Live at Budokan unexpectedly made Cheap Trick stars, largely because I want you to want me had a tougher sound than its original studio incarnation. Perversely — and most things Cheap Trick have done are somehow perverse — the band decided not to continue with the direct, stripped-down sound of Live at Budokan, which would have been a return to their debut. Instead, the group went for their biggest, most elaborate production to date, taking the synthesized flourishes of Heaven tonight to extremes. While it kept the group in the charts, it lessened the impact of the music. Underneath the gloss, there are a number of songs that rank among Cheap Trick's finest, particularly the paranoid title track, the epic rocker Gonna raise hell, the tough I know what I want, the simpy pop of Voices and the closer Need your love. Still, Dream police feels like a let-down in comparison to it’s predecessors, even though it would later feel like one of the group's last high-water marks. (Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

Lukather in 2004: “I did most of the guitars on a Cheap Trick song from Dream police. The song was Voices. Rick is a great guitar player and writer. They did not need me! I think they just wanted something different. I got to play on the tracking session with the guys. That was cool! I LOVE that band. Great guys and the songs speak for themselves!”

1 Dream police (Nielsen) 2 Way of the world (Nielsen, Zander) 3 The house is rockin' (Nielsen, Petersson) 4 Gonna raise hell (Nielsen) 5 I'll be with you tonight (Carlos/Carlos/Nielsen/Petersson/Zander) 6 Voices (Nielsen) 7 Writing on the wall (Nielsen) 8 I know what I want (Nielsen) 9 Need your love (Nielsen, Petersson) Musicians: Steve Lukather – guitars (6) Robin Zander – guitar, vocals Bun E. Carlos – drums Rick Nielsen – guitar, vocals, mandocello Tom Petersson - bass, vocals, guitar (12 string), guitar (8 string), 12-string bass guitar Jai Winding – organ, piano, keyboards

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