Disco de REO Speedwagon: “R.E.O.”

Released in 1976, and with the return of Kevin, you can hear the brilliance that was to follow. Every song is solid. It is a shame that the sound quality is so poor, and as others have said, even flatter then the vinyl version (I wish mine was in better condition). Had the sound quality been that of say Hotel California, it would have gotten much more airplay. For some reason Gary's instrumental Flying Turkey Trot seems to have better sound then the rest. So who stepped into the engineering room when that was done? So then it looses a star just because of the sound quality.

Kevin markes his return to the group,after a three album gap in singing on their recordings, his first one out of the group, his vocals were recorded over, but the songs he wrote were still included. REO is not a great cd. It has some good songs, but the production on this outing is horrible, killing most of the songs. Keep Pushin, and (I Believe) Our Time is Gonna Come, are to very good songs. Any Kind of Love, and Summer Love deserve mention, showing that they are heading toward the "big ballad" days to come. Rest of this disk is weak, and does not show the promise of the Speedwagon ahead.

R.E.O. is where the commercial ballads and "hard rock" phase of REO Speedwagon officially began (heh, have to put that in quotation marks since the vocals during this particular phase are soft and ballad-like mixed in with surprisingly heavy guitar licks which is an odd trademark combination that the band has been performing since 1976). I wouldn't say I hate the direction the band took because they *did* end up releasing a few quality songs over the years (just check out their Hits collection for proof) but overall I simply can't shake the feeling of disappointment this album presents and I strongly believe the material is lacking overall. Say what you will about Mike Murphy, but he clearly brought out a different, more rewarding side of the band with better songwriting, vocal melodies, arrangements and guitar solos/riffs.

"Lightning" has a funky rhythm and decent enough vocals, though nothing extraordinary. The Mike Murphy days were a lot better in my opinion. Furthermore, the stuff from T.W.O was a lot better as well. The guitar solo at the end rocks hard, but otherwise I can take or leave this song. Kevin Cronin sings a passable vocal melody here and nothing more. "(I Believe) Our Time Is Gonna Come" is almost exactly the same thing! Funky rhythm, slightly upbeat vocals, a guitar solo at the end (this solo perhaps cooler until Cronin brings back that already worn out and repetitive chorus)... yeah, I definitely favor the Mike Murphy years and on a personal note, it's a crime he never got the recognition I feel he deserves. He sings better melodies in my opinion.

"(Only A) Summer Love" is bland and an alarming drop in quality compared to what the band was doing just one year earlier (on an album that, as fate would have it, had been out of print for years until recently- that being This Time We Mean It). You see the difference between this hogwash and the Mike Murphy years is that Mike would put in the extra effort to sing a melody you can resonate with. This is too straight forward and commercialized to make an impression. Song for song, the entire album sounds the same. That's Kronin's style. Again though, the guitar solo is the reason I listen to it and don't end up hating it- the solo is melodic, dazzling, and just really *good*. "Breakaway" just sums up a disappointing album with vocals that are nearly impossible to remember, however "Keep Pushin" is clearly the highlight. I love the chorus especially but the chugging rhythm is really spectacular too. That's a quality track. Overall, stick with the early stuff and forget about this album.

Yes......1976. So many years back, but I remember them quite well. This was a popular album when it was released & I don't really know why it isn't out there for sale like their other ones are. We all had this album back then. Of couse REO went on to make many more great hits as the years went by, but this recording is the one that broke the ice & showed their true talents. In a way, it has a country twinge to a couple of songs even tho it is a rock album, but pretty much all the tunes are very ear worthy. Compared to today, those were good days back in 1976. It was the Bi-Centennial year and there were many great recordings made by a lot of bands back in those days & this is truly one of them in 1976 for sure. Very well worth listening to for sure.

I left something out of my last review-I meant to say the 3rd verse of the song "Keep Pushin'"-the brief guitar licks were left on on the CD!! The vinyl version is much better-at least, the version on the "Decade of Rock 'n' Roll" LP.