One on One is Cheap Trick's sixth studio album, and seventh release in general. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, it was released in 1982 via Epic Records and was the first Cheap Trick album to feature their new bassist Jon Brant.
| One on One | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 30, 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1981–1982 | |||
| Studio | Pierce Arrow Recorders, Evanston, IL | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 34:27 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Roy Thomas Baker | |||
| Cheap Trick chronology | ||||
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| Singles from One on One | ||||
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Background
editNearly two years after their last LP All Shook Up, Cheap Trick released an album full of brash, simple rockers. After original bassist Tom Petersson left the group in 1980, he was replaced by Pete Comita. Comita left the group in the early recording stages of One on One and was replaced by Jon Brant. Though this was the first album to feature Brant, most of it was recorded without him. Guitarist Rick Nielsen played bass on all but three tracks ("Saturday at Midnight", "If You Want My Love" and "She's Tight"). Brant's face is partially obscured on the front cover. The song "If You Want My Love" is one of Nielsen's favorite songs he has recorded with the group.
Physical copies of the album were out of print for several years (with the exception of Japan), but as of April 6, 2010 it has been reissued along with the following album Next Position Please on one CD, which has since also gone out of print. There were promotional videos made for "She's Tight" and "If You Want My Love." Both received heavy rotation on MTV.
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Billboard | positive[2] |
| Robert Christgau | B[3] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
Upon release, Billboard stated: "The big beat pop-rockers shelve the more ambitious pop experimentation of [their last] LP to return to the stylistic mix that reaped top ten success in the past. Roy Thomas Baker proves an apt ally, showcasing Nielsen's brash wall-of-guitars attack and accentuating the raspier reaches of Zander's lead vocals to create a strong collection of overdrive anthems.[5] Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone wrote: "One on One suggests that although guitarist-songwriter Rick Nielsen's AC/DC fixation continues unabated, there remains cause for hope." He listed songs such as "She's Tight", "Time Is Runnin'" and "If You Want My Love" as some of the album's "tantalizing moments", and "I Want You" and "Lookin' Out for Number One" as two of the album's "depressingly moronic cuts".[6]
In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stated: "One on One finds Cheap Trick rebounding from [the George Martin-produced All Shook Up] with a slick, punchy, AOR record, hemmed in a bit by stiff sequenced rhythms but sparkling in its analog synths and pumped-up guitars. No, it's not as ballsy as Cheap Trick's best, but its glossy glimmer is appealing, a combination of heavy metal roar and new wave strut, and would be more so if the songs were just a bit tighter."[1] Dave Swanson of Ultimate Classic Rock noted Baker's production gave the band a "harder but glossier sound". He highlighted the tracks "I Want You", "She's Tight", "If You Want My Love", "Time Is Runnin'" and "Love's Got a Hold on Me", but felt the "rest of the album ends up tripping over itself by the end".[7]
Chuck Eddy, deeming it Cheap Trick's only decent 1980s album, wrote that it marked a temporary period in the band's career where they decided to "be the Beatles once and for all", resulting in a sharp album of "straight-shooter pop R&B".[8] He highlights the "McCartneyish lament" ("If You Want My Love"), Beatles-style harmonies, "Link Wray twang, Billy Squier funk, a casting couch, a phone song with triple entendres, and two slant-eyed robot moves", adding that "She's Tight" is as rocky and weird as "anything on their first two albums."[8]
Track listing
editAll tracks written by Rick Nielsen, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Want You" | 3:02 | |
| 2. | "One on One" | 3:05 | |
| 3. | "If You Want My Love" | 3:36 | |
| 4. | "Oo La La La" | Nielsen, Robin Zander | 3:14 |
| 5. | "Lookin' Out for Number One" | 3:44 | |
| 6. | "She's Tight" | 2:58 | |
| 7. | "Time Is Runnin'" | 2:19 | |
| 8. | "Saturday at Midnight" | Nielsen, Zander | 2:58 |
| 9. | "Love's Got a Hold on Me" | Nielsen, Zander, Bun E. Carlos | 2:35 |
| 10. | "I Want Be Man" | 3:19 | |
| 11. | "Four Letter Word" | Nielsen, Zander | 3:37 |
- Remastered CD reissues include an extended version of "If You Want My Love" as a bonus track, however, this is not included on the version found in the Complete Epic Albums box set. It was, however, included on the Sex, America, Cheap Trick boxed set [9]
Outtakes and demos
edit- "All I Really Want" – 2:32 (B-Side to the "She's Tight" single, also available on the Sex, America, Cheap Trick box set)
- "Don't Make Our Love a Crime (demo)" – 3:34 (Available on the Sex, America, Cheap Trick box set)
- "Whatcha Gonna Do About It (demo)" (Small Faces cover) – 2:38 (Available on the Bun E.'s Basement Bootlegs "Covers" album)
- "If You Want My Love (demo)" – 4:34 (Available on the "Oh Boy (Demo)"/"If You Want My Love (Demo)" promotional single)
Personnel
editCheap Trick
edit- Robin Zander – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Rick Nielsen – lead guitar, vocals, bass guitar, keyboards
- Bun E. Carlos – drums, percussion
- Jon Brant – backing vocals, bass guitar on "She's Tight", "If You Want My Love", and "Saturday at Midnight"
Technical
edit- Roy Thomas Baker – producer
- Ian Taylor – engineer
- Paul Klingberg – assistant
- George Marino – mastering
- David Michael Kennedy – photographer album cover
Charts
edit
Weekly Chartsedit
|
Year-end Chartsedit
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Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "One on One - Cheap Trick | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ Billboard magazine – Top Album Picks – August 27, 1983 – page 48
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Cheap Trick". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- ^ Connelly, Christopher (July 8, 1982). "One On One". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- ^ Billboard magazine – Top Album Picks – May 15, 1982 – page 66
- ^ Christopher Connelly (1982-07-08). "One On One – Rolling Stone". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ "35 Years Ago: Cheap Trick Take on the '80 With 'One on One'". Ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ a b Eddy, Chuck (1991). Stairway to Hell: The 500 Best Heavy Metal Albums in the Universe. New York: Harmony Books. p. 149. ISBN 0517575418.
- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/sex-america-cheap-trick-mw0000186238
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6540". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Cheap Trick – One on One" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "Cheap Trick Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "ワン・オン・ワン+8 | チープ・トリック".
- ^ "American album certifications – Cheap Trick – One on One". Recording Industry Association of America.
