{^Heaven Tonight}, like {^In Color}, was produced by {$Tom Werman}, but the difference between the two records is substantial. Where {^In Color} often sounded emasculated, {^Heaven Tonight} regains the powerful, arena-ready punch of {^Cheap Trick}, but crosses it with a clever radio-friendly production that relies both on synthesizers and studio effects. Even with the fairly slick production, {$Cheap Trick} sound ferocious throughout the album, slamming {\heavy metal}, {\power pop}, and {\hard rock} together in a humongous sound. {&"Surrender,"} the definitive {$Cheap Trick} song, opens the album with a tale about a kid whose parents are hipper than himself, and the remainder of the record is a roller coaster ride, peaking with the sneering {&"Auf Wiedersehen,"} the dreamily psychedelic title track, the roaring rocker {&"On Top of the World,"} the high-stepping, tongue-in-cheek {&"How Are You,"} and the pulverizing cover of {$the Move}'s {&"California Man."} {^Heaven Tonight} is the culmination of the group's dizzying early career, summing up the strengths of their first two albums, their live show, and their talent for inverting {\pop} conventions. They were never quite as consistently thrilling on record ever again. [{@Epic}/{@Legacy}'s 1998 reissue adds outtakes of {&"Stiff Competition"} and {&"Surrender."}] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide