Just 5 minutes ago Cheap Trick sent out a Facebook notification that their new album "The Latest" will be available for pre-order "soon".

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Product Description
Multi-platinum rock band Cheap Trick returns with The Latest, a self-released album and their first new studio album since 2006’s Rockford. The Latest, produced by Julian Raymond & Howard Willing, continues Cheap Trick’s reign as power-pop progenitors as they celebrate their 35th anniversary together. The album features the original line-up of Robin Zander - vocals and guitar, Rick Nielsen - guitar and backing vocals, Bun E. Carlos - drums and backing vocals & Tom Petersson - bass and backing vocals.

According to producer Julian Raymond, “Cheap Trick are fun to record because they are each a master of their craft, and there are so many great new songs on this record. But we also included an old one called ‘When The Lights Are Out.’ I couldn’t believe it wasn’t released in ‘76 when the band did it. I insisted they put it on the record just as it was.”

1. Sleep Forever
2. When The Lights Are Out
3. Miss Tomorrow
4. Sick Man of Europe
5. These Days
6. Miracle
7. Everyday You Make Me Crazy
8. California Girl
9. Everybody Knows
10. Alive
11. Times of Our Lives
12. Closer, The Ballad of Burt and Linda
13. Smile

Manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002BH4EZM/?tag=imwan-20

It's nice to see that The Trick comes out with a new album every few years or so.

Excellent news DanO. Easily one of the best Amercian bands of all-time, they just continue on."Rockford" was a killer so I am very psyched for the new release.

Rick A.

CHEAP TRICK - New Album To Be Made Available In In Limited LP And 8-track Editions!
Posted on Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 22:56:12 EST


Gary Graff from Billboard.com is reporting:

CHEAP TRICK is stepping outside of the label world to release its next studio album, The Latest, itself.

The veteran rock group will start taking pre-orders for the 13-track set, which it recorded during the past year mostly in Los Angeles with producer Julian Raymond, on Friday via its official web site, http://www.cheaptrick.com, and at Amazon.com. Those who pre-order will receive The Latest on June 23, the day Cheap Trick starts it summer tour with DEF LEPPARD and POISON in Camden, N.J. Amazon will have exclusive rights for one month, and the album will also be available in limited LP and 8-track editions.
Dave Frey of Red Light Management tells Billboard.com that via Amazon and other database information, anyone who's purchased Cheap Trick music, merchandise or concert tickets in the recent past will be notified about the album. Those buying tickets for the tour will also be able to purchase The Latest at a slight discount.

"We just want to sell it over time and not have it be all about making a big impact in the first few weeks," Frey says. "We've got a lot going on with online marketing direct to people who have bought Cheap Trick things. We want to try to do as much direct to consumer activity as possible and do everything we can to remove anything that's in the way of the band reaching the fans directly."

The Latest is certainly an album likely to curry favor with the Cheap Trick faithful, filled with anthemic power pop tunes such as 'Miss Tomorrow', 'California Girl', 'Alive' and a cover of SLADE's 'When The Lights Are Out', BEATLESque songs like 'Miracle', 'Everybody Knows' and 'Times of Our Lives', and the power ballads 'These Days', 'Closer...' and 'Smile'. "We wanted to make a record that sounded like 2009, get something that sounds like us this year," drummer Bun E. Carlos explains.

caught them last saturday at Riverwind casino in Norman ,OK.
Great show as always. The mentioned The Latest and played
a short version of the Transformers tune.

joebase

When Cheap Trick releases the album after The Latest, will The Latest be reissued with bonus tracks and retitled Not The Latest?

And I love that they're releasing this as an 8 Track!!

And hopefully with a rejiggered track listing, fade-outs and ins in the middle of tracks, etc.

No - it'll be "The Latestest"!

Alan

By the way, I see we are finally getting a DVD version of Cheap Trick: Every Trick In The Book (1990)
Format: Blu-ray. This title will be released on July 14, 2009.

Interesting, Blu-Ray only?

I have this on Laser and it's excellent, much fun.

Rick A.

It's coming out on DVD too, Rick:

http://www.imwan.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=49825

Thanks Linda, I will ensure I use my imwan link to order.

Rick A.

Check out this fine print on the Amazon link

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002BH4EZM/?tag=imwan-20

Other outlets are showing a July 21st release (like Best Buy). I wonder if this is sort of like Steve Martin's banjo release. So far, I've only seen it at Amazon and Target's online store (fulfilled by Amazon) and Cheap Trick's own site. Hopefully, the 7/21 release will be an actual store-bought CD and not a CD-R.

Wow - that sucks. I missed that small print when I ordered. They shipped it today. Maybe they'll get it back .

I should just order the 8 track:

http://cheaptrick.shop.musictoday.com/P ... &pc=CTAM64

You didn't miss it, Dan, the notice wasn't there at the time. I've added it to your opening post and clarified the thread title. Now I'm wondering if Amazon itself will have a true aluminum CD when July 21st rolls around ... but I'm also wondering if all other outlets will just get CD-Rs when the album goes into general release!

Well, we do get a real aluminum CD, not a CD-r, but the foldout cardboard packaging, while neat-looking, seems expressly designed to scratch the CD.

And Rick Nielsen is really channeling his inner John Lennon on the songwriting.

Great album... Mine is not a CD-R... Unfortunately, the CD sounds flat and compressed (is it brickwalling, or a protools style recording?). These wonderful songs should really jump out at you more...

Mine was a regular CD as well.

The CD packaging is clever, but no lyrics are included (a pet peeve of mine - I can't even find them on C.T.'s website). Also, as Jimbo said, there doesn't seem to be any concern over the care of the disc. Maybe they think we're going to rip the disc for our mp3 players and file it, trade it,give it away, or throw it out .

I've listened to the CD once, and I'll enjoy getting to know it better. My first impression is that it's loud with a lot of bass. "When The Lights Are Out" is a pretty cool song. Overall, I think I like Rockford better, but there's nothing wrong with this one.

Jim

I just got the 8-track version in the mail. Neat gimmick...but an expensive one too. Unfortunately, they didn't bother to resequence the order, so every track has a song that fades out and then in on the next track. But, that was one of the things we loved / hated about 8-tracks anyway.

It's probably pointless to complain about the lack of fidelity, but I've made 8-tracks that sound a whole lot better than this one.

I read an article on this that claimed they were produced by a "small company out of Dallas."

It was more than likely some guy in his basement.

Could this be a trend???

We should find out out who that guy is and invite him onto the forum.

There was a pretty nice article in the (weekly entertainment 'zine) Dallas Observer a few weeks ago.
Evidently the company has been around for awhile but primarily fixed/sold old 8-Track tapes and
players. They.d made a few "new" 8-Tracks as gag gifts in the past but this was their first full scale
production. Their company is called KTS Productions.


http://www.dallasobserver.com/2009-07-16/music/the-eight-track-lives-on-in-arlington

joebase