''Lap of Luxury'' is the tenth studio album by
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
*Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
*Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...
. Released on April 12, 1988, it is the band's second-most commercially successful studio album (trailing only 1979's ''Dream Police''), reaching number 16 on the
''Billboard'' 200 and being certified
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Platinu ...
in sales. The album contains the band's only US number-one hit, "
The Flame", as well as the additional hit singles "
Don't Be Cruel
"Don't Be Cruel" is a song that was recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Otis Blackwell in 1956.Victor (2008), ''The Elvis Encyclopedia'', p.115-116 It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, it was listed #197 in '' Rol ...
" (an
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
cover) and "
Ghost Town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...
".
Overview
''Lap of Luxury'' was considered a comeback album for Cheap Trick. Before its recording, original bassist
Tom Petersson
Thomas John Peterson, better known as Tom Petersson, is an American musician who is best known for being the bass guitar player for the rock band Cheap Trick.
Career
Before joining Cheap Trick, Petersson played in a number of bands, including t ...
rejoined the group. Owing to the band's last few albums failing to live up to commercial expectations, Epic insisted that Cheap Trick work with outside songwriters.
Don Grierson, the senior VP of A&R for Epic, told ''Billboard'' in 1988: "What we attempted to do was make a statement for a band that had lost its mass-market appeal. We needed to make a record that sounded contemporary. We addressed all the reasons why
heap Trickmay be in trouble
ommerciallyand agreed that certain changes were necessary.
e foundoutside writers the band was comfortable with who would make music that still sounded like Cheap Trick."
The mainstream ballad "
The Flame" became a No. 1 hit single, and the album went platinum.
Speaking to ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' in 1990, Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen stated: "''Lap of Luxury'' was a tough record to make. We could lie to you and tell you it was all wonderful and great. It wasn't. It was tough working with other writers. But it was a lesson for us."
Reception
Upon release, ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' commented: "After a long hitless streak, Cheap Trick brings it all back home. This is the quartet's punchiest effort since its mid-'70s heyday."
''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' noted: "Cheap Trick could score big at both radio and retail with what is easily their best (and most accessible) album in years."
Pan-European magazine ''
Music & Media
''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...
'' considered ''Lap of Luxury'' to be an "excellent LP", adding: "A very mature album, made with renewed enthusiasm and energy. Ringing melodies and a few wonderfully restrained moments."
[Music & Media magazine - Previews: Albums - May 21, 1988 - page 19]
Ira Robbins of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' stated: "The entire album lurches unpredictably; fortunately, Zander's superhuman vocals pull it out of the fire, transcending the inferior material and occasionally misguided arrangements. While not
stunning return to top form, ''Lap of Luxury'' proves that Cheap Trick can still rock with flair and power. The album's songwriting credits and halfhearted echoes of Journey, Survivor and the Eagles, however, signify a tragic loss of self-confidence."
In a retrospective review, Steve Huey of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
noted: "Cheap Trick's comeback album is by no means a return to the creativity and vitality of their glory days. But even though ''Lap of Luxury'' is largely formulaic, the band's strongest collection of material in some time fills that late-'80s pop-metal formula quite well. Combining grandly romantic power ballads with catchy hard rockers, ''Lap of Luxury'' consistently delivers strong hooks and well-crafted songs."
Dave Swanson of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' commented: "The album suffers from the same identity crisis the band had been experiencing throughout the decade, and the label's demand for outside assistance in songwriting was both a blessing and a curse." Swanson noted the strongest material on the album was those written by Cheap Trick and added: "The dated '80s production is hard to tolerate at times".
Track listing
B-sides and outtakes
* "Through the Night" (R. Zander, T, Petersson, R. Nielsen,) – 4:19 (available on the ''
Sex, America, Cheap Trick
''Sex, America, Cheap Trick'' is a 1996 box set by the rock band Cheap Trick. It includes 17 previously unreleased songs (among them the earliest studio recording of the 1979 hit "I Want You to Want Me"), as well as the band's biggest hits. A co ...
'' box set)
* "You Want It" (R. Zander, R. Nielsen) – 3:41 (available on the ''
Sex, America, Cheap Trick
''Sex, America, Cheap Trick'' is a 1996 box set by the rock band Cheap Trick. It includes 17 previously unreleased songs (among them the earliest studio recording of the 1979 hit "I Want You to Want Me"), as well as the band's biggest hits. A co ...
'' box set, and the soundtrack to ''
Say Anything...'')
* "Magical Mystery Tour" (
J. Lennon,
P. McCartney) – 4:10 (available on ''
The Greatest Hits'')
* "Money (That's What I Want)" (
J. Bradford,
B. Gordy, Jr.) – 3:15 (available on the out-of-print ''
Caddyshack II
''Caddyshack II'' is a 1988 American sports comedy film and a sequel to the 1980 film ''Caddyshack''. Directed by Allan Arkush and written by Harold Ramis (who co-wrote and directed the original ''Caddyshack'') and PJ Torokvei, it stars Jackie ...
soundtrack'')
* "If Only My Girl Was a Little More Like You" (unreleased)
* "A Long Way from Memphis" (unreleased)
* "Ready for the Sun" (unreleased)
* "Right Between the Eyes" (unreleased)
* "A Taste of Love" (unreleased)
* "We'll Still Be Hangin' On" (Nielsen,
Jonathan Cain
Jonathan Leonard Friga (born February 26, 1950), known professionally as Jonathan Cain, is an American musician and songwriter best known as the keyboardist for Journey. He has also worked with the Babys and Bad English. Cain was inducted into ...
; unreleased - covered by
Show-Ya
are a Japanese all-female heavy metal band formed in 1981. The group disbanded in 1998, but reformed with the original line-up in 2005 for the 20th anniversary of their first release. Their music is deeply rooted in classic rock and they have ...
on ''
Glamour'')
* "Women Never Forget" (unreleased)
Personnel
Cheap Trick
*
Robin Zander
Robin Wayne Zander (born January 23, 1953) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick, but is also a solo artist. Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 as a ...
– lead vocals and backing vocals,
rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
s and
synthesizers
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
*
Rick Nielsen
Richard Alan Nielsen (born December 22, 1948) is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist, primary songwriter, and leader of the rock band Cheap Trick. He is well-known for his numerous custom-made guitars from Hamer Guitars, incl ...
– lead guitars and backing vocals
*
Tom Petersson
Thomas John Peterson, better known as Tom Petersson, is an American musician who is best known for being the bass guitar player for the rock band Cheap Trick.
Career
Before joining Cheap Trick, Petersson played in a number of bands, including t ...
–
12 string bass and backing vocals
*
Bun E. Carlos
Brad M. Carlson, better known by the stage name Bun E. Carlos, is the original drummer for American rock band Cheap Trick. He recorded and performed with the band from 1973 to 2010. Carlos was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 ...
– drums and
percussions
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Excl ...
Technical
*
Richie Zito
Richie Zito (born August 21, 1952) is an American songwriter, composer and record producer from Los Angeles. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Zito has experienced success as a prolific session musician, being featured on a wide array of ...
–
producer
* Phil Kaffel –
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
* Jim Champagne, Bernard Frings, Mike Tacci, Bob Vogt,
Toby Wright
Toby Wright is an American record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with artists such as Alice in Chains, Metallica, Sevendust and Korn.
Credits Producer
* 3rd Strike - '' Lost Angel''
*8stops7 - ''In Moderation''
*Alice in Chains - ...
– assistant engineers
* Howie Weinberg –
mastering
* Caroline Greyshock – photography
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
2017 reissue
Singles
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
Cheap Trick albums
1988 albums
Epic Records albums
Albums produced by Richie Zito
Albums recorded at A&M Studios