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allmusic.com biography:Three bands were the undisputed arena rock kings of the early '80s – Styx, Journey, and REO Speedwagon – yet all weren't overnight success stories (in fact, each group began pursuing different musical styles originally – prog rock, fusion, and straight-ahead hard rock, respectively, before transforming slowly into chart-topping mainstream rockers). REO Speedwagon first formed in 1968, via a pair of University of Illinois students, keyboardist Neal Doughty and drummer Alan Gratzer. After graduation, the group signed on with then-unknown manager Irving Azoff (who would later guide the careers of such multi-platinum acts as the Eagles and Steely Dan), which led to the outfit building a devoted following in the Midwest due to nonstop touring. By the early '70s, Doughty and Gratzer had welcomed aboard guitarist Gary Richrath, who would soon prove to be the group's spark plug (and one of rock's more underrated players), in addition to bassist Gregg Philbin and singer Terry Luttrell. It was this lineup to be featured on the quintet's 1971 self-titled debut recording for Epic Records.

The debut failed to break REO through to the mainstream, as the band's future was thrust into uncertainty shortly thereafter, when Luttrell left the band. Newcomer Kevin Cronin got the gig, he was a folksinger/guitarist beforehand, with little to no experience fronting a loud rock & roll outfit. The Cronin-led lineup appeared to be headed in the right direction though, judging from 1972's R.E.O. T.W.O., but the other members grew impatient with their slow progress toward a commercial breakthrough, and gave Cronin his walking papers. Up next as REO's frontman was Mike Murphy, whose debut with the band, 1974's Ridin' the Storm Out, was their first album to chart on Billboard and spawned a concert standard with the rocking title track. Murphy stayed onboard for a couple of more releases – 1974's Lost in a Dream and 1975's This Time We Mean It – but neither managed to push REO to the next level.

Once more, a frontman change was required, and instead of searching for a fresh new face, REO welcomed back Cronin. The move paid off almost immediately, as REO found their niche by streamlining their sound and focusing on melodic rockers aimed at radio, as well as power ballads aimed at teenage girls' hearts. Released in 1976, R.E.O. signaled the beginning of the veteran group's winning streak, as both 1977's Live: You Get What You Play For and 1978's You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish were REO's first to earn gold and platinum certification. Another live album, Live Again, was also issued in 1978, followed up a year later by another gold-certified hit, Nine Lives. Although REO was slowly inching their way to big-time success, no one (not even the band) could have predicted the massive hit that their next album turned out to be, Hi Infidelity. Issued at the tail end of 1980, it became one of 1981's biggest albums – spawning one of the best-known power ballads of all time, "Keep on Loving You," as well as such popular rock radio hits as "Don't Let Him Go" and "Take It on the Run." Hi Infidelity would eventually go on to sell more than nine million copies – catapulting REO to arena-headlining status.

REO Speedwagon continued to score further hit albums (1982's Good Trouble, 1984's Wheels Are Turnin') and singles ("Keep the Fire Burnin'," the number one hit power ballad "Can't Fight This Feeling," etc.), but the hits dried up shortly thereafter. Issued in 1987, Life as We Know It managed to go gold, but their fans' sudden disinterest coupled with turmoil between certain bandmembers led to the exit of both Richrath and Gratzer by the end of the decade. REO opted to soldier on, however, with replacement members Dave Amato (ex-Ted Nugent, guitar) and Bryan Hitt (ex-Wang Chung, drums) in tow, as their 14-track 1988 compilation The Hits proved to be a steady seller over the years. Further underappreciated studio releases followed, such as 1990's The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken and 1996's Building the Bridge. With interest at an all-time low, REO was set to pack it up for good, until a sudden wave of renewed interest in classic rock bands of yesteryear began to sweep the U.S. during the late '90s, resulting in REO launching successful co-headlining tours alongside such acts as Styx, Fleetwood Mac, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Bad Company, among others.

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REO Speedwagon - Original Album Classics (2011) [5CD Box Set] RE-UP

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REO Speedwagon - You Get What You Play For (1977)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG - 496 MB | 68:40 mins | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps - 158 MB

allmusic.com says:
REO Speedwagon built their audience through constant touring. Often, their live shows were more exciting than their records, which is what makes You Get What You Play For, a live run-through of their greatest hits, one of their better records of the era.

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REO Speedwagon - You Can Tune A Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish (1978)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG - 265 MB | 33:45 mins | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps - 71 MB

allmusic.com says:
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. Songs like "Do You Know Where Your Woman Is Tonight" and "Blazin' Your Own Trail Again" are well groomed around the edges, sounding smoother and more established than the band's earlier material. The harmonies on most of the songs stick to the guitar chords, and even the frantic "Unidentified Flying Tuna Trot," a wild and flighty guitar piece, is unraveled with tornado-like power. With the guitars sounding louder, the songs running quicker, and the culmination of both being well maintained, Tuna Fish proved that the members of REO Speedwagon could play rock & roll when they had to.

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REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity (1980)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG - 259 MB | 34:50 mins | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps - 80 MB

allmusic.com says:
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. And so what if it does, because this is great arena rock, filled with hooks as expansive as Three Rivers Stadium and as catchy as the flu. That, of course, applies to the record's two biggest hits – the power ballad "Keep on Loving You" and the surging "Take It on the Run" – which define their era, but what gives the album real staying power is that the rest of the record works equally well. That's most apparent on the Bo Diddley-inspired opener, "Don't Let Him Go," whose insistent beat sent it to the album rock charts, but also such great album tracks as "Follow My Heart," the sun-kissed '60s homage "In Your Letter," and "Tough Guys." What's really great about these songs is not just the sheen of professionalism that makes them addictive to listen to, but there's a real strain of pathos that runs through these songs – the album's title isn't just a clever pun, but a description of the tortured romantic relationships that populate this record's songs. This is really arena rock's Blood on the Tracks, albeit by a group of guys instead of a singular vision, but that makes it more affecting, as well as a killer slice of ear candy. It's easy to dismiss REO Speedwagon, since they weren't hip at the time, and no amount of historical revisionism will make them cool kitsch. And, let's face it, their records were usually hit-and-miss affairs. But they did get it right once, and it's on this glorious record – if you need proof why arena rock was giant, this is it.

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REO Speedwagon - Good Trouble (1982)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG - 269 MB | 37:56 mins | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps - 86 MB

allmusic.com says:
Good Trouble disappointed the bean counters and the snob critics who always hated this Champaign quintet anyway. Sure it's no Hi Infidelity, but Good Trouble shoots out some golden shards. Where Hi Infidelity perfectly balanced the muscle of REO's '70s stuff with wads of bankable bubblegum, here, lead single "Keep the Fire Burning" signals a decent into generic; but much of Good Trouble plays out a rocking and rollicking good time, fighting off mediocrity. First off, bassist Bruce Hall comes to the fore twice (usually once) and delivers two knockouts: "Girl With the Heart of Gold" and "Let's Be-Bop." As always, Neal Doughty's keys spruce up the works; "I'll Follow You" features his sublime touch as well as sizzling Richrath axe-kicking behind a dusty, lusty Texas café tale. Coup de grâce "The Key" unlocks a commercial paradox: a transcendent tapestry housed in a homogenized humdinger, as Kev Cronin bellows questions about what he knows and sees, yearning for the answer locked within himself. But only he can set it free; only he has the key. Brilliant.

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REO Speedwagon - Wheels Are Turnin' (1984)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG - 496 MB | 39:30 mins | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps - 158 MB

allmusic.com says:
Wheels Are Turnin' blends clear, crisp ballads with high-energy pop/rock, which eventually gave REO Speedwagon four Top 40 singles, the same amount as Hi Infidelity credited them with four years earlier. Kevin Cronin's writing is rock-solid, a delightful turnaround from 1982's Good Trouble album. As one of the band's best ballads, "Can't Fight This Feeling" puts an elegant piano riff in front of Cronin's earnest voice, presenting REO with its second number one single, while "I Do' Wanna Know" is a turbulent ride of clean-cut guitar and up-and-down piano that comes off as well-crafted pop with a bite. Every track has the band sounding sharper and more alive, with even the less-extravagant material like "Break His Spell" and "Thru the Window" emanating merit. "One Lonely Night" throws the spotlight on Cronin's voice, proving that his expertise at carrying out the slow stuff hasn't dwindled, while "Live Every Moment" rounds out the last of the singles from the album, hitting number 34 in August of 1985, eight months after Wheels Are Turnin' achieved its number-seven mark on the U.S. charts. With production, songwriting, and tight instrumentation wisely dished out in equal portions, Wheels Are Turnin' was evidence that REO Speedwagon could still make some gratifying rock & roll.