When you’ve been a revered rock band for just short of 50 years, some might release records that are half-hearted efforts, simply because they are complacent and fine with resting on their laurels. Cheap Trick is not that band. Their latest record, All Washed Up – an insolent play on the title of their 1980 LP, All Shook Up – is a stellar example of a band who are sticking to what they do best, but have clearly put in the work to keep that classic sound relevant to the here and now.
The first quarter of the record is an auditory showcase of guitarist Rick Nielsen’s frenetic classic and garage rock tendencies. His energy and youthful musical exuberance seem to have only increased with age, as displayed on the opening title track, which comes out hard in a sleazy style, reminiscent of Velvet Revolver, or any number of Sunset Strip acts of the ’80s and ’90s. The Def Leppard-esque tone of ‘All Wrong Long Gone’, the rock to exhaustion feel of ‘The Riff That Won’t Quit’ and the oddly swampy blues sound of ‘Bet It All’ are all tunes in a harder rock style than Cheap Trick are generally known for. While singer Robin Zander’s usually smooth, soaring vocals are fine within these songs, even if a bit thin, the tracks are shining moments of the depth and urgency of Nielsen’s guitar playing, which continues to be an impressive symbol that defines the band as a whole.
The record takes an abrupt pop-style turn in the middle, particularly for Zander. He has often been touted as one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time, and rightfully so. If there was any question in the first few tracks whether his vocal abilities have waned, the remainder of the album answers that question with a hard “no”. Listeners who heard the first single, ‘Twelve Gates”, which came out earlier this year, likely already know this. The track opens with the kind of angelic Beatle-esque background harmonies that have typified and solidified the band’s signature sound. The magical swelling sounds where rock ‘n’ roll blends with the ethereal is a welcome one which harkens back to ‘Dream Police”, and other notable singles, as if no time has gone by.
‘The Flame’ was the band’s highest charting single, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in multiple countries in 1988. This time around, ‘The Best Thing’ occupies the power ballad spot. Though it may lack certain indescribable components that make a number one single, it’s a comfortable, pleasant enough trip down the roads of familiarity that will likely appeal to longtime fans. ‘A Long Way To Worcester’ is, arguably, the best example on record of the band dabbling in sounds that aren’t “classic Cheap Trick” and adapting to creating music that holds up well in a market that is decades past their heyday. ‘Wham Boom Bang’ rounds out the album in a quirky Tin Pan Alley style, complete with jazzy clarinet and swing-style guitar. The track doesn’t sound like the band is trying to accomplish anything other than having some fun, because they can. And they have earned it.
Cheap Trick is a band with not only a dedicated cult following, but also the respect of audiences worldwide. They’re a highly solidified rock ‘n’ roll institution who don’t have to put out anything further to maintain their place in the history of popular music. Their sounds have influenced hundreds of artists that came after them (including The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, who described them as “our fab four”), within a number of genres, in different decades. All Washed Up is a record, not likely to garner them a multitude of new, younger listeners. But it doesn’t need to be. It’s more an example of a band that is sticking primarily to a proven formula that is a product of a particular point in time. But they are also trying new things that fit in with the current days. What is obvious is that, despite their status, they seem to dig in deep and put in the effort as if they were a new act trying to make it. They will not likely have another ‘Surrender’ or ‘Dream Police’ level song. How many bands ever do? But this record is an overall good output from a band that has nothing further to prove.