CHEAP TRICK – The Doctor +5 [Japan BluSpec CD2 remastered miniLP] (2017)

CHEAP TRICK have made an historic chart debut with their acclaimed new album, ‘In Another World’. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ 20th studio album enters at #1 on Billboard’s “Rock” chart — their highest first-week chart placement in the veteran band’s long, remarkable career.
Many of you asked for some of their other records, and we have the terrific Japanese BluSpec CD2 remastered versions with loads of bonus tracks.
Here’s the underrated “The Doctor“, sporting ‘that’ 1986 sound production courtesy of Tony Platt (Foreigner, Gary Moore), in this reissue including 5 bonus tracks.

Many critics and fans never liked “The Doctor”, and simply because there’s a lot of keyboards and electronic / programmed drums. C’mon people, it was 1896… you needed that. But under the surface, all songs are pure Cheap Trick. Even the only external track – ‘Kiss Me Red’, penned by i-Ten / songwriter masters Billy Steinberg &Tom Kelly – feels pretty CT.

While we have the ‘synth-polished’ sound production chief songwriter Rick Nielsen’s guitar work cuts to the bone throughout, while frontman Robin Zander vocals are as engaging as ever. Additionally, Bun E. Carlos’ computer-enhanced drum chops are rock solid — delivering 40 minutes worth of ’80s power-pop.
The Nielsen / Zander opening track, “It’s Up to You” is a turbo-charged winner. Other noteworthy highlights include the super-catchy “Rearview Mirror Romance,” the fun ”Good Girls go to Heaven (Bad Girls go Everwhere)”, the infectious earworm “Kiss Me Red” and the hypnotic Heaven Tonight-worthy “Take Me to the Top.”

But the headline for this, or any other review of the album should have been: Cheap Trick Creates Masterpiece with “It’s Only Love.” Yeah, I said it, and I’ll stand by it — Nielsen and Zander’s closing track, “It’s Only Love”, ranks as one of their best — ever.

We are certainly not concluding that ‘The Doctor’ is Cheap Trick’s greatest achievement. However, if faced with that “desert island” scenario, ‘The Doctor’ would most definitely be among the Cheap Trick records that I’d bring along. It’s ‘so Eighties’…
Highly Recommended

ＳＯＮＹ ＭＵＳＩＣ ＪＡＰＡＮ 【SICP～31071】
ＢＳＣＤ２

01 – It’s Up To You
02 – Rearview Mirror Romance
03 – The Doctor
04 – Are You Lonely Tonight
05 – Name Of The Game
06 – Kiss Me Red
07 – Take Me To The Top
08 – Good Girls Go To Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere)
09 – Man-u-lip-u-lator
10 – It’s Only Love
BONUS TRACKS:
11 – In This Country / Robin Zander (Over The Top soundtrack)
12 – It’s Only Love (Single version)
13 – Funk #9 (Original demo of ‘The Doctor’)
14 – Money Is The Route Of All Fun (outtake)
15 – Fortune Cookie (Demo)

Robin Zander – lead vocals
Rick Nielsen – guitar, backing vocals
Jon Brant – bass guitar, backing vocals
Bun E. Carlos – drums
additional musicians:
Dee Lewis, Coral Gordon – backing vocals
Tony Platt – producer, mixing, programming
Paul Klingberg – keyboards, sequencers, mixing

BUY IT
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SICP-31071