Words by Riley Fitzgerald
Graphic by Press

The work of John Lennon and Beatles was an immense influence upon Cheap Trick.

The Illinois band were one of the foremost power-pop acts of the 1970s, the movement within which the compact and catchy tunes of early Beatlemania were held in legendary regard.

“They completely changed music, especially in America,” Cheap Trick’s Rick Neilsen shared with Classic Rock magazine in 2017. “They changed me, too. Until that point I was a drummer. But I became a massive fan; I had the single of Please Please Me a year before anyone else in the States had even heard of the Beatles.”

So reverent were the members of Cheap Trick, they sought out Beatles producer George Martin to record the fifth album All Shook Up in 1980.

Neilsen, as well as the band’s Bun E. Carlos, would work with John Lennon as a backing band for versions of ‘I’m Losing You‘ and  ‘I’m Moving On‘ recorded three weeks before his death in 1980.

Lennon was allegedly impressed by the band, even suggesting they work together on a joint album.

Paying tribute to the late Beatle, the group has now covered ‘Gimme Some Truth‘ from Lennon‘s 1971 solo album Imagine.

The finger-pointing original saw Lennon take one a  fiery potential tone, no doubt inspiring Cheap Trick’s selection for their own rendition.

The cover, initially dropping as vinyl release as part of Record Store Day’s Black Friday Christmas event, has also been uploaded to streaming services.

Lennon’s song will also be appearing on Cheap Trick’s 20th studio album, expected to arrive 2020.