By 1998, Cheap Trick was in a weird purgatory. They were beloved, but considered "classic rock." Steve Albini (Pixies, Nirvana, PJ Harvey) was the anti-producer. He hated digital reverb, hated headphones, and famously rejected "The Record Industry."
Streaming services (Spotify/Apple) use the 2008 "remaster," which brick-walled the dynamics. The Albini session is available on some platforms, but streamed at 256kbps AAC.
This isn't the Cheap Trick your dad plays at the BBQ. This is the Cheap Trick that played CBGBs when the Ramones were still afraid of them. By 1998, Cheap Trick was in a weird purgatory
Do you own the original 1998 promo CD? Have you compared the vinyl pressing of this session to the FLAC? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
But here is the truth: In Color (1977) sounds like a beautiful photograph. In Color (Albini 1998) sounds like the negative. It is visceral. It is the sound of four guys in a room who hate the fact that they have to play their own hits again. The Albini session is available on some platforms,
The drum sound here is the definitive Albini sound. Bun E. Carlos’s kick drum doesn't thump; it punches you in the sternum. The FLAC preserves the transient perfectly. On MP3, that attack blurs. On FLAC, it’s a surgical spike.
The band hired him to re-record In Color to prove a point: That they were punks before punk went mainstream. That they could be as raw as The Stooges. Albini didn't just produce this; he wired it. Live room, no isolation booths, vintage mics, and a mandate: "Play it like you hate it." Do you own the original 1998 promo CD
Deep Dive: Cheap Trick’s “In Color” – The Lost Albini Raw Nerve (1998 CD FLAC Review)
The gem of the session. In 1977, this was sweet. In 1998, it is sleazy. Tom Petersson’s 12-string bass is so distorted it clips the preamp (Albini left it in). The FLAC version shows you the "air" between the guitar strings; it’s not clean, but it is honest .