Cheap Trick is one of those weird rock’n’roll phenomenons. One of those bands you never find in the charts or printed on TopShop’s trendy shirts, but many artists you like, old and new, will mention them as a main influence ioncluding The Ramones, AC/DC and Zeppelin, The Wildhearts, Greenday (who use their hit ‘Surrender’ as a live encore), Pearl Jam, Datsuns, Enuff’Z’Nuff, Extreme, Guns’n’Roses, Motley Crue, Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, Terrorvision and Weezer. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. An icon for modern days icons if you will.

The audience at their gigs is the most diverse sample of music humanity you can possibly imagine. From bikers to geeks, from youngsters who want to understand where Greenday came from to over fifty chaps who have no idea who Greenday are. And I was lucky enough to see all of this at the Royal Albert Hall back in 2003, with bars invaded by mullets and indie bobs, leather trousers and smart suits, hiding a Ginger from The Wildhearts happily mixing up with the crowd and God knows how many more well known musicians who that night were, for once, just fans.

A Cheap Trick album doesn’t happen every two or so years, so when the first batch was put on the market in June strictly by pre-order, only few could resist until the official July release of “The Latest.” And man, wasn’t this a case of patience being rewarded! Cheap Trick celebrate 25 years of their career with a power pop classic album, successfully exploring punk and rockabilly sonorities, touching hearts with deep ballads that can never get boring with Zander’s exceptional voice, and even revisiting a classic in a way only they can do (ever heard their version of Elvis ‘Don’t be cruel’?)

Ballad ‘Sleep Forever’ may sound like a weird choice for an opener, however it is dedicated to a friend who passed away recently, and this 1:37 song is surely more effective than a simple dedication on the cover. At the end of the day, it’s their album and they never wrote for the charts. Tribute over, fun begins, with Slade ‘When The Lights Are Out’ and what an amazing job they’ve done with this track! ‘Miss Tomorrow,’ written with Dave Stewart, is a very old Cheap Trick style track, a deeply enjoyable power pop song sprinkled with indie and rock dust. Two minutes single ‘Sick Man of Europe’ (name initially given to the band back in 1972) makes you wonder if Jet, Hives and the likes shouldn’t be also mentioned in that list of influences. It is simply amazing how Robin Zander’s voice can go from Rock’n’Roll raspy, to crystal falsetto, to deep velvety blues.

I Can’t believe he’s 56. Him, his voice, his song writing, all so beautifully timeless!

‘These Days’ is a good ballad, but would probably be ‘just a ballad’ if it wasn’t for those vocal chords. The following track ‘Miracle’ whilst being another ballad, is an excellent example of Cheap Trick’s similarities to the Beatles and in particular John Lennon. It is a song so obvious that it is ultimately genius. ‘Every Day You Make Me Crazy’ lasts only 1:18 and maybe it’s not enough; it starts pretty well, but in the end it feels like a good concept that they didn’t bother developing further. Maybe an extended version for download or b-side someday? But here comes the one that throws you right back to the 50s. 'California Girl’ is a feel good, vintage anthem that will have you dancing your ass off and flying your partner and her big skirt under your legs and over the top of your head. Rock’n’Roll!

‘Everybody knows’ is another ballad that starts a bit flat, but again Zander gives it an edge with a seventies style falsetto. Rick Nielsen's infectious guitar riffs play the leading role in uplifting rock tune ‘Alive.’ Not too impressed, or at least not as impressed as I am with the rest of “The Latest.” Closer, 'The ballad of Burt and Linda’ is an indie pop ballad that somewhat reminds me of the darkest Enuff’z’Nuff episodes.

Nostalgic heart warming ballad ‘Smile’ closes the curtain on this Cheap Trick masterpiece. If you’re a Cheap Trick fan and you’re afraid of being disappointed, fear no more. This is not just a good Cheap Trick album, but one of their best ever.

If you don’t know Cheap Trick, I’m very tempted to tell you to leave this website immediately but I’m sure my boss wouldn’t be too happy. So please, do yourself a huge favour, and before listening to all the Greenday, Weezer, Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins of this world, get yourself “The Latest” and a good Cheap Trick Greatest Hits and try to understand where they came from. If your music of choice is Limp Bizkit, 50 Cent or Rammstein then you probably haven’t listened to Cheap Trick much... but you’re still on time!