Archive for cheap trick dream police album

Happy Birthday Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick!

Posted in 1970's hard rock, 1970's Rock, 1980's rock music, 1980's hard rock, classic rock, current hard rock albums, Drums, essential hard rock albums, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock drummers, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, live rock albums, Music, new hard rock album, Rock, rock & roll, rock and roll, rock celebrity birthdays, rock music, vintage hard rock albums, vintage rock albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 13, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

main-150-1Bun E. Carlos, drummer of Hard Rock legends, Cheap Trick, turned 58 Rockin’ years young today, (June 12, 2009). Metal Odyssey extends a huge Happy Birthday to Bun E. Carlos! I am not holding back when I say, I have been a fan of Cheap Trick since I was in 6th grade… (back in the late 1970’s)… when owning 8-track tapes of Cheap Trick was the norm and collecting Kiss trading cards was cool. I still get a cool kick from listening to Bun E. Carlos’s  classic drum intro, to the live track of “Ain’t That A Shame” off of the “at Budokan” album. Listening to Bun. E. Carlos over the years, I have never lost sight of the fact, that this drummer is as capable and talented as any other in Hard Rock history. Just give the album “Dream Police” a listen, especially the title track, you will hear Bun E. Carlos solidifying the song with precision. Bun E. Carlos has proven to me, it is not the glitz and glam that make a real Hard Rock drummer, it is the playing, the integrity in the musicianship that really matters. Many Hard Rock drummers have the look, yet they do not have half the talent with the drumsticks, like Mr. Carlos bestows. Bun E. Carlos is not an overnight sensation, this is a drummer that along with the entire Cheap Trick band… have paid their Hard Rock dues spanning three decades. 

Cheap Trick, as stated on the official Cheap Trick website, have achieved 40 gold and platinum recording awards, have more than 5,000 performances, 29 movie soundtracks and 20 million records sold. If I am not mistaken, this appears to be Hard Rock success and excellence, personified. 

I am Metal smitten that Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson and of course, Bun E. Carlos are still Rocking heavy and steady to this very day! Cheap Trick will be releasing yet another new album, adding more credence to an already storied and legendary career. As reported on the official Cheap Trick website, “The Latest” will be the new Cheap Trick album, with it’s release date set for June 23, 2009. Amazon.com will have exclusive rights in selling “The Latest” for one month. The official Cheap Trick website also states that limited editions of this album will be available on LP and 8-track tapes… that is correct… 8 -track tapes!! (Now that is what I call vintage). Thank you Bun E. Carlos and Cheap Trick for your incredible contributions to Rock and Hard Rock history… thank you for being a mainstay in my music listening life.

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Cheap Trick – “Dream Police” an essential Hard Rock album

Posted in 1970's hard rock, 1970's Rock, 1980's hard rock, Album Review, classic rock, cool album covers, essential hard rock albums, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, Music, Rock, rock & roll, rock and roll, rock music, rock music vocals, vintage rock albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 16, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

I have been fascinated with the Hard Rock music of Cheap Trick since 1978. Yup, 1978. I owned with pride, the 8-track cassette copy of “Dream Police” and played it until only a hissssssss sound was heard, while a faint sound of tunes played in the background noise. It was not easy tossing away that 8-track copy of “Dream Police” – I eventually bought a CD copy of it down the road, somewhere around 1986 and I still have that CD. There is no hissssss sound on this Cheap Trick CD, no sir. All I hear is the sensational Hard Rockin’ music that is 100% vintage Cheap Trick. “Gonna Raise Hell” in my Metal opinion, is as bona fide a Heavy Metal song that Cheap Trick has ever created. This tune, for me, is what makes “Dream Police” such a classic album. Seriously, “Gonna Raise Hell” is a jaw dropping, head banging, anthem of a timeless tune. The bass play on this track alone is like a thunderous, stomping mad, evil, forest gremlin army marching toward battle. (There are times when my musical interpretations can become quite creative). Tom Petersson, in my opinion, takes a back seat to no one as a bassist in Hard Rock.

“Voices” is a smoothly written power ballad, only power ballads were not supposed to be around until Hair Metal came out of L.A. in the ’80’s. “Dream Police” is the fast paced, musically heavy driven, winner of a title track. To say that these mentioned songs, quite possibly the entire album, is relevant to what is created in todays Hard Rock or Heavy Metal circles is not far fetched. I feel that if a band today, created and released the song “Gonna Raise Hell”, it would do just that. This song is too darn good to be considered an old time classic. “Need Your Love” may be over seven minutes long, however, Cheap Trick makes this tune groove along at a pace that gives it an addicting Rock flavor. Cheap Trick melded together harmony, melody and Hard Rock in such a blissful heavy way, I cannot stop myself from labeling “Dream Police” as an essential Hard Rock album to own. Why else would I be reaching for this CD to rock out to, going on three decades now?

The vocals of Robin Zander were attitude laden with a slice of Punk, I can never mistake the overflow of confidence in his voice on “Dream Police”. Rick Nielsen on guitar is fluid and creatively distinctive on “Dream Police”. I find his signature sound to be legendary, Rick Nielsen was and still is one of a kind. What can be said for Bun E. Carlos on drums? This man carries out the identity of a true Rock and Roll drummer, he never over extends on “Dream Police” and only super enhances the rhythm section with skillful beats. In Summary, “Dream Police” is a work of Hard Rock musical art, from a legendary dream team of Rock musicians, forever known as Cheap Trick. 

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