Welcome to the second "unofficial" Cheap Trick newsletter. You'll notice its become the UK/Europe Newsletter, as about a third of the recipients live outside the UK. Cheap Trick fans are truly an international family !

Trick International is the official Fan Service, based in New York. Upon joining, you'll get an introduction pack which has just been updated. You'll also recieve the new official, quarterly newsletter, be entitled to discounts on merchandise ordered from Trickstuff (see below), and be entitled to purchase exclusive merchandise not available to the general public. One example was a limited edition 2-cassette set of the show played at Trickfest in August 1995, signed and numbered by Bun E himself. That quickly sold out (as you can imagine) but there are a number of other exclusive items currently avalable. And the first TI newsletter also included handwritten comments by Bun E and Rick on the track listing of Sex.America.CT, an interesting addition to those printed in the booklet. So it is well worth joining. Write to Trick International, PO Box 7118, FDR Station, New York, NY 10150, USA, and mention where you read about it !.

A wide range of merchandise (such as t-shirts, posters, signed drum heads, picks and lots of other items) can be ordered from Trickstuff, 630 S Whitney Way, Box 150, Madison, WI 53711, USA. The latest merchandise list is due out shortly. For a copy, and order form, please write to Trick International or Trickstuff.

For those of you on the Internet, the official Cheap Trick home site can be found at http://users.aol.com/melkel/ It contains latest news, merchandise information etc, as well as a full discography. There are also a number of unofficial CT sites, plus a flourishing Usenet "newsgroup" at alt.music.cheap_trick.

No further news on the European release date of the new album, to be titled "Cheap Trick" (shades of the debut album !). Its due out in the US on 29 April with UK/Europe release soon after. It is being released in Japan mid February, and like the Busted and Woke Up With A Monster CD releases there, will have an extra track, possibly two. My apologies for giving you inaccurate information in issue #1 about the Sub pop single. The limited edition (vinyl) single on Sub Pop Records, due out in the US in late Feb is now a 2 track affair, featuring Baby Talk and Brontosaurus. Neither track is expected to be on the new LP in Europe or the US. The first single from the new album will be "Say Goodbye", and the band are filming the video mid Feb. Other titles from the new album include Shelter, Baby No More, and Wrong All Along.

Release of the Cheap Trick tribute album "Cheap Shots" has been delayed. Its now slated for release in the US in August. I have no news on European release.

Following on from Sex.America.Cheap Trick, there are plans for the release of more rare material over the next couple of years. Eagerly anticipated would be the "Live at The Whiskey" show from 1977. In addition, the band are also remastering their 12 album Epic catalogue for release in Japan in 97 or 98. These re-mastered albums may also feature extra, unreleased tracks.

No European tour news as yet. Following their successful tour of Japan and Australia in December and well received shows in the Midwest after Christmas, 1997 will be another busy touring year. TENTATIVE plans are to play Canada March 18 through March 30, possibly the US West Coast April 2-6 and US tour with the Stone Temple Pilots from April 9 though July 4 The band are also still keen to return to Europe so keep watching out for news. The band appreciate all the support they get, so lets hope we can give them a big welcome back to Europe later this year.

I hope you've found this second issue informative. I'll write again with more news when I have any. My apologies, I've been unable to reply to all of your letter (due to sheer numbers - a good sign for CT !) but thanks for the supportive comments. I'll endeavour to reply when I can. Please send an sae (UK) or IRC (Europe) for the next issue. And please note that with the official TI quarterly newsletter now under way, I'll probably stop producing this later in the year. It was always meant to have a temporary life, pending the official version ! But I'll try to ensure you get early warning of Trick tour plans in Europe.