By 1998, Cheap Trick had regained ownership of much of their creative direction. They teamed up with Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio studio in Chicago. Albini’s philosophy was the exact opposite of Werman's. He didn't "produce" bands; he recorded them exactly as they sounded in a room—loud, abrasive, and honest.
In 2025, as vinyl reissues command $40 and streaming services compress In Color to a lifeless -14 LUFS, the stand as a monument to "what if." By 1998, Cheap Trick had regained ownership of
These Steve Albini sessions from 1998 were not officially released as an album called “In Color” . The official In Color album is from 1977 and was not produced by Albini. So what you’re looking at is almost certainly a bootleg or fan compilation of outtakes/alternate versions. He didn't "produce" bands; he recorded them exactly
Listen loud. Listen lossless. And don't expect any reverb. So what you’re looking at is almost certainly
Steve Albini, a renowned producer, engineer, and musician known for his work with a wide array of artists from Nirvana to Pixies, took on the ambitious project of re-recording "In Color" with Cheap Trick. The sessions, conducted in 1998, were not merely a re-recording of the original album but an exercise in reimagining these songs through a contemporary lens. Albini's approach to production emphasized raw, live performance and a commitment to capturing the authenticity of the band's interaction. This methodology offered Cheap Trick the opportunity to revisit their material with the benefit of two decades of experience and maturity.
Today, fans can experience the raw power and emotional depth of these recordings in high-definition glory with the release of the 1998 CD FLAC. This digital format offers a superior listening experience, boasting a pristine sound quality that rivals the original master tapes.