Poll: Cheap Trick in the 80's-Fave Album?

The 70's albums have been well discussed, but what of the 80's output? Pick you fave LP from CT's tumultuous decade.

 

As much as I Love ASU, I think I'll vote for NPP. Especially the "authorized" version which has a superior track listing.

 

The 80's were a funny period for Cheap Trick...some really excellent songs mixed in with some really bad songs....a few great albums mixed in with some 'meh' albums. I won't say which is which, in my opinion, so I do not taint the poll. But for me it is All Shook Up. I love that album...it took some hits back in the day, but I think it has held up well. "The" Sir George Martin producing and some awesome songs to boot ! The album I listen to the least from their 80's period is The Doctor...although I will say there are some good songs on there that I listen to individually....

 

Oh what could it hurt? Here's my ranking of the 80's Cheap Trick albums:

1) All Shook Up (Excellent!)
2) One On One (Just about excellent)
3) Standing On The Edge (Getting close to excellent)
4) Next Position Please (Some stuff excellent, some not so much)
5) Lap Of Luxury (A couple of excellent songs, some clunkers)
6) The Doctor (Two excellent songs, a couple pretty good songs, the rest are clunkers)

 

The clunkers on LOL, SOTE and The Doctor are really bad. A combination of outside writers' songs being forced on the band as well as Rick losing confidence in his songwriting skills, methinks.

 

Yes, I agree....too bad because there are some fantastic songs on all of those albums. I was surprised that Lap Of Luxury was actually the album that finally re-booted them into the consciousness again. Although, The Flame just took off and went wild and the album followed the single's lead. Too bad they couldn't keep it going....I thought 'Busted' in 1990 was a good little album. After that one single, Can't Stop Falling Into Love'...the bottom seemed to drop out on them....not sure what happened.

 

As far as I'm concerned, All Shook Up was the last great Cheap Trick album.

 

Oh no, no, no, no...c'mon now !!! Say what you will about everything after All Shook Up...but you can not deny one thing....the album "Rockford" !! Obviously you have not heard it....or you would be singing a different tune ! Rockford is one of their Top 5 albums of all time ! If you are truly a Cheap Trick fan, you will agree....listen to Rockford.

 

I voted Next Position Please, but really, it's a toss-up between that and All Shook Up. I would have gladly gone with Standing on the Edge, except that it closes with three pretty mediocre tunes (for me).

As much as I love CT, I really can go the rest of my days without every listening to anything from The Doctor ever again.

 

You nailed your description of SOTE....those last few songs drag it down. As for The Doctor there are a couple of good songs on there that I go to now and again....

 

Hey, All Shook Up is getting some love !! It's catching up to Next Position Please!

 

One On One has two of their all-time peaks...."If You Want My Love" and "Looking Out For #1". Unfortunately the bad stuff on that album is some of their worst.

 

In my humble opinion, I believe there is more 'good stuff' on One On One...although you are right, when it get's bad, it gets 'really' bad. Fortunately there ain't too much 'bad' on it....

 

I love One On One, in my top 5 cheap trick albums.

 

It is a great one...like we discussed above...a couple of clunkers....but overall it's damned good stuff !

 

Next Position Please is my favorite from the 80s hands down. I Can't Take It is the ultimate Cheap Trick song. Standing On The Edge has some really good tunes but as others have said it dies a slow death at the end. I'm a huge fan of Robin Zander's solo album from 93. I still play that one quite a bit.

 

Awesome! Glad you mentioned Robin's solo album ! Different than what CT was doing at the time....but still fantastic !

 

Only two songs, really: "I Want Be Man" and that other one. You know, the worst song in Cheap Trick's catalogue.

 

I had to vote for Next Position Please because Todd+Cheap Trick=Win but I'm really fond of All Shook Up and also rate Standing on the Edge quite highly.
Later 80s' CT was a bit of a let down after SOTE I felt.

 

More and More I'm thinkin' bout love!

 

Well, based on your post(s), I'm actually considering sitting down with The Doctor and giving it a spin. The problem is that "Take Me to the Top" tends to get stuck in my head for weeks . . . arrgghh, just saying the title has it in my head already!!!

 

Next Position Please...I think it's their most consistent 80's LP, and best produced behind All Shook Up, which I love for its quirkiness but isn't really their best songwriting.

 

All Shook Up #1, but The Doctor is such a interesting quirky listen for me, that it comes close to #1 80's CT album.

 

All Shook Up is definitely my favorite of the 1980's albums released by Cheap Trick. I also like the Found All The Parts 10-inch EP with their ripping cover of Day Tripper by the Beatles on it and the Everything Works If You Let It single from the vastly underrated ROADIE soundtrack and film of the same name is my fave Cheap Trick single of the 1980's!

 

All Shook Up, but "Tonight It's You" is my favorite CT song of the decade.