Also available in a 3-pack with CHEAP TRICK and HEAVEN TONIGHT.

Cheap Trick: Robin Zander (vocals, guitar); Rick Nielsen (guitar, vocals); Tom Petersson (bass, vocals); Bun E. Carlos (drums).

Reissue producer: Bruce Dickinson.

Recorded at Kendun Recorders, Los Angeles, California; Ardent Studios, Memphis, Tennessee; Live at The Whiskey, Los Angeles, California. Includes liner notes by Greg Kot.

Digitally remastered by Vic Anesini (Sony Music Studios).

Cheap Trick: Robin Zander (vocals, guitar); Rick Nielsen (guitar); Tom Petersson (bass guitar); Bun E. Carlos (drums).

Just a shade less rewarding than Cheap Trick's self-titled 1977 debut, IN COLOR is still another stellar recording (released in the same year). Although the more noticeable pop-gloss sound (courtesy of producer Tom Werman) may hamper some of the tracks, the songwriting is still top notch and the performances inspired. After the commercial underachievement of the debut, the band was probably advised to tone down their rawness a notch or two, which helped IN COLOR crack the Billboard Top 100 album charts. But ultimately, it would not be the big breakthrough they had hoped for (that was still a ways off, with 1979's AT BUDOKAN).

Many of the tracks would re-appear on AT BUDOKAN as live versions. Still, songs such as "Hello There" (a perennial concert opener), "Downed," "Big Eyes," "Oh Caroline," "Come On, Come On" and "Clock Strikes Ten" are all bona fide hard rock classics. An anemic "swing" version of "I Want You To Want Me" will leave many a listener befuddled, especially when compared to the vibrant AT BUDOKAN version that would eventually serve as the band's breakthrough hit single.