Heaven Tonight

Infobox Album
Name = Heaven Tonight
Type = Studio album
Artist = Cheap Trick


Released = January 30, 1978
April 24, 1978 (Japan)
Recorded = 1977-1978
Genre = Hard rock, powerpop
Length = 43:42
52:37 (reissue)
Label = Epic/Legacy
Producer = Tom Werman
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:emf3zf04ehok link]
* Robert Christgau (B+) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=cheap+trick link]
* "Rolling Stone" (positive) [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/cheaptrick/albums/album/123197/review/5942054/heaven_tonight link]
Last album = "In Color" (1977)
This album = "Heaven Tonight" (1978)
Next album = "At Budokan" (1979)

"Heaven Tonight" is Cheap Trick's third album, released in 1978. The album was remastered and released with bonus tracks on Sony's Epic/Legacy imprint in 1998.

Overview

"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" showed their lighter, poppier side, "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".

Track listing

All songs written by Rick Nielsen, except where noted.
# "Surrender" – 4:16
# "On Top of the World" – 4:01
# "California Man" (Roy Wood) – 3:44
# "High Roller" (Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson, Robin Zander) – 3:58
# "Auf Wiedersehen" (Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson) – 3:42
# "Takin' Me Back" – 4:52
# "On the Radio" – 4:33
# "Heaven Tonight" (Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson) – 5:25
# "Stiff Competition" – 3:40
# "How Are You?" (Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson) – 4:21
# "Oh Claire" (Bun E. Carlos, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson, Robin Zander) – 1:10 * On the original LP release, "Oh Claire" is not listed anywhere on the tracklisting.

Bonus tracks (1998 Reissue)

#

"Stiff Competition" (Outtake) – 4:03
# "Surrender" (Outtake) – 4:52

ingles (Side A/Side B)

* (1978) "Surrender/Auf Wiedersehen" - #62 US
* (1978) "California Man/Stiff Competition"
* (1978) "California Man/I Want You To Want Me"

Personnel

* Robin Zander – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
* Rick Nielsen – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Tom Petersson – bass, backing vocals
* Bun E. Carlos – drums

Additional personnel

* Jai Winding – keyboards
* Paula Scher – design

Background information

This 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 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.

"Surrender" was the only song from this album released on the original version of the 1979 live album "At Budokan". On the 1998 reissue "", 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, Konnichiwa" 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".

"Surrender" is featured as a playable song on the video game "Guitar Hero II".

Charts

Album