Ridin' the Storm Out is the third studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1973. It peaked at number 171 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1981,[1] and reached platinum status in 1989. It was the first album to feature Mike Murphy on vocals. The sessions started out with Kevin Cronin, but he left the band before the album was finished, due to creative differences. The title track would later become a hit for the band on their live album, after Cronin had returned to the band. The song refers to the band being stuck in a harsh winter blizzard after a show in Boulder, Colorado, at a bar named Tulagi (now closed).
| Ridin' the Storm Out | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 21, 1973 | |||
| Recorded | Summer 1973 | |||
| Studio | Wally Heider Studios (Los Angeles) The Record Plant (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | Blues rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 36:26 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Bill Halverson | |||
| REO Speedwagon chronology | ||||
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The album includes a new composition by Stephen Stills, "Open Up", which was never recorded by Stills himself or any of his bands, although "Know You Got to Run" from Stephen Stills 2 is essentially an embryonic version of the song. "Know You Got to Run" consists of only verses and uses a sombre acoustic folk arrangement, while "Open Up" includes a chorus and uses an up-tempo rock arrangement.
Cronin's original version of "Son of a Poor Man" is featured on the compilation albums A Decade of Rock and Roll: 1970-1980, and The Essential REO Speedwagon. "Son of a Poor Man" and "Ridin' the Storm Out" were featured on the live album Live: You Get What You Play For. The studio version of "Ridin' the Storm Out" with Cronin on vocals was released on the compilation "Box Set Series" in 2014, "The Early Years 1971-1977" boxed set in 2018 and as a downloadable track in the music video game Rock Band.
Record World said of the title track that it has "a good mix of hard rock guitar sounds and harmony vocals."[2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ridin' the Storm Out" | Gary Richrath | 4:12 |
| 2. | "Whiskey Night" | Richrath | 4:42 |
| 3. | "Oh Woman" | Richrath | 2:46 |
| 4. | "Find My Fortune" | Richrath | 2:53 |
| 5. | "Open Up" | Stephen Stills | 3:31 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Movin'" | Kevin Cronin | 3:20 |
| 7. | "Son of a Poor Man" | Richrath | 3:44 |
| 8. | "Start a New Life" | Richrath | 3:50 |
| 9. | "It's Everywhere" | Cronin | 3:26 |
| 10. | "Without Expression (Don't Be the Man)" | Terry Reid | 3:51 |
Personnel edit
REO Speedwagon[4]
- Mike Murphy – lead vocals
- Gary Richrath – guitar, lead vocal on "Find My Fortune"
- Neal Doughty – keyboards
- Gregg Philbin – bass
- Alan Gratzer – drums
- Additional personnel[4]
- Gene Estes – percussion
- Guille Garcia – percussion
- Joe Walsh – slide guitar on "Whiskey Night", "Open Up" and "Start a New Life"
- Gloria Jones – backing vocals
- Carolyn Willis – backing vocals
- Oma Drake – backing vocals
Charts edit
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[5] | 171 |
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[6] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history edit
| Region | Date | Title | Label | Format | Catalog # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | December 1973 | Ridin' the Storm Out | Epic Records | Stereo Vinyl | E-32378 |
| USA | 1973 | Ridin' the Storm Out | Epic Records | Tape | PET-32378 |
| USA | 1973 | Ridin' the Storm Out | Epic Records | 8 TRK | E32378 |
| USA | 1986 | Ridin' the Storm Out | Epic Records | CD | EK32378 |
| UK | 2008 | Ridin' the Storm Out / Lost in a Dream | BGO Records | CD (Digitally re-mastered) | BGOCD805 |
| Japan | 2011 | Ridin' the Storm Out | Sony Music | CD (DSD-Remaster) | EICP 1482 |
References edit
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Albums (Seventh ed.). Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-183-3.
- ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. April 2, 1977. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. REO Speedwagon: Ridin' the Storm Out at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
- ^ a b R.E.O. Speedwagon — Ridin' the Storm Out / Lost in a Dream. BGO Records. 2008. p. 2.
- ^ "REO Speedwagon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ "American album certifications – R.E.O. Speedwagon – Ridin' the Storm Out". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 2, 2016.