Album of the Day

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick made a single set for Warner Bros., 1994’s WOKE UP WITH A MONSTER. The quartet’s twelfth studio collection was their first in four years, and the band worked with Van Halen producer Ted Templeman to steer back to the guitar-driven punch of their earlier releases. “Ted didn't try to soften the sound up,” noted bassist Tom Petersson. “That happens to us a lot.” Songs like opener “My Gang” and “Girlfriends” straddle power pop and hard rock quite effectively, while tracks like “Didn't Know I Had It” show the group could slow the tempo and still knock it out of the park. Robin Zander is in fine voice throughout WOKE UP WITH A MONSTER, and though label shakeups hampered sales, it’s still a monster album.