Special One

For other uses, see The Special One.

Special One is the fourteenth studio album by the band Cheap Trick. It was released in 2003 to mixed reviews and features the single "Scent of a Woman." It charted for one week, reaching 128 on the album charts.

Special One
Studio album by Cheap Trick
Released	July 22, 2003
Recorded	2001–2002
Studio	Various studios
Genre	Rock
Length	46:34
Label	Big3
Producer	Cheap Trick; Chris Shaw
Cheap Trick chronology
Cheap Trick (1997) Special One (2003) Rockford (2006)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The A.V. Club	(unfavorable)[2]
Chicago Tribune	(unfavorable)[3]
Entertainment Weekly	C[4]
KNAC	[5]
People	(unfavorable)[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[7]

Background

Special One was the first studio album by Cheap Trick in six years. Eleven weeks after the release of their previous studio album Cheap Trick in 1997, the parent company of their record label, Red Ant Records, went bankrupt and it ended the promotion of the album. They formed their own record label, Cheap Trick Unlimited, which released several live albums. In 2001, they started writing songs which they eventually recorded in eight different studios for the 2003 release of Special One. Unlike most of their albums from the late 80s through the mid 90s, this album contained all self-penned material with minor contributions from outside writers. The album was not well received and generally got less than favorable reviews in the music press. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic writes, "Special One is never embarrassing, the way that some of the group's late-'80s efforts are to their core audience, but it never delivers the goods, either, and it's hard to hear the group strain to reach the idealized heights that their fans believe they once reached effortlessly."

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Scent of a Woman"	Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Tom Petersson	4:48
2.	"Too Much"	Zander, Nielsen, Petersson	4:42
3.	"Special One"	Zander, Nielsen, Petersson, Bun E. Carlos	4:16
4.	"Pop Drone"	Nielsen, Zander, Petersson	4:43
5.	"My Obsession"	Petersson, Zander, Nielsen, Julian Raymond	3:34
6.	"Words"	Nielsen, Zander, Petersson	4:53
7.	"Sorry Boy"	Zander, Nielsen, Petersson, Carlos, Steve Albini	4:25
8.	"Best Friend"	Nielsen, Zander, Petersson	4:16
9.	"If I Could"	Nielsen, Zander, Petersson	3:51
10.	"Low Life in High Heels"	Nielsen, Zander, Petersson	2:49
11.	"Hummer"	Nielsen, Zander, Petersson	4:17

Japanese version

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Special One" (Japanese version; Sung partially in Japanese)	4:16

Singles

All singles were released as promotional singles only to radio stations.

• (2003) "Scent of a Woman"
• (2003) "My Obsession"
• (2003) "Too Much"

Bonus DVD

A limited edition of the album was available upon release and included five music videos.

1. "Say Goodbye" (from Cheap Trick (1997 album))
2. "Hot Love" (from the Music for Hangovers DVD)
3. "Hard to Tell" (from the Silver DVD)
4. "Woke Up with a Monster" (from Woke Up With a Monster)
5. "He's a Whore" (from Cheap Trick (1977 album))

Personnel

Cheap Trick

• Robin Zander – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Rick Nielsen – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Tom Petersson – bass, backing vocals
• Bun E. Carlos – drums

Technical

• Chris Shaw – producer, engineer
• Eric Tew – engineer
• Howie Weinberg – mastering
• Kii Arens – design

Charts

Chart (2003)	Peak position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[8]	75
US Billboard 200[9]	128
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[10]	6

References

1. Allmusic review
2. The A.V. Club review
3. Chicago Tribune review
4. Entertainment Weekly review
5. KNAC review
6. People review
7. Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 157. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone cheap trick album guide.
8. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
9. "Cheap Trick Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
10. "Cheap Trick Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2024.