The Latest

For the Australian television program, see The Latest with Laura Jayes.

The Latest is the sixteenth studio album by the American hard rock and power pop band Cheap Trick, released on June 23, 2009. The album was produced by Cheap Trick, Julian Raymond, and Howard Willing and was issued on CD, as well as limited pressings on vinyl and 8-track tape. The Latest is the final studio album by the band to feature original drummer Bun E. Carlos who left the band in 2010.

The Latest
Studio album by Cheap Trick
Released	June 23, 2009
Recorded	2008–2009
Genre	Hard rock, power pop
Length	40:06
Label	Cheap Trick Unlimited
Producer	Cheap Trick, Julian Raymond, Howard Willing
Cheap Trick chronology
Rockford (2006) The Latest (2009) Sgt. Pepper Live (2009)
Singles from The Latest
"When the Lights Are Out" Released: January 18, 2009

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The A.V. Club	B+[2]
Chicago Tribune	[3]
Hard Rock Hideout	(9/10)[4]
PopMatters	[5]
Spin	(7/10)[6]

Background

The track "Sleep Forever" was written in memory of a friend who died,^[7] "Miss Tomorrow" was originally a B-side from Robin Zander's eponymous 1993 solo album, taken from the "Show Me Heaven" single,^[8] while "Sick Man of Europe" was one of the band names used by Nielsen and Petersson in the early 1970s. "Everyday You Make Me Crazy" was originally written by the band as a Pepsi jingle from 1995^[9] while "Alive" is a re-worked version of "What's in It for You", an outtake from the band's previous 2006 album Rockford.

Two music videos were created for songs off the album: one for "When the Lights Are Out" which was released on January 18, 2009,^[10] and one for "Sick Man of Europe", which was released on August 13, 2009.^[11]

Reception

The Latest debuted at number 78 on Billboard 200, and number 36 on the Top Rock Albums. The album has sold 24,000 copies in the United States as of March 2016.^[12]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Sleep Forever"	1:37
2.	"When the Lights Are Out" (Slade cover)	3:26
3.	"Miss Tomorrow"	4:11
4.	"Sick Man of Europe"	2:08
5.	"These Days"	2:44
6.	"Miracle"	3:47
7.	"Everyday You Make Me Crazy"	1:17
8.	"California Girl"	2:47
9.	"Everybody Knows"	4:16
10.	"Alive"	3:36
11.	"Times of Our Lives"	3:59
12.	"Closer, The Ballad of Burt and Linda"	3:00
13.	"Smile"	4:12

Personnel

Cheap Trick

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

Additional musicians

• Julian Raymond – arrangements, additional musician
• Roger Joseph Manning Jr – keyboards
• Bon Harris – programming
• George Doering – acoustic guitar
• Luis Conte – programming
• Bennett Salvay – orchestration
• Jason Falkner – additional musician
• Todd Youth – additional musician
• Linus of Hollywood – additional musician

Charts

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[13]	84
US Billboard 200[14]	78
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[15]	14
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[16]	36

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2009-07-21). "The Latest - Cheap Trick". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
2. Phipps, Keith (2009-07-21). "Cheap Trick: The Latest". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
3. Kot, Greg (2009-06-19). "Turn It Up: Album review: Cheap Trick's 'The Latest'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
4. Basker, Brian (2009-07-07). "Cheap Trick - The Latest (2009)". Hard Rock Hideout. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
5. Loar, Christel (2009-07-30). "Cheap Trick: The Latest". PopMatters. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
6. Zimmerman, Shannon (2009-08-24). "Cheap Trick, 'The Latest' (Cheap Trick Unlimited)". Spin. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
7. "India Flux - Latest English Hindi News, Today Headlines & Breaking News". indiaflux.com. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
9. "Boston Music Spotlight - Your Source for Music News and Concert Information » Cheap Trick and Squeeze to play co-headliner in Boston". Archived from the original on 2015-09-26. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
10. "When The Lights Are Out - Cheap Trick". YouTube. 18 January 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
11. "Sick Man Of Europe - Cheap Trick". YouTube. 13 August 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
12. "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
13. "ザ・レイテスト". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
14. "Cheap Trick Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
15. "Cheap Trick Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
16. "Cheap Trick Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 April 2019.