Cheap Trick
Dream Police

THE REVIEW

Perhaps I seem a bit too enthusiastic about the albums I review, but what can I tell you, it might be inexperience or, as Alfieri says, the "fantastic fervor", that unbridled passionate impulse that manifests itself, I don't know, but the fact is that I recognize my immaturity even if I'm not ashamed to express it…

Wandering through DeBaser, in search of further insights and clarifications about the music I know or that is unknown to me, I noticed that under the entry "Cheap Trick" nothing appeared. This sincerely surprised me and I believe in one thing: it may be that for many, these folks mean nothing and have never marked an epochal shift in the history of the grand world of Rock, but they still deserve a minimum of consideration, not to mention the fact that, the year before "Dream Police," they released "Surrender", perhaps their most well-known song, and a few years later they would compose "Mighty Wings", one of the soundtracks of Top Gun, a film whose soundtrack I consider a bit of a summary of 80s music, or at least the mainstream kind, encompassing pompous and sentimental songs like "Take My Breath Away" but also spicy and lively songs, like "Heaven In Your Eyes" by Loverboy, energized by plenty of keyboard, lots of drums, and the right guitar rhythm.

Having said this, dear Cheap Trick, even if I am the least qualified, I dedicate a little space to you on this site. "Dream Police" was released in 1979 and is their third studio work. On the cover, all four members are photographed in a very ironic and fun pose. Dressed like this, they look like the Village People, in a monothematic version.

The album overall dissociates itself quite a bit from the previous one, "Heaven Tonight", which is somewhat the projection of the 70s, to begin embracing an 80s perspective and taste, which would take definitive form some time later. The intention for change is recognizable from "Voices," still rooted in the almost ended century, to "Need Your Love," which perhaps intentionally is placed at the end just to indicate the result of their effort.

Overall, the tracks on the album have the same style, except for some pleasant highlights. Interesting, beyond the music, is also the vocal plan of the backing voices in "Dream Police." The album opens with the title track, which shouldn’t be labeled as the main highlight of this work, as you quickly realize with songs like "Way Of The World" and "I'll Be With You."

In "The House Is Rocking", there is a different trend compared to the first tracks, more refinement in the voice and the riff, and guitar solos appear throughout the track. Then comes "Gonna Raise Hell", which is just what I talked about earlier. The change in style and sound is very evident, and with this track and "The Writing On The Wall", the album takes on a more seriously rock direction.