Cheap Trick at Budokan (1978)

Epic/Sony 25•3P-5, Japan, 1978 This is the edition that came first. The album was meant for release only in Japan, came out there on October 8, 1978, and sold an estimated 30,000 import copies in the United States before Epic released it domestically in February 1979. The Japanese copy comes in a heavy gatefold with a gold obi and a 12-page black-and-white booklet of photos, lyrics and liner notes, at ¥2,500. The booklet is where the lyrics live, so a copy without it is missing more than decoration.