Cheap Trick - In Color - Steve Albini Sessions -1998 Cd Flac- Info

The drum sound here is the definitive Albini sound. Bun E. Carlos’s kick drum doesn't thump; it punches you in the sternum. The FLAC preserves the transient perfectly. On MP3, that attack blurs. On FLAC, it’s a surgical spike.

Do you own the original 1998 promo CD? Have you compared the vinyl pressing of this session to the FLAC? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

This disc is out of print. Copies on Discogs run for $150+. However, the band has hinted at a "Raw Albini Box Set" for 2025. Until then, if you find a used copy, rip it to FLAC immediately. The drum sound here is the definitive Albini sound

By 1998, Cheap Trick was in a weird purgatory. They were beloved, but considered "classic rock." Steve Albini (Pixies, Nirvana, PJ Harvey) was the anti-producer. He hated digital reverb, hated headphones, and famously rejected "The Record Industry."

Streaming services (Spotify/Apple) use the 2008 "remaster," which brick-walled the dynamics. The Albini session is available on some platforms, but streamed at 256kbps AAC. The FLAC preserves the transient perfectly

The original album starts with a crowd cheer. Albini deletes it. Instead, you hear Robin Zander count in, "One, two..." followed by the ring of Bun E. Carlos’s snare that sounds like a gunshot. The FLAC reveals the room —you hear the wood creak.

But here is the truth: In Color (1977) sounds like a beautiful photograph. In Color (Albini 1998) sounds like the negative. It is visceral. It is the sound of four guys in a room who hate the fact that they have to play their own hits again. Do you own the original 1998 promo CD

Deep Dive: Cheap Trick’s “In Color” – The Lost Albini Raw Nerve (1998 CD FLAC Review)

The gem of the session. In 1977, this was sweet. In 1998, it is sleazy. Tom Petersson’s 12-string bass is so distorted it clips the preamp (Albini left it in). The FLAC version shows you the "air" between the guitar strings; it’s not clean, but it is honest .