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By the late 1990s, Cheap Trick regained ownership of their artistic direction. They decided to re-record In Color exactly how they had always intended it to sound: loud, heavy, and unapologetic. Enter Steve Albini: The Sound of Electrical Audio
Steve Albini was the perfect choice for this restoration project. Known for his work with Nirvana and Pixies, Albini’s philosophy centered on capturing the natural, aggressive energy of a room. He didn’t want to "produce" Cheap Trick; he wanted to document them. The 1998 sessions stripped away the 70s studio sheen, replacing it with thundering drums, biting guitar tones, and Robin Zander’s vocals pushed to their limit. Comparing the 1977 and 1998 Versions
For audiophiles and die-hard collectors, the definitive way to experience these sessions has changed drastically. Recent digital archiving efforts have unearthed uncompressed, soundboard-quality sources.
Features explosive drum fills and a raw vocal mix that highlights the band's flawless harmonies without studio trickery. Final Thoughts: A Mandatory Rock Artifact
Packaging & liner notes
Fast forward to : The band, looking to recapture that lost thunder, teamed up with renowned engineer Steve Albini —known for his uncompromising, raw recording techniques with bands like Nirvana and The Pixies—to re-record the entire album from scratch.
The explosive, uncompressed punch of Bun E. Carlos's snare drum.
Format: CD-quality FLAC (16-bit / 44.1 kHz) Source: Original CD rip → Exact Audio Copy (secure mode) → FLAC level 8
(recorded with Lennon but later discarded), "Can't Hold On," and alternate takes of "Oh Caroline". physical CD copy specifically, or would you like help finding a digital archive of the sessions to listen to first? cheap trick in color steve albini sessions 1998 cd flac new
“We felt Werman really wimped it out,” drummer Bun E. Carlos told the Chicago Tribune in 1998. He recalled being forced to tape a wallet to his snare drum to deaden the sound—a technique that horrified the drummer. Guitarist Rick Nielsen echoed this sentiment years later, bluntly stating: “Sonically it’s wimpy and we’re not wimpy.” He lamented that the record company told them they would “fix it in the mix,” but instead they “went the other way”. This dissatisfaction simmered for two decades until a pivotal meeting with a fellow Chicagoan: the legendary (and famously abrasive) audio engineer Steve Albini.
While the band intended to reclaim their sound, the project was never officially completed or released PopMatters
The central question for any fan is: why can’t I buy this on a “new” CD? The 1998 sessions have never received an official release through any conventional channel. A remastered and expanded edition of the original Tom Werman version of In Color was indeed released on CD in 1998 as part of Epic Records' reissue campaign. This has led to understandable confusion, as fans searching for a “new 1998 Cheap Trick CD” will find those reissues. However, the Steve Albini version itself remains unreleased.
He took the original multi-track tapes from 1977 and stripped them down. He removed the "commercial" sheen that Werman had applied. The result was released in 1998 on the Cheap Trick anthology box set, Sex, America, Cheap Trick . By the late 1990s, Cheap Trick regained ownership
: "I Want You to Want Me" (Clarinet Version) and "Oh Caroline" (Bummer Version). Availability
Despite the sessions being a roaring success, the album was never officially released. Cheap Trick was caught in a web of record label transitions, and the master tapes were shelved.
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