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Dream Police is the fourth studio album by American rock band Cheap Trick. It was released in 1979, and was their third release in a row produced by Tom Werman. It is the band's most commercially successful studio album, going to No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart[6] and being certified platinum within a few months of its release.[7]

Dream Police
Studio album by Cheap Trick
Released	September 21, 1979 (1979-09-21)
Recorded	1978–1979
Studio	Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA
Genre	Power pop rock and roll heavy metal
Length	45:45
Label	Epic
Producer	Tom Werman
Cheap Trick chronology
Cheap Trick at Budokan (1978) Dream Police (1979) All Shook Up (1980)
Singles from Dream Police
"Dream Police" Released: September 1979 "Voices" Released: November 1979 "Way of the World" Released: 4 January 1980 (UK) "I'll Be with You Tonight" Released: 28 March 1980 (UK)
Music video
"Dream Police" on YouTube

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	B−[2]
Rolling Stone	(mixed)[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[4]
Smash Hits	(mixed)[5]

Overview

Dream Police shows the band expanding into longer, more complex songs and incorporating orchestration on several tracks. Three videos were produced: "Dream Police", "Way of the World" and "Voices". The album had been completed by early-1979, but its release was pushed back several months due to the surprise success of Cheap Trick at Budokan.

The album's title track became a Top 30 hit for the band. "Voices" was also a hit for the band, reaching No. 32 on the Billboard chart. "Voices" has been used twice in the soundtrack of the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother.

Near the end of "Gonna Raise Hell" the orchestra is citing a snippet from "Heaven Tonight". That song was described by Allmusic critic Tom Maginnis as having an "extended, disco-inflected, slowburn groove".[8]

Variations

In 2010, Cheap Trick re-recorded the title track as "Green Police" for the controversial[9] Green Police advertisement which aired during Super Bowl XLIV for Audi.[10]

Track listing

All songs written by Rick Nielsen, except where noted.

• The bonus tracks of the 2006 reissue of Dream Police consisted mainly of rare live versions of songs from the album. "I Know What I Want" is noteworthy for being the b-side to their 1988 single "Don't Be Cruel" and the only non-live track is a demo of the title track without its trademark strings.

Singles

• 1979: "Dream Police" b/w "Heaven Tonight" – #26 US, #4 Canada, #79 Japan
• 1979: "Voices" b/w "Surrender" (Live) – #16 Australia (UK)
• 1979: "Voices" b/w "The House Is Rockin' (With Domestic Problems)" – #32 US, #12 Canada,(US & Canada)
• 1980: "Way of the World" b/w "Oh Candy" – #73 UK
• 1980: "I'll Be with You Tonight" b/w "He's a Whore" & "So Good to See You" (UK)

Unreleased outtakes

• "It Must Be Love" (This song was given to Rick Derringer who covered it on his 1979 album Guitars and Women)
• "Next Position Please" (Features Robin, Rick, and Tom on vocals, later re-recorded for the 1983 album of the same name)
• "See Me Now" ("Way of the World" with alternate lyrics)
• "Way of the World" (with Rick Nielsen on vocals)
• "I Know What I Want" (with Robin Zander on vocals)

Covers

• Sam Kinison covered "Gonna Raise Hell" on his comedy album Leader of the Banned.
• Heavy Metal/Prog rocker Rob Gravelle released both regular and extended versions of the title track. The latter included a long outro guitar solo.

Personnel

Cheap Trick

• Robin Zander – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Rick Nielsen – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Tom Petersson – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "I Know What I Want"
• Bun E. Carlos – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Jai Winding – organ, piano, keyboards, Synth
• Steve Lukather – guitar on "Voices"

Technical

• Tom Werman – producer
• Gary Ladinsky, Mike Beiriger – engineers
• Ken Adamany – assistant engineer
• George Marino – mastering
• Steve Dessau, Paula Scher – design
• Reid Miles – photography

Chart performance

Album

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[11]	7
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[12]	4
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13]	21
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14]	56
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[15]	4
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[16]	2
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[17]	31
UK Albums (OCC)[18]	41
US Billboard 200[19]	6

2017 reissue

Chart	Peak position
Oricon (Japan)[20]	98

Year-end charts

Chart (1979)	Position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[21]	39

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[22]	Platinum	50,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[23]	3× Platinum	300,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[24]	Gold	7,500^
United States (RIAA)[25]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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