Affordable Magic

Picture the late ’70s and early ’80s, an era jam-packed with flashy outfits, guitar-driven anthems, and an explosion of new music styles. In the middle of it all stood Cheap Trick, rocking those black-and-white checkerboard patterns (kinda Ska), worn-in tees, and denim that looked like they’d been through a thousand gigs. They weren’t trying to impress you with some over-polished pop formula; they were there to remind everyone what real rock was supposed to feel like. 

From the first time you heard “I Want You to Want Me,” you knew they weren’t messing around. That track had a spark to it—an undeniable pulse that instantly grabbed your attention and made you want to crank the volume. Then there’s “Surrender,” a tune that just seeps into your bones with its catchy riffs and rebellious vibe. Part of Cheap Trick’s magic lay in how they took the ordinary experiences of life—love, heartbreak, and the thrill of just being alive—and turned them into anthems that felt universal. They might not have been pumping out chart-topper after chart-topper, but trust me, their catalog was loaded with gems that still get people smiling and headbanging decades later.

Looking back, it’s easy to get nostalgic about the days before auto-tune and social media’s viral hit culture. Cheap Trick thrived in that time because they were the complete opposite of manufactured. Their sound came from the heart: melodic guitar hooks, impassioned vocals, and enough edge to keep things interesting. They were the underdogs—no fancy gimmicks, just a relentless desire to play great rock music. And play they did, unleashing anthems that tore through the speakers and left crowds hungry for more. Even now, their name sparks memories of cranked-up car stereos, smoky clubs, and that adrenaline rush you felt when a band was truly giving it all on stage.

We’ve come a long way from those glory days, and let’s be real, not all of it’s for the better. Today’s music scene can feel sterile, obsessed with TikTok challenges and trending algorithms, stripping away that gritty soul we used to take for granted. But all is not lost. Whenever you’re craving a taste of authentic rock, just slip on your favorite tee, toss on a Cheap Trick record—vinyl, if you’re feeling old-school—and let it blast. The energy pouring out of those speakers is a time capsule of an era when music had a sharper edge and didn’t apologize for anything.

Cheap Trick isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s about remembering that real music doesn’t need to be perfect or overproduced. It just needs to make you feel something. That’s the legacy these guys left behind—a legacy of sweaty gigs, raw vocals, and heart-thumping guitar riffs that still hold up against the best of today. So, put aside the auto-tuned singles, silence the digital noise, and get back to basics with Cheap Trick’s primal brand of rock ‘n’ roll. Because they don’t make ’em like that anymore, and that’s exactly why we should never forget how great they were. To me, Cheap Trick were no 1-hit-wonder (despite the single chart-topper), they weren’t a flash-in-the-pan – they weren’t actually fond cheap tricks – to me they are more “affordable magic” than cheap tricks, and that’s why I’m a fan.

Rock Loud 

Sam