Rare Cheap Trick 1977 live collection from The Whisky due in December

In June 1977, Cheap Trick was in Los Angeles to record their second album, In Color. To get the band in shape for the record, they booked 5 gigs at the Whisky a Go Go. 

KROQ/106.7 FM DJ Rodney Bingenheimer introduced the group: “The Whisky was packed for every show," he says. "A lot of girls showed up. It was like the ‘new’ Beatles had arrived.” As drummer Bun E. Carlos puts it, “The Whisky shows capture a hungry band. It’s right before we went on tour with KISS and became much more famous than we were at this point. It was two nights where we did all our cool stuff from our first couple of records and it’s chock-full of goodies.”

The tapes were rolling courtesy of the Record Plant’s Mobile Unit One for four out of the five shows. But when At Budokan hit 18 months later and propelled the band to superstar status, the tapes were shelved. 

Out December 16 on Real Gone Music, a limited edition (2000 copies) 4CD set contains all four shows in their entirety (well over half completely unreleased), with liner note quotes from Rick Nielsen, Bun E. Carlos and Robin Zander. 

Track listings:

DISC 1
06/03/1977 - Early Show

1 Rodney Bingenheimer Intro
2 Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
3 Elo Kiddies
4 Set Break 1
5 High Roller
6 Southern Girls
7 Cry, Cry
8 Big Eyes
9 Can't Hold On
10 Oh Boy
11 You're All Talk
12 Set Break 2
13 He's a Whore
14 The Ballad of T.V. Violence (I'm Not the Only Boy)
15 Down On the Bay
16 Goodnight

DISC 2

06/03/1977 - Late Show
1 Hello There
2 Come On Come On
3 Set Break 1
4 Oh Candy
5 Daddy Should Have Stayed In High School
6 Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
7 Elo Kiddies
8 Loser
9 Taxman, Mr Thief
10 Clock Strikes Ten
11 Set Break 2
12 Big Eyes
13 He's a Whore
15 You're All Talk
16 Auf Wiedersehen

DISC 3

06/04/1977 - Early Show
1 Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
2 Elo Kiddies
3 Set Break 1
4 Hot Love
5 Southern Girls
6 Cry Cry
7 Big Eyes
8 Set Break 2
9 Ain't That a Shame
10 Oh Caroline
11 Oh Boy
12 You're All Talk
13 Set Break 3
14 He's a Whore
15 The Ballad of T.V. Violence (I'm Not the Only Boy)
16 Down On The Bay
17 Goodnight

DISC 4

06/04/1977 - Late Show
1 Hello There
2 Come On Come On
3 Set Break 1
4 Oh Candy
5 Daddy Should Have Stayed In High School
6 Please, Mrs. Henry
7 Set Break 2
8 Violins
9 Taxman, Mr Thief
10 Clock Strikes Ten
11 Set Break 3
12 Big Eyes
13 He's a Whore
14 You're All Talk
15 Auf Wiedersehen
16 Encore Break
17 Goodnight