Cheap Trick - At Budokan

Hello There - 3
Come On, Come On - 3
Lookout - 3
Big Eyes - 3
Need Your Love - 3
Ain't That A Shame - 3
I Want You To Want Me - 3
Surrender - 4
Goodnight - 3
Clock Strikes Ten - 3
Total - 31 stars / 10 tracks = 3.10 stars

It's a little weird listening to a band for the first time on a live album. I'm unfamiliar with most of their songs, so any additions or changes to their music in a live setting is entirely lost on me. That being said, nothing about the album struck me as particularly special.

Each song is introduced with the name of the song being yelled out, or repeated, and then played through. None of the songs, except "Surrender" stand out as being "great." The cover of Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame" sounds like Cheap Trick covering "Ain't That A Shame." It's memorable for its novelty, rather than its quality. Then there's "I Want You To Want Me," the song that is the only reason that I was even remotely aware of Cheap Trick. This live version ended up being the most successful Cheap Trick single. It's catchy, and quaint to hear the screaming fans respond to whether or not Robin Zander saw them crying.

At Budokan is generally considered a highly respectable, 5-star album, but I am incredibly hard-pressed to understand why.