Lap of Luxury

Lap of Luxury
Studio album by Cheap Trick
Released	April 12, 1988 (1988-04-12)
Recorded	1987-88
Genre	Rock, hard rock, power pop
Length	41:55
Label	Epic
Producer	Richie Zito
Cheap Trick chronology
The Doctor (1986) Lap of Luxury (1988) Busted (1990)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Los Angeles Times	[2]
Robert Christgau	C[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]

Lap of Luxury is the tenth studio album by American band Cheap Trick. It was released on April 12, 1988, it is the band's second most commercially successful studio album, going to #16 on the Billboard 200 (trailing only 1979's Dream Police which went to #6) and has been certified platinum in sales.

The album was certified Platinum in Canada for the 100,000 sales in September 1988, where the album peaked at #11.

Overview

Although considered a comeback album for Cheap Trick, it was actually another record created in the midst of much turmoil with their label at the time, Epic Records. Before its recording, original bassist Tom Petersson rejoined the group and Epic had determined that it was going to help with some of the songwriting, and the band acquiesced only to save their contract. The mainstream ballad "The Flame" became a #1 hit single, and the album went platinum. However, the band still points to this album as the one that restricted their range and boxed them into a sound that would eventually stall their recording career for most of the 1990s.

Track listing

Singles (side A/side B)

• (1988) "The Flame/Through the Night" - #1 US, #77 UK. #1 Aus, #3 BB Mainstream Rock
• (1988) "Don't Be Cruel/I Know What I Want" (live) - #4 US, #77 UK, #8 BB Mainstream Rock, #13 Aus
• (1988) "Ghost Town/Wrong Side of Love" - #33 US
• (1988) "Let Go/No Mercy"
• (1989) "Never Had a Lot to Lose/All We Need Is a Dream" - #75 US

B-sides and outtakes

• "Through the Night" (R. Zander, T, Petersson, R. Nielsen,) - 4:19 (available on the Sex, America, Cheap Trick box set)
• "You Want It" (R. Zander, R. Nielsen) - 3:41 (available on the Sex, America, Cheap Trick box set, and the soundtrack to Say Anything...)
• "Magical Mystery Tour" (J. Lennon, P. McCartney) - 4:10 (available on The Greatest Hits)
• "Money (That's What I Want)" (J. Bradford, B. Gordy, Jr.) - 3:15 (available on the out of print Caddyshack II soundtrack)
• "If Only My Girl Was a Little More Like You" (Unreleased)
• "A Long Way from Memphis" (Unreleased)
• "Ready for the Sun" (Unreleased)
• "Right Between the Eyes" (Unreleased)
• "A Taste of Love" (Unreleased)
• "We'll Still Be Hanging On" (Unreleased)
• "Women Never Forget" (Unreleased)

Chart performance

Production

• Produced by Richie Zito
• Engineered and mixed by Phil Kaffel
• Second engineers: Jim Champagne, Bernard Frings, Mike Tacci, Bob Vogt, Toby Wright

Personnel

• Robin Zander: lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Rick Nielsen: lead guitar, backing vocals
• Tom Petersson: bass, backing vocals
• Bun E. Carlos: drums, percussion

References