Heaven Tonight is the third studio album by American rock band Cheap Trick. It was produced by Tom Werman and released on April 24, 1978. The album was remastered and released with bonus tracks on Sony's Epic/Legacy imprint in 1998. The album cover features lead singer Robin Zander and bassist Tom Petersson on the front, with guitarist Rick Nielsen and drummer Bun E. Carlos on the back.
| Heaven Tonight | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 24, 1978 | |||
| Recorded | Record Plant and Sound City Studios, Los Angeles, California, 1977–1978 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:42 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Tom Werman | |||
| Cheap Trick chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Heaven Tonight | ||||
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Heaven Tonight is considered Cheap Trick's best album by many fans and critics. While their debut album Cheap Trick showed the band's darker, rawer side and In Color explored a lighter, more pop-oriented persona, Heaven Tonight combined both elements to produce a hook-filled pop-rock album with an attitude. Popular songs from this album include the anthemic "Surrender", "Auf Wiedersehen", the title track, and a cover of the Move's "California Man".
Heaven Tonight is also known as the first album ever recorded with a 12-string electric bass.[1]
Overview
editThis was the second Cheap Trick album to feature Robin Zander and Tom Petersson on the front cover and Bun E. Carlos and Rick Nielsen on the back. While the front cover has Zander and Petersson standing in front of a nondescript background, the back cover portion (part of a continuous, wrap-around shot on the original LP) reveals that they are standing inside a public restroom where Nielsen is brushing his teeth and Carlos is fixing his tie in the mirror. Nielsen has a cassette copy of the band's previous album, In Color sticking out of his back pocket. At the suggestion of the record company, the album was originally to be called American Standard; the cover photography was intended to play upon the secondary association with the well-known manufacturer of plumbing fixtures. The band were less pleased with the idea and opted for the release title, but the cover design remained.[2]
"Surrender" was the only song from this album released on the original version of the 1979 live album Cheap Trick at Budokan. On the 1998 reissue At Budokan: The Complete Concert, three additional songs from this album were included - "Auf Wiedersehen", "High Roller" and "California Man".
"Oh Claire" is a one-minute live jam with "Oh, konnichi wa" as the only lyrics. The title is a pun on Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where the band used to play frequently in their pre-stardom days. Cheap Trick wrote a similarly titled song, "O Claire," for their 2006 album Rockford. "How Are You" contains, in its second verse, the extract of "The Lord's Prayer", sped up 10 times and inserted between the lyrics 'you lie, you lie.' For the Epic Legacy release (1998), the original version of this track was replaced by a studio outtake with tabla drums and acoustic guitar instead of the electric version - no mention of this was made on the CD sleeve.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [3] |
| Record Mirror | [4] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [6] |
| The Village Voice | B+[7] |
The Globe and Mail wrote that "Cheap Trick traces its ancestry from Led Zeppelin and do as well, especially on Heaven Tonight, as any band toeing that particularly outdated line can do," opining that "furious sounds proceed, none of which seem to match for energy the noises coming from the underground."[8]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Rick Nielsen, except where indicated
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Surrender" | 4:16 | |
| 2. | "On Top of the World" | 4:01 | |
| 3. | "California Man" | Roy Wood | 3:44 |
| 4. | "High Roller" | Nielsen, Tom Petersson, Robin Zander | 3:58 |
| 5. | "Auf Wiedersehen" | Nielsen, Petersson | 3:42 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Takin' Me Back" | 4:52 | |
| 7. | "On the Radio" | 4:33 | |
| 8. | "Heaven Tonight" | Nielsen, Petersson | 5:25 |
| 9. | "Stiff Competition" | 3:40 | |
| 10. | "How Are You" | Nielsen, Petersson | 4:21 |
| 11. | "Oh Claire" (not listed on LP label or album cover) | Nielsen, Petersson, Zander, Bun E. Carlos | 1:10 |
| Total length: | 43:42 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Stiff Competition" (outtake) | 4:03 |
| 13. | "Surrender" (outtake) | 4:52 |
Personnel
editCheap Trick
edit- Robin Zander – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Rick Nielsen – lead guitar, harpsichord, cello, mandocello, backing vocals[9]
- Tom Petersson – bass, backing vocals
- Bun E. Carlos – drums
Additional musicians
edit- Jai Winding – keyboards
Technical
edit- Tom Werman – producer
- Gary Ladinsky – engineer
- Mike Beiriger – assistant engineer
- George Marino – mastering
- Jim Charne, Paula Scher – design
- Reid Miles – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[10] | 84 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] | 41 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[12] | 28 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[13] | 11 |
| US Billboard 200[14] | 48 |
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[15] | 102 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[16] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Snyder, Philip (1 June 2008). "Tom Werman and Gary Ladinsky: The First 12-String Bass Recording". The 12-String Bass Website. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ^ Anderson, Philip (1 June 2008). "Interviews - Rick Nielsen". Kaos2000 webzine. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Heaven Tonight - Cheap Trick". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
- ^ Pike, Kelly (3 June 1978). "Review: Cheap Trick — Heaven Tonight" (PDF). Record Mirror. p. 19. ISSN 0144-5804. Retrieved 1 July 2021 – via American Radio History.
- ^ Schneider, Mitchell (10 August 1978). "Heaven Tonight". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 157. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (June 26, 1978). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
- ^ McGrath, Paul (12 July 1978). "Cheap Trick". The Globe and Mail. p. F2.
- ^ Swanson, Dave (May 24, 2015). "How Cheap Trick's 'Heaven Tonight' Set the Groundwork for Stardom". Ultimate Classic Rock. Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ 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 0013a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – C". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Cheap Trick from the menu, then press OK.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Cheap Trick Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "天国の罠+5 | チープ・トリック".
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Cheap Trick – Heaven Tonight". Music Canada.
- ^ "American album certifications – Cheap Trick – Heaven Tonight". Recording Industry Association of America.
