The Epic Archive Vol.2 (1980-1983)

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Personnel: Robin Zander (vocals, guitar); Rick Nielsen (vocals, guitars); Tom Petersson (vocals); Bun E. Carlos (drums). Liner Note Authors: Ken Sharp ; Rick Nielsen; Tom Petersson; Bun E. Carlos. Recording information: 1979; 1979-1980; 1980; 1981; 1982; 1983. From 1975 to 1979, when they cut their first four studio albums and the epochal Live at Budokan, Cheap Trick could seemingly do no wrong, writing great tunes with Beatles-style melodies and clever wit, and playing them with the attack of a crack hard rock band. It was in the '80s when the band started to falter a bit, thanks to personnel changes, questionable choices in producers, and some less than stellar material. As a consequence, the second installment in Cheap Trick's Epic Archive series of demos and rarities collections, featuring material recorded from 1980 to 1983, isn't as impressive as the first one that was released in 2017. Then again, even at their weakest, Cheap Trick were better than the average arena rock act of the day, and The Epic Archive, Vol. 2 (1980-1983) bears this out. The live versions of "Way of the World" and "The House Is Rockin' (With Domestic Problems)" testify to their reputation as a consistently strong live act, and "Take Me I'm Yours" (from the Found All the Parts EP) finds Robin Zander doing a very amusing Bryan Ferry imitation. (Two other songs from Found All the Parts also appear here, though for some reason "Can't Hold On" doesn't make the cut.) If you've somehow avoided owning a copy of the Heavy Metal soundtrack, the two songs they contributed, "Reach Out" and the instrumental "I Must Be Dreamin'," are featured here, along with their title tune for the lowbrow comedy Spring Break and the single mix of "Everything Works If You Let It" from the movie Roadie. There's an utterly baffling dance mix of "Saturday at Midnight" (in the liner notes, Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos both seem a bit embarrassed by it), and for true collectors of minutia, the rare single mix of "World's Greatest Lover." Even more than the first installment, The Epic Archive, Vol. 2 (1980-1983) is clearly meant for dedicated fans rather than folks looking for a "greatest-hits" collection, though there are enough genuine rarities on board (as well as entertaining notes on the songs from Nielsen, Carlos, and Tom Petersson) that those hardcore Cheap Trick obsessives will be pleased with the thoroughness of the set. ~ Mark Deming