Cheap Trick: Sex, America, Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick has proven to be a massive influence on countless pop, rock, alternative and metal bands, and if nothing else, this exhaustive (four CDs, four and a half hours, 64 songs) and expansive (1974&shyp;95) box set illustrates the sheer volume of the band's recordings. But what's surprising about Sex, America, Cheap Trick isn't its size, but how much of it—about half—is devoted to previously unreleased material. Granted, most of those tracks come in the form of demos, alternate takes and live recordings, but fans will be pleased to find that the set aspires to be more than just a glorified greatest-hits package. Which isn't to say the hits aren't here, though Sex, America, Cheap Trick becomes decidedly less thorough when it hits the band's 1988 comeback and subsequent slump: Hell, the band's top-five cover of "Don't Be Cruel" doesn't even make the cut here. By definition, a set like this is just for collectors, completists and hardcore fans, and casual listeners will be better off opting for a more modest hits package. But Sex, America's intended audience should get a huge kick out of this generous, ambitious, diverse set.