E.L.O. Vs. Cheap Trick...

Now that Bilge is back, truly pressing issues must be discussed. So I ask you...

Who did the Beatles thing better?

E.L.O.?

Or Cheap Trick?

WOW! 2 of my faves. As far as who did the Beatles thing better...I'd have to go with ELO and Mr. Lynne. Hooks and melody...not that Cheap Trick didn't have them, but ELO was defitely more Beatle-esque. The string arrangements by Louis Clarke are comparable to the arrangements George Martin did. Just listen to the strings during the break in "Waterfall". One of my favorite Beatle-esque ELO tunes is "Mr. Radio." Definitely sounds like something the Beatles could have done in '67 or maybe '68. Jeff Lynne was (and still is) such a huge Beatles fan it's not surprising.

Cheap Trick are masters of Power Pop. Although somewhat Beatle-esque I've always thought of them as kind of new wave. A lot of people say they went downhill after "Heaven Tonight" but they've made a lot of great music since then.

Cheap Trick, hands down. No need for anymore discussion.

As a big fan of the '70's band The Move that split to give birth to Roy Wood's band and ELO (Jeff Lynne's band) I was in the Roy Wood camp and have always preferred the version of the song "Do Ya" on the Move's superb LP "California Man" to the ELO re-hash. That being said, I think it only fair to disqualify myself as an impartial judge in determining the musical, cultural and historical significance of these two bands (darn, I didn't even get started on Cheap Trick).

Aw c'mon! I'm all ears!

elo wins this "showdown"

I think that ELO was deliberately going for the "Beatles thing", whereas Cheap Trick, although obviously influenced by the Beatles, wasn't as intentional as ELO. I dig 'em both! ELO is to Kansas as Cheap Trick is to Big Star.

Oh, but Oasis does it more blatently than both of 'em, right?

[ Edited by: tikitortured 2005-09-05 21:39 ]

Cheap Trick are masters of Power Pop. Although somewhat Beatle-esque I've always thought of them as kind of new wave. A lot of people say they went downhill after "Heaven Tonight" but they've made a lot of great music since then.

I think I can agree with this the most of any post so far.

Going downhill after 'Heaven Tonight' is a pretty fair assesment, but I would say they went downhill after 'At Budokan'. They did have great stuff after that, but you didn't hear it wall to wall on any one LP. Their first album is amazing. I think they have some strong similarities to The Beatles, but for me their godfathers are defnitely Big Star. Put some of that on and tell me you don't hear the strong similarities. But I do think that Rick & Co. definitely used The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" idea of 'being a different band' when they did 'Dream Police'. That album, at least as a visual concept, was totally borrowed from 'Sgt. Pepper' if you ask me. It was also pretty bold. I mean can you hear Rick or Robin, or whoever came up with the idea telling the rest of the band they were gonna be the 'Dream Police' as the follow up to the smash 'Budokan' LP. The other guys in the band must have been like 'yeah right..shut up'. But then again you're talking about a band that has a lead guitarist that looks like Huntz Hall from 'The Bowery Boys'. Hmmm...maybe somebody in the band was listening to Frank Zappa & the Mothers' "Freak Out" alot. There's that song on that album "Who Are the Brain Police?". Anyway...I think I have seen Cheap Trick (with all three of their bass players) about 10 times since 1980. First time was on the 'Dream Police' tour. UFO opened for them. VERY COOL!

ELO is closer to The Beatles on alot of levels. I'm not a big ELO fan, mind you but I am a huge Beatles fan. I never owned ELO stuff ever. Nothing personal to any of the ELO fans here, but when I first saw them come around, I thought it was kinda stupid seeing long haired dudes playing cellos. But hey....I love 'Don't Bring Me Down'. Great song, I remember hearing it all the time at the ice skating center on Friday nights.

[ Edited by: donhonyc 2005-09-06 06:27 ]

As far as who did the Beatles thing better... I gotta go ELO.

I swear Jeff Lynne thought he WAS Paul McCartney for a few years.

Cheap Trick up through Revolver, then E.L.O. from the end of Rubber Soul onward.

Or...

Cheap Trick during the "red double album" period and E.L.O. through the "blue double album" period.

I think I have seen Cheap Trick (with all three of their bass players) about 10 times since 1980. First time was on the 'Dream Police' tour. UFO opened for them. VERY COOL!

I saw them that same tour in Philadelphia. I don't remember who opened for them but I know it wasn't UFO. What I remember most from that show was watching Robin Zander yelling and screaming at a stage hand and them playing "Everything Works If You Let It" before they ever recorded it. One of my favorite CT tunes.

As I said on a previous post about the most perfectly written pop song, Cheap Trick's "OH CAROLINE" tops my list. It's an absolute classic! As for ELO, I can listen to "MR. BLUE SKY" over and over. Talk about Beatle-esque.

CT has covered a few Beatles and Lennon songs, as well as some from The Move (California Man, Down on the Bay, Brontosaurus). I don't think ELO did the same, except that horrid "Roll Over Beethoven" thing.

I always felt it was a shame that Cheap Trick didn't get to have George Martin produce their early work.

The opening track for All Shook Up is great, but the rest of the album was downhill. Fast.

Who remembers "Captain Copter and the Twirlybirds"? (Lind & Co. just before ELO). They did "I'm a California Man." Then, so did Cheap Trick, some years later. Both good.

[ Edited by: foamy 2005-09-09 11:14 ]

On 2005-09-09 11:10, foamy wrote:
Who remembers "Captain Copter and the Twirlybirds"? (Lind & Co. just before ELO). They did "I'm a California Man." Then, so did Cheap Trick, some years later. Both good.

Wasn't the guitarist Randy California of Spirit in Capt Copter & the Twirlybirds? Maybe it's that California Man thing bouncin' off my skull.

(oops...sorry, different band)
Krapt. Kopter And The (fabulous) Twirly Birds - Austrian - CD ALBUM more of this title
RANDY CALIFORNIA Kapt. Kopter & The... (Deleted Sony 8-trk CD, p/s) -

[ Edited by: Shipwreckjoey 2005-09-09 16:52 ]

I always felt it was a shame that Cheap Trick didn't get to have George Martin produce their early work.
The opening track for All Shook Up is great, but the rest of the album was downhill. Fast.

I agree...and what I'll never understand is why "Everything Works If You Let It" was kept off that album and handed off to the soundtrack for "Roadie" starring Meat Loaf. It's much stronger than anything else on "All Shook Up" and I always thought it would have been a great single. It was eventually included in 45 form with the EP "Found All The Parts" which came out in '81 I think.

Which members of Cheap Trick played on an early version of Lennon's "I'm Losing You?" Was it just Bun E. and Rick?

CT has covered a few Beatles and Lennon songs, as well as some from The Move (California Man, Down on the Bay, Brontosaurus). I don't think ELO did the same, except that horrid "Roll Over Beethoven" thing.

I know ELO did do "Day Tripper" & "Across The Universe" live but never on record.

[ Edited by: Juno 2005-09-10 13:38 ]

Which members of Cheap Trick played on an early version of Lennon's "I'm Losing You?" Was it just Bun E. and Rick?

As far as I know, yeah it was just Rick & Bun along with session player/later version of King Crimson bassist Tony Levin. The version they did didn't make it on to the 'Double Fantasy' record. There was actually a video filmed of it a few years ago with the three of them in it and if I recall correctly, an animated (cartoon) figure in the part of John Lennon. The Rick/Bun E./Tony Levin version of "I'm Losing You" can be found on the John Lennon Anthology Box Set released in 1998.

I heard Rick Neilsen tell a funny story about the beginning of the sessions for that song. John Lennon walked in the room and saw Rick Neilsen standing there and said "Oh....it's you." Apparently he thought they were bringing in Rick Nelson, as in 'Travelin Man'/'Garden Party'/ Ozzie and Harriet's kid, Rick Nelson!!

[ Edited by: donhonyc 2005-09-11 22:24 ]

I heard Rick Neilsen tell a funny story about the beginning of the sessions for that song. John Lennon walked in the room and saw Rick Neilsen standing there and said "Oh....it's you." Apparently he thought they were bringing in Rick Nelson, as in 'Travelin Man'/'Garden Party'/ Ozzie and Harriet's kid, Rick Nelson!!

Oh that's funny as hell! I can just imagine him standing there with his knit sweater, bow tie, baseball cap and 50 Cheap Trick buttons and then John Lennon walks in.

Cheap Trick: The Dream Police, Surrender.

ELO: Horace Wimp??? :-?

'nuff said.

Tomorrow night I'm going to see New Model Army at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood and Bun E. Carlos, drummer for Cheap trick will be the DJ. Weird, huh?

Oh yeah, and Cheap Trick is playing withAlice Cooper at the Greek on Sat. 9/16.

ELO: Horace Wimp???

Not one of their high moments...but then neither was Cheap Tricks "Who'd King."