While their records were entertaining and full of skillful {\pop}, it wasn't until {^At Budokan} that {$Cheap Trick}'s vision truly gelled. Many of these songs, like {&"I Want You to Want Me"} and {&"Big Eyes,"} were pleasant in their original form, but seemed more like sketches compared to the roaring versions on this album. With their ear-shatteringly loud guitars and sweet melodies, {$Cheap Trick} unwittingly paved the way for much of the {\hard rock} of the next decade, as well as a surprising amount of {\alternative rock} of the 1990s, and it was {^At Budokan} that captured the band in all of its power. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide