Cheap Trick - In Color - Steve Albini Sessions -1998 Cd Flac- May 2026

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 .

The result? A brutalist, stripped-down re-recording of their 1977 classic, In Color . Officially released as a promo CD in 1998 (and later a very limited Japanese tour item), this isn’t just a remaster; it is a full-throated exhumation. Today, we are analyzing the of that elusive disc. The gem of the session

This isn't the Cheap Trick your dad plays at the BBQ. This is the Cheap Trick that played CBGBs when the Ramones were still afraid of them. Tom Petersson’s 12-string bass is so distorted it

9/10 for sound quality (Loses one point because the vocals are intentionally too quiet in the mix). Mood: Angry, sweaty, and perfect for a winter garage. Carlos’s kick drum doesn't thump

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.

Rick Nielsen’s guitar solo is sloppy. Not lazy, but aggressive. You can hear him stomp a distortion pedal in the left channel 0.5 seconds before the solo starts. Most producers would edit that out. Albini left it in because "that’s what playing feels like."

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.