Combining a love for British guitar pop with crunching power chords and a flair for the absurd, Cheap Trick provided the
necessary links between '60s pop, heavy metal, and punk. Led by guitarist Rick Nielsen, the band's early albums were
filled with highly melodic, well-written songs that drew equally from the crafted pop of the Beatles, the sonic assault of
the Who, and the tongue-in-cheek musical eclecticism and humor of the Move. Their sound provided a blueprint for both
power pop and arena rock; it also had a surprisingly long-lived effect on both alternative and heavy metal bands of the
'80s and '90s, who also relied on the combination of loud riffs and catchy melodies.
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