The "Steve Albini Sessions" of Cheap Trick’s In Color refer to a raw, high-energy re-recording of their 1977 classic, captured in the late 1990s at Albini's Electrical Audio studio. The project was born because the band felt the original Tom Werman production was too "polished" and "safe for radio," failing to capture their true power as a live unit.
While never officially completed or released as a full album, the sessions have become a legendary "holy grail" for fans. Session Highlights
The Intent: The band wanted to record the songs on their own terms, aiming for the "stripped-down, amped-up" sound they felt the material originally deserved.
The Sound: Albini, known for his "press record and let the band go wild" style (famously used on Nirvana’s In Utero), delivered a mix that sounds much closer to Cheap Trick's aggressive live performances.
Release Status: It was never officially finished—missing some harmonies and instrumental layers—but a rough mix was leaked online and has since appeared on various high-quality unofficial releases.
Official Glimpse: The re-recorded version of "Hello There" was officially released as a playable track in the video game Rock Band 2. Reconstruction Tracklist The Unreleased Steve Albini Sessions (2011) 2 CD SET
01. Hello There. 02. Big Eyes. 03. Downed. 04. I Want You to Want Me. 05. You're All Talk. 06. Oh Caroline. 07. Clock Strikes Ten. The Music Shop And More - Cheap Trick : In Color : Steve Albini : The Whole Story
In 1998, a fascinating piece of rock history was born in a Chicago studio when Cheap Trick teamed up with legendary engineer Steve Albini
to re-record their classic 1977 album, In Color. While the original album made them superstars in Japan, the band had long been dissatisfied with its "wimpy" and "safe" production by Tom Werman. The Albini sessions were an attempt to reclaim their sound—stripping away the studio gloss for a raw, muscular, and "punked up" aesthetic. The Motivation: Correcting the "Cardboard Box"
The band’s grievance with the 1977 original was purely sonic. Bassist Tom Petersson famously remarked that the label tried to make them "radio-friendly," which "completely wrecked" their true sound. Drummer Bun E. Carlos described the original as sounding like it was "done in a cardboard box". In 1997-1998, finding themselves with extra studio time while working with Albini, the band decided to re-cut the entire tracklist in just three days to capture the energy of their live performances. The Albini Sound
Steve Albini, known for his work with Nirvana and Pixies, brought his signature "press-record-and-let-the-band-go-wild" philosophy to the sessions.
Muscularity: The recordings are characterized by a dry, heavy sound with Rick Nielsen’s guitars and Bun E. Carlos’s drums brought to the forefront. The "Steve Albini Sessions" of Cheap Trick’s In
Authenticity: Fans and critics who have heard the leaks often describe it as a "brilliant reimagining" that finally captures the "power" part of power-pop.
Unique Additions: The sessions included a raucous cover of John Lennon’s "I’m Losing You," featuring guitars and drums recorded when the band worked with Lennon in the early '80s. Tracklist of the "Albini Sessions"
In the sprawling, often contradictory history of rock music, few intersections are as fascinatingly volatile as the meeting of Cheap Trick and Steve Albini.
For most fans, the definitive version of In Color—the band’s sophomore 1977 masterpiece—is the one produced by Tom Werman. It is a record that defined power-pop: shimmering 12-string Rickenbackers, layered harmonies, and a radio-friendly polish that gave us “I Want You to Want Me” and “Clock Strikes Ten.”
But buried deep in the digital catacombs of collector circles lies a holy grail for the purist: Cheap Trick – In Color – The Steve Albini Sessions (1998 – CD FLAC).
This is not a remaster. This is not a remix. This is a complete philosophical re-imagining of a classic, filtered through the man who hates reverb, worships distortion, and famously recorded Nirvana’s In Utero.
If you have stumbled upon a FLAC rip of this ultra-rare 1998 CD, you have found the sonic equivalent of a sniperscope: unflinching, dry, and brutally honest.
For power pop purists and Cheap Trick devotees, the story of In Color (1977) is one of "what could have been." The band’s debut album, produced by Jack Douglas, captured the raw, visceral energy of their legendary live shows at the Budokan. However, the follow-up, In Color, was handed to producer Tom Werman. Werman smoothed out the edges, bathed the band in radio-friendly gloss, and stripped away the feedback that defined their early sound. While the songs remained brilliant—from the falsetto theatrics of "I Want You to Want Me" to the manic energy of "Hello There"—the production has long been criticized for lacking the band's signature grit.
Enter Steve Albini.
If you are downloading this FLAC, here is what awaits you:
To understand the 1998 sessions, one must understand the zeitgeist of the late 1990s. Grunge had died, but its production DNA—courtesy of Albini—remained the gold standard for "authenticity." Cheap Trick, despite decades of hits, was often dismissed by critics as a "corporate rock" act due to the slick production of their 80s output. The Ghost in the Machine: Unpacking the "In
Enter Steve Albini (Big Black, Shellac). Known for his "no-compression, no-effects, all-mic-bleed" approach, Albini was the anti-producer. He didn’t want to produce Cheap Trick; he wanted to document them.
The premise was radical: What if Cheap Trick, in 1998, walked into Electrical Audio (Albini’s Chicago studio) and played In Color as if it were a live set in a concrete bunker? No double-tracking vocals. No chorus pedals. No studio tricks.
The result was a promotional CD so rare that most fans thought it was a bootleg.
Albini’s recording technique is hostile to lossy compression. MP3s destroy the transients of his drum miking. This session demands FLAC.
Rick Nielsen’s Guitar: On the Tom Werman version, Nielsen’s five-neck guitars are smoothed out. On the Albini session, his guitar sounds like a band saw. The mid-range is aggressive. There is no "smile curve" EQ here. The FLAC preserves the harmonic distortion of his amp—the actual wood and wire fighting each other.
Robin Zander’s Vocals: This is the shocker. Without double-tracking or plate reverb, Zander sounds uncomfortably close. You hear the saliva in his mouth. You hear the room. His falsetto on "I Want You to Want Me" is no longer a sweet serenade; it is a desperate, ragged plea in a small room. In FLAC, the sibilance is natural, not digitized.
Tom Petersson’s 12-String Bass: The hallmark of Cheap Trick. On the original LP, it rings like a bell. Here, it is a clanking, metallic chain. The low-end is dry. You feel the fret buzz. The FLAC resolution (16/44.1) captures the attack of the pick on the winding of the string perfectly.
Bun E. Carlos’s Drums: This is the star of the show. Werman buried the drums in reverb. Albini mics them like a jazz record. The kick drum is a thud, not a boom. The snare is a crack. The hi-hat is washy and present. In FLAC, the stereo separation is natural—ride cymbal on the right, crash on the left—exactly how you’d hear it if you were sitting at the drum stool.
The Steve Albini Sessions version of In Color is widely considered the definitive listening experience for the album. It serves as a fascinating "alternate history," proving that Cheap Trick was always a harder, heavier band than their 1970s producers allowed them to be on tape. For collectors, the 1998 CD rip in FLAC is the gold standard for archival audio fidelity.
Technical Tags:
In 1997 and 1998, Cheap Trick re-recorded their classic 1977 album, In Color, with legendary recording engineer Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio studios in Chicago. The band had long been dissatisfied with the original production by Tom Werman, which they felt was too "polished" and "safe for radio" rather than capturing their raw, live energy. Session Overview Hello There: The iconic live opener becomes a dry run
The Intent: The goal was to record the album "on their own terms" and make the songs sound the way they were originally intended—louder, heavier, and more aggressive.
The Sound: Albini utilized his signature "live-in-the-studio" engineering style, resulting in a muscular, stripped-down sound that emphasized Rick Nielsen’s "screaming" guitars and Bun E. Carlos's "thundering" drums.
Completion: Despite the band's enthusiasm, the sessions were never officially finished or released; some harmonies and additional instruments were reportedly never added. Availability and Distribution
While there is no official commercial release, the sessions have gained legendary status among fans via bootlegs:
"In Color" (Albini Re-Recording,... - Cheap Trick - kung fu grippe
The Steve Albini sessions for Cheap Trick’s second album, In Color, are one of rock’s most famous "lost" projects. Though recorded in 1997–1998 to correct what the band felt was the "too safe" and "cardboard box" production of the 1977 original, they have never received an official, wide release. The Origin Story
Cheap Trick always harbored a dislike for Tom Werman’s polished production on the original In Color, which they felt stripped away their live power. While spending time with legendary producer Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio studio in the late 1990s, the band decided to spend a few days re-recording the entire album to capture the raw, muscular sound they originally intended. Session Characteristics
Production Style: Albini employed his signature "dry" and impeccably mic'd approach, emphasizing the band's natural dynamics.
Recording Method: The sessions were largely recorded live with minimal overdubs, stripping away the keyboards and polished backing vocals found on the 1977 version.
Completion Status: Although Rick Nielsen suggested the album was finished in 2010, other members, including Bun E. Carlos and Tom Petersson, have stated the sessions were never fully completed with all necessary harmonies and instruments. Common Tracklist (1998 Bootleg)
The sessions surfaced online as high-quality leaks, often circulated in FLAC format among collectors. A typical tracklist includes the full album plus rare outtakes: Early tracks from 1996 Red Ant Cheap Trick sessions
The Definitive Archival Release | Audio Format: FLAC