On a maximum scale of five stars, the 1977 debut by Cheap Trick  receives AllMusic.com's highest rating. And the even more melodic, better sounding  sophomore effort "In Color" in the same year earns 4 1/2 stars. Then Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Tom Petersson, and Bun E. Carlos wrote and recorded the  masterpiece "Heaven Tonight" in May 1978, yet again scoring a critics' perfect five star rating. So in hindsight it would appear that recording the Rockford IL quartet's set while performing the strongest material from these three killer studio albums, in front of an adoring audience in one of the world's premiere venues, would be as obvious as a sumo wrestler in your shower stall.

Jethro Tull's singer/ songwriter/ flautist Ian Anderson ( left ) returns here In the Studio  next week for the band's big fiftieth anniversary of "Aqualung", so this should prime the pump with another angle on all of that material. Here's another of the rare "Dressing Room Tapes" performances in the backstage bowels of the concert hall before a Zurich Switzerland 1989 concert with guitarist Martin Barre  ripping a spirited "Locomotive Breath".

rock'n'soul playlist of the greatest rockers like the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Bob Seger, Creedence Clearwater Revival, ZZ Top, and twenty-five more all paying  tribute to Detroit's Motown and Memphis' Stax  African-American musical giants, presented to commemorate American Black History Month.