R.E.O. is the sixth studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1976. It peaked at number 159 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1976.[3] It marked the return of Kevin Cronin to the band after a four-year absence. Five of the songs ("Keep Pushin", "Any Kind of Love", "(Only A) Summer Love", "(I Believe) Our Time Is Gonna Come", and "Flying Turkey Trot") were featured on the band's subsequent live album, Live: You Get What You Play For. Many fans refer to the album as C.O.W. (or simply COW) due to the background of the cover art.
| R.E.O. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1976[1] | |||
| Recorded | January 1976 | |||
| Studio | Criteria Studios, Miami | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 33:25 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | John Stronach | |||
| REO Speedwagon chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [2] |
This was the band's last studio album to feature bassist Gregg Philbin; he would be replaced by Bruce Hall the following year. This album is co-sung by Kevin Cronin and Gary Richrath. On previous albums (Ridin' the Storm Out, Lost in a Dream, This Time We Mean It) Richrath would only sing one song; however, on this album he shares lead vocal duties equally with Cronin. He would stop singing on albums and in most live performances by 1978. "Breakaway" is a duet sung by both Cronin and Richrath where Richrath sings the verses while Cronin sings the first chorus by himself and the remaining choruses are sung by both Cronin and Richrath.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Keep Pushin'" | Kevin Cronin | 4:06 |
| 2. | "Any Kind of Love" | Gary Richrath | 3:39 |
| 3. | "(Only A) Summer Love" | Richrath | 4:38 |
| 4. | "(I Believe) Our Time Is Gonna Come" | Cronin | 5:04 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Breakaway" | Cronin, Richrath | 4:15 |
| 6. | "Flying Turkey Trot" (Instrumental) | Richrath | 2:36 |
| 7. | "Tonight" | Richrath | 3:14 |
| 8. | "Lightning" | Cronin, Richrath | 5:52 |
Personnel
editREO Speedwagon[4]
- Kevin Cronin – lead vocals (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 8), rhythm guitar
- Gary Richrath – lead guitar, lead vocals (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7)
- Neal Doughty – keyboards
- Gregg Philbin – bass
- Alan Gratzer – drums
Charts
edit| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[5] | 159 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Title | Label | Format | Catalog # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | June 1976 | R.E.O. | Epic Records | Stereo Vinyl | E-34143 |
| USA | 1976 | R.E.O. | Epic Records | Cassette Tape | PET-34143 |
| USA | 1976 | R.E.O. | Epic Records | 8-Track Tape | PEA-34143 |
| USA | 1991 | R.E.O. | Epic Records | CD | EK-34143 |
| UK | 2010 | This Time We Mean It / R.E.O. | BGO Records | CD (Digitally re-mastered) | BGOCD961 |
| Japan | 2011 | R.E.O. | Sony Music | CD (DSD-Remaster) | EICP 1485 |
References
edit- ^ "R.E.O." Windows Media Guide. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
- ^ REO Speedwagon: R.E.O. at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Albums (Seventh ed.). Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-183-3.
- ^ R.E.O. Speedwagon — This Time We Mean It / R.E.O. BGO Records. 2010. p. 12.
- ^ "REO Speedwagon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2023.