more than Side 1, because I knew those tracks. Side two starts off with three in a row that are probably my favorite Cheap Trick songs. I’d wager they’re probably the most well known Cheap Trick songs too (likely due to this record’s popularity). They are “Ain’t That a Shame”, “I Want You to Want Me”, & “Surrender”. Now Surrender I remember well as it was used in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. It’s POSSIBLE I bought this because I picked on the song there, but I can’t be sure. Again – all lost to time.
A sequel album was released years later called “Budokan II”, which was basically the remainder of the songs from the full concert that weren’t on this album. I never got that one.
Bottom line, this a a shorter writeup than some but mostly because this is an album I don’t have a ton of draw to despite owning it. THat’s not to say it’s not good – it’s quite good, but my memory has not a lot to draw from here. Very solid live album if you don’t know it.
