Diamon Reo

Fans of live material will thoroughly enjoy this handpicked hit-and-miss 18-track compilation of REO Speedwagon's hits recorded during the band's mid- to late-'80s tours. Most of the songs work well in a live environment, with songs like "Tough Guys," "I Do' Wanna Know," and "Keep the Fire Burning" coming out on top, harnessing the most energy while keeping with their original form. Only six of the tracks are from the studio, with "Shakin' It Loose" being the most spirited, as the others are mediocre REO efforts ("L.I.A.R," "Live Every Moment," "Love Is a Rock"). As a hits package, though, The Second Decade of Rock and Roll should be spared, especially since their best song, "Keep on Loving You," has been replaced by a poorly ventured reggae version that sounds silly and out of place. While the ballads are kept to a minimum, some of their less accomplished material could have been replaced with some of their '70s work from Tuna Fish or even REO. Tracks like "Live It Up" and "One Too Many Girlfriends" represent their late-'80s disappointments in The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog, and a Chicken and Life As We Know It, sounding a wee bit uninspired.

This box set from Sony UK features five of the Champaign, Illinois-bred AOR rockers' most notable albums, including Live You Get What You Play For (1977), You Can Tune a Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish (1978), Hi Infidelity (1980), Good Trouble (1982), and Wheels Are Turnin (1984).

Many albums have scaled to the top of the American charts, many of them not so good, but few have been as widely forgotten and spurned as REO Speedwagon's Hi Infidelity. In a way, the group deserved this kind of success. They had been slogging it out in the arenas of the U.S., building up a sizeable audience because they could deliver live. And then, in 1980, they delivered a record that not just summarized their strengths, but captured everything that was good about arena rock. This is the sound of the stadiums in that netherworld between giants like Zeppelin and MTV's slick, video-ready anthems.

The Blu-ray includes renditions of 13 REO tunes, including hits like 'Keep On Loving You,' 'Take It On The Run,' and 'Time For Me To Fly' along with the classic gem '157 Riverside Avenue' plus first ever live versions of 'In Your Letter,' 'Golden Country,' and 'Like You Do.' Live At Moondance Jam also contains an interview with lead vocalist/guitarist, Kevin Cronin.

Over the course of the 1980s, REO Speedwagon became one of the decade's leading power balladeers. However, these singles sapped the band's reputation as a rock & roll band. Although it may focus more on ballads such as "Time for Me to Fly," "Keep on Loving You," and "Can't Fight This Feeling," Hits does not completely overlook the band's rock anthems, taking care to also include such underrated rockers as "I Don't Want to Lose You," "Don't Let Him Go," and a live version of "Ridin the Storm Out," the band's first and best rock single from the 1970s. Though there is a rather large quantity of REO compilations, Hits remains the wisest investment for most listeners.

You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish was a breakthrough album for REO Speedwagon in a sense, gelling the guitar craft of Gary Richrath and the vocals of Kevin Cronin with songs that rambled and rolled and never stopped for air. Richrath's style finally formed some catchy hooks, and Cronin's songwriting is solid, while his voice sounds rejuvenated and downright fiery. "Roll with the Changes" and "Time for Me to Fly" only made it to number 58 and number 56 on the charts, but the album's sales trumped all of the chart statistics, giving REO its second platinum-selling album.

Many albums have scaled to the top of the American charts, many of them not so good, but few have been as widely forgotten and spurned as REO Speedwagon's Hi Infidelity. In a way, the group deserved this kind of success. They had been slogging it out in the arenas of the U.S., building up a sizeable audience because they could deliver live. And then, in 1980, they delivered a record that not just summarized their strengths, but captured everything that was good about arena rock. This is the sound of the stadiums in that netherworld between giants like Zeppelin and MTV's slick, video-ready anthems. This is unabashedly mainstream rock, but there's a real urgency to the songs and the performances that gives it a real emotional core, even if the production keeps it tied to the early, previsual '80s.