Great Rock Albums of 1979: Cheap Trick- Dream Police

You're under arrest for having an illegal dream. At least that was the joke making it's rounds at the time this brilliant release from Cheap Trick was making its rounds in 1979. But they were driving me insane, those men inside my brain or at least I thought so. Anyway, I first saw this album literally the day before I left for boot camp and so I wasn't able to buy it. That would be another six months when "Dream Police" would be the first ever album I bought on casette. Unfortunately, three years later it would meet the fate that was the drawback with casettes, it would get eaten in the machine.
"Dream Police" is definitely for me, the best Cheap Trick album ever. When deciding to visit this album, I came to the realisation that I hadn't listened to it in full since that fateful day when my tape player ate the casette, nearly 30 years ago! But thank the Lord for YouTube and I get to take a very cool walk down memory lane. Usually, when I listen to something I haven't listened to in awhile, it takes a minute or two before I get refamiliar with it. Not the case with "Dream Police." Each song is like I have been listening to it constantly for the past three decades. That is something that makes this album so good.
The album brings back some other memories as well. "Gonna Raise Hell" was the theme tune every evening my buddies and I went out for a wild liberty session. That's what we were bent on doing and that's what we did, we raised hell. The other tracks can be either good for listening to with a few brews or cruising down the main drag in the car. The hard rock backdrop with the fun attitude displayed by Cheap Trick when hearing this album make it flexible for both.

Track Listing:

1. Dream Police

2. Way of the World

3. The House is Rocking (With Domestic Problems)

4. Gonna Raise Hell

5. I'll Be With You Tonight

6. Voices

7. Writing On the Wall

8. I Know What I Want

9. Need Your Love

Cheap Trick

Robbin Zander- lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Rick Neilson- lead guitar, backing vocals

Tom Peterssen- bass, lead vocal on "I Know What I Want," backing vocals

Bun E. Carlos- drums, percussion

I have always considered Cheap Trick to be a fun band. While I have no doubt they take their music seriously, they seem to have a good time doing so. "Dream Police" is proof in the pudding that you can make a dynamite album and still have fun at the same time. My big regret is that I never got to see them live.

 

Next post: The Eagles- The Long Run

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