Cheap Trick

The Original Album Classics series by Song/BMG in Germany is an attempt to clear shelves of catalog titles that are lying about, but it inadvertently provides a great opportunity to those who have developed a sincere interest in a band via a greatest-its comp but have yet to score any actual titles. These budget-priced, completely remastered collections feature full-length album classics -- in this case five studio albums by Cheap Trick from their eponymously titled Columbia debut to their sophomore and third albums In Color and Heaven Tonight. That said, what comes after these albums are not in consecutive order, leaving two of the band's best and biggest offerings out of the set. (In other words, the label can't sell the latter two here so they package them with three bigger sellers.) What's missing? Live at Budokan (this is not exactly a surprise since the series focuses only on studio albums) and Cheap Trick's last brilliant offering, Dream Police. This missing disc is an inexcusable exclusion. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide