{"id":2686,"date":"2026-06-11T13:24:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T17:24:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=2686"},"modified":"2026-06-11T13:24:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T17:24:53","slug":"how-cheap-trick-became-icons-in-japan-with-at-budokan-before-fame-in-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/how-cheap-trick-became-icons-in-japan-with-at-budokan-before-fame-in-the-us\/","title":{"rendered":"How Cheap Trick Became Icons In Japan With \u2018At Budokan\u2019 Before Fame in the US"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cheap Trick<\/a> was one of the hardest-working bands of the 1970s. They were innovators of power pop and an opening act for KISS on the Love Gun Tour in the summer of 1977. Ahead of the tour, Cheap Trick’s debut was a bold statement. Released on February 3, 1977, their self-titled debut brought a sound unlike any other group. Not only did they have a visual gimmick unlike any other, but they blended many elements of rock bands of the 60s and 70s into one. With elements of The Beatles, the Who, and Alice Cooper blended with early punk rock, their debut captured the band’s raw energy but failed to chart. This didn’t stop Cheap Trick as they were on the verge of a second release, wasting no time. In September 1977, they released “In Color,” their second album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The difference between these two 1977 albums lies in the production. Jack Douglas, who had worked with Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, and John Lennon, handled the band’s debut album. He was unavailable for the follow-up, so Tom Werman handled production. In Color didn’t quite capture the band’s true sound, coming off as too polished and soft. Still, the album was a defining moment within power pop and was their first album to chart. It peaked at No. 149 on the Billboard<\/em> 200. The album’s lead single, “I Want You To Want Me,”<\/a> had potential but didn’t initially chart well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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