Cheap Trick at Budokan

Overview

Cheap Trick found early success in Japan, and capitalized on this popularity by recording Cheap Trick at Budokan in Tokyo on April 28 and 30, 1978, with an audience of 12,000 screaming Japanese fans nearly drowning out the band at times. The album was intended for release only in Japan but with strong airplay of the promotional album From Tokyo to You, an estimated 30,000 import copies were sold in the United States and the album was released domestically in February 1979. The album also introduced two previously unreleased original songs, "Lookout" and "Need Your Love".

An unusual aspect of the album release in the UK was the use of coloured vinyl, then primarily restricted to singles and EP's, and soon replaced as a marketing gimmick by so-called "picture discs". A prominently displayed sticker on the sleeve of "Live at Budokan" announced that it had been released on "kamikaze yellow vinyl", and, unlike most coloured discs, which were usually as opaque as the conventional black vinyl records, the disc in the album is translucent.

When Cheap Trick at Budokan was first released on compact disc in the U.S., first pressing contained a slightly different, possibly unpolished mix of the concert. Notably the guitar trade offs of "Ain't That A Shame" were obviously different from the vinyl release.

Reception

In the U.S., the album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and became the group's best selling album with over three million copies sold. It also ranked number 13 on Billboard's Top Pop Albums of 1979 year-end chart. The single "I Want You to Want Me" reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The second single, a cover of Fats Domino's "Ain't That a Shame" also charted, reaching number 35. Cheap Trick at Budokan was certified triple Platinum in 1986 by the RIAA.

In Canada, it went to number one, hitting the top of the RPM 100 Albums chart on August 11 of the same year. By November 1979, it had achieved quintuple platinum status (500,000 units) in that country.

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Track listing

All songs by Rick Nielsen, except where noted.

Side one

1. "Hello There" – 2:27
2. "Come On, Come On" – 3:03
3. "Lookout" – 3:15
4. "Big Eyes" – 3:47
5. "Need Your Love" (Nielsen, Tom Petersson) – 9:07

Side two

1. "Ain't That a Shame" (Antoine Domino, Dave Bartholomew) – 5:10
2. "I Want You to Want Me" – 3:38
3. "Surrender" – 4:40
4. "Goodnight Now" – 2:42
5. "Clock Strikes Ten" – 4:11

Band members

Production

Sequel and re-issues

Budokan II was released in February 1994 as a sequel of the first album, consisting of the remaining tracks from the concert not included on the original album and the tracks "Stiff Competition", "On Top of the World", and "How Are You?", recorded in 1979 during their follow-up tour.

An expanded version of the original album was released in 1998 as At Budokan: The Complete Concert, remastered and fully restored to include all the concert tracks left off the original album. This version of the album was performed in full at the Metro in Chicago on April 30, 1998, to coincide with the Complete Concert CD release.

A 30th Anniversary Edition, Budokan! was released on November 11, 2008, as a four-disc set. In addition to the two-disc "Complete Concert", it includes a DVD and CD version of the concert from April 28, 1978. The filmed concert had originally been shown on Japanese TV, and was not previously commercially available. The original vinyl album is also to be reissued in conjunction with the 30th anniversary.

Budokan II track listing

1. "ELO Kiddies" (Nielsen) - 5:41
2. "High Roller" (Nielsen, Petersson, Robin Zander) - 5:58
3. "Southern Girls" (Nielsen, Petersson) - 5:35
4. "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace" (Terry Reid) - 4:34
5. "California Man" (Roy Wood) - 5:45
6. "Downed" (Nielsen) - 6:51
7. "Stiff Competition" (Nielsen) - 4:02 (from 1979 tour)
8. "How Are You?" (Nielsen, Petersson) - 4:14 (from 1979 tour)
9. "On Top of the World" (Nielsen) - 4:02 (from 1979 tour)
10. "Can't Hold On" (Nielsen) - 5:55
11. "Oh Caroline" (Nielsen) - 2:59
12. "Auf Wiedersehen" (Nielsen, Petersson) - 3:41

Disc one

1. "Hello There"
2. "Come On, Come On"
3. "ELO Kiddies"
4. "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace"
5. "Big Eyes"
6. "Lookout"
7. "Downed"
8. "Can't Hold On"
9. "Oh Caroline"
10. "Surrender"
11. "Auf Wiedersehen"

Disc two

1. "Need Your Love"
2. "High Roller"
3. "Southern Girls"
4. "I Want You to Want Me"
5. "California Man"
6. "Goodnight"
7. "Ain't That a Shame"
8. "Clock Strikes Ten"

DVD

1. "Hello There"
2. "ELO Kiddies"
3. "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace"
4. "Look Out"
5. "Downed"
6. "Can't Hold On"
7. "Oh Caroline"
8. "Surrender"
9. "Auf Wiedersehen"
10. "Southern Girls"
11. "I Want You to Want Me"
12. "California Man"
13. "Goodnight"
14. "Ain't That a Shame"
15. "Clock Strikes Ten"

Bonus tracks

1. "Come On, Come On" (1978 performance)
2. "Voices" (2008 performance)"
3. "If You Want My Love" (2008 performance)
4. "Looking Back" - 2008 interviews

CD

1. "Hello There"
2. "Come On, Come On"
3. "ELO Kiddies"
4. "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace"
5. "Big Eyes"
6. "Look Out"
7. "Downed"
8. "Can't Hold On"
9. "Oh Caroline"
10. "Surrender"
11. "Auf Wiedersehen"
12. "Need Your Love"
13. "High Roller"
14. "Southern Girls"
15. "I Want You to Want Me"
16. "California Man"
17. "Goodnight"
18. "Ain't That a Shame"
19. "Clock Strikes Ten"