5 Awesome Rock Bands You've Wrongly Slept On

In the 70's, there was never a middle ground between styles of rock music. It felt like whatever band present had to either be mainstream radio rock, prog, or hard rock. With no real line, Cheap Trick came to the forefront with an abrasive brand of rock that had serious hooks.

These guys don't get their due as being the godfathers of what we now know as power pop. While the band has seen some success with songs like "Dream Police" and "I Want You To Want Me," their back catalog is a pop-rock gold mine just waiting to be stumbled upon. The band's Beatlesque melodies made them radio-ready but it had an undeniable edge to it that appealed to the hard rock crowd.

This opened the door for countless bands to follow in their wake. Many bands of the time took cues by adding more of a pop slant to their songwriting. One could even argue that the pop punk acts of the 90's (Blink-182, Sum 41 et al) could not have existed without Cheap Trick. If you ever find yourself burnt out on your favorite artists, take the time to say hello to one of rock's best kept secrets.