Cheap Trick is the first studio album released in 1977 by the American rock band Cheap Trick. It was their debut album for Epic Records, produced by Jack Douglas.

Most of the songs have a more raw sound akin to hard rock bands of the period compared to the group's later more polished power pop style, and the song lyrics deal with more extreme subject matter than later albums. For instance, "The Ballad of T.V. Violence" is about serial killer Richard Speck, "Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School" is about a pedophile, and "Oh Candy" is about a friend of the band who committed suicide.

This album, along with the following three albums, are considered by fans and critics to be Cheap Trick's best works. This one, however, is more known for capturing both their dark side and the fierceness of their early live performances more than any other studio release in their catalog.

The album was produced by Jack Douglas, who had achieved a similar sonic density with the blues-rock/hard rock Aerosmith, and the album sounds quite different than subsequent Cheap Trick records. Jack Douglas later worked with the band on the Found All the Parts EP, on the album Standing On The Edge, as well as on a re-recorded version of "Surrender" in the late 1990s and on a few tracks on Rockford.

When Cheap Trick performed the entire debut album at the Metro Chicago on May 1, 1998, they played the album in the intended order, starting with "Elo Kiddies". This concert was recorded, and parts of it contributed to the live album Music for Hangovers.

Track Listing [320k MP3]

    "ELO Kiddies" — 3:41
    "Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School" — 4:44
    "Taxman, Mr. Thief" — 4:16
    "Cry, Cry" (Nielsen, Robin Zander, Tom Petersson) — 4:22
    "Oh, Candy" — 3:07
    "Hot Love" — 2:30
    "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace" (Terry Reid) — 4:35
    "He's a Whore" — 2:43
    "Mandocello" — 4:47
    "The Ballad of T.V. Violence (I'm Not the Only Boy)" — 5:15

Bonus Tracks (1998 Reissue)

    "Lovin' Money" — 4:09
    "I Want You To Want Me" — 2:43
    "Lookout" — 3:30
    "You're All Talk" (Nielsen, Petersson) — 3:31
    "I Dig Go-Go Girls" — 3:06