While their records were entertaining and full of skillful pop, it wasn't until
At Budokan that
Cheap Trick's vision truly gelled. Many of these songs, like "I Want You to Want Me" and "Big Eyes," were pleasant in their original form, but seemed more like sketches compared to the roaring versions on this album. With their ear-shatteringly loud guitars and sweet melodies,
Cheap Trick unwittingly paved the way for much of the hard rock of the next decade, as well as a surprising amount of alternative rock of the 1990s, and it was
At Budokan that captured the band in all of its power. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine