The album begins with the very punk-influenced "Hello There". Vocalist Robin Zander proves that he could always quit his day job and become a punk singer. A great, driving song, but somewhat too short. Next is one of the band's most well-known tracks, "Big Eyes". Very lean and muscular sounding, "Big Eyes" is Cheap Trick firing on all engines. I prefer the live version off the "Cheap Trick at Budokan" album, but the studio track is almost as good. "Downed" is very late 1970s sounding. A layer of studio effects cover the vocals and guitars in the verse, but don't ruin the song. "Downed" is a great song as it shows that Cheap Trick can wrap a very poppy song in heavy "clothing". Guitars certainly are distorted, but sound very clear, very much like the band's major influence, The Beatles before them.Great track.
Next is the band's biggest hit, "I Want You to Want Me". One of my favorite all-time songs, it is pop perfection. People that don't like this song seriously need to have their heads examined. Catchy, sweet, sparse but effective, an absolute classic. "You're All Talk" shows the rising influence of Disco within rock music. Emulating a Clavinet, Rick Nielsen creates a hypnotic guitar riff that is very danceable. I find the song somewhat repetitive, but what I most enjoy is the bass work of Tom Petersson. "Oh Caroline" is another fairly punk-like song, at least structural speaking. The song is not bad, but I find it missing a big chorus that most Cheap Trick songs have. The song doesn't seem to really go anywhere, not crazy about this one.
Classic rocker "Clock Strikes Ten" takes the band into Aerosmith territory. Very bluesy and ballsy, I really adore this track. Taking the classic sound of 50s rock and turning it up to full blast was always something that Cheap Trick have been great at. Zander is not Steven Tyler, but has a very diverse range of vocal styles, and is well suited to Tyler-esque bluesy wailing. "Southern Girls" is a definite fan favorite, and a personal favorite of mine. With hand-claps and tinkling pianos, the song is certainly poppy, but crunchy guitars complement the lighter elements of the song, creating the perfect pop-rock mix. Near flawless.
"Come On, Come On" is another enduring song from the album. Again, I prefer the "Cheap Trick at Budokan" version, as I feel it has more kick and low-end. Very Beatles-esque, Zander almost sounds like McCartney here. Hand-claps and "ya-ya!" backing vocals dominate the song, and add an infectious element to the song, you can't get it out of your head. The album closes with "So Good to See You". Somewhat reminiscent of a meeting between the Beatles and Bad Company, the song really shows that Cheap Trick could produce a song that appealed to everyone. Pop fans enjoy the big choruses, rockers enjoy the rollicking verse riffs, progressive rock fans and guitarists enjoy Nielsen and Petersson's often unconventional playing, a very flexible and multifaceted band.
"In Color" is easily one of the best rock albums of the 1970s and a true classic. My favorite album by the band (yes, even more than "At Budokan"). If you haven't heard it yet, 1 million Japanese fans can't be wrong.
Rating-10/10
Great review!
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