Life As We Know It (1987)



  1. New Way To Love
  2. That Ain't Love
  3. In My Dreams
  4. One Too Many Girlfriends
  5. Variety Tonight
  6. Screams and Whispers
  7. Can't Get You Out of My Heart
  8. Over the Edge
  9. Accidents Can Happen
  10.Tired of Gettin Nowhere


 

By 1987, REO Speedwagon were no longer the band of Hi Infidelity. That ship had sailed some time ago, and with it went the confidence, energy, and cohesion that had catapulted them into the early 1980s stratosphere. Still, one had to admire the sheer tenacity. Whereas most of their late-‘70s/early-‘80s contemporaries had long since splintered or descended into irrelevance, REO kept going. The chart returns had diminished, the fanbase was aging, and the tides of popular music had turned toward slicker, younger things. But REO, to their credit, gave it another go.

The results, frankly, are a mixed bag. Life as We Know It is less an artistic statement and more an attempt at relevance—though not without its redeeming moments. Sonically, it’s awash with the sort of late-‘80s digital polish that was rapidly overtaking traditional rock textures. Alan Gratzer’s drums thud with a tinny synthetic glaze, and keyboardist Neal Doughty is clearly experimenting with newer, cleaner textures, leaving little room for his classic piano fills. The most distinct casualty, however, is Gary Richrath’s guitar. His trademark howl is here, but you’ll need to dig through layers of production to find it.

Still, when the band hits the mark, they do so admirably. That Ain’t Love—the lead-off single—is perhaps the best track on the album. A slick, mid-tempo rocker that rides the fine line between old and new, it captures Cronin’s knack for melody while nodding subtly to the new sonic landscape. It could easily have nestled somewhere on Good Trouble or even Wheels Are Turnin’ and not felt out of place.

The same can’t quite be said for the second single, In My Dreams. A Kevin Cronin ballad through and through, it’s soaked in glossy, new-age production and winds up sounding more like an Air Supply b-side than anything REO should have been doing. Pretty? Yes. Memorable? Barely. One suspects this was meant to attract a new audience—but in doing so, it alienated many of the old faithful.

The album’s one genuine surprise is Doughty’s contribution, Variety Tonight. More grounded than One Lonely Night from the previous record, it offers a welcome burst of rock energy, proving again that Doughty was a much-underrated component of the band’s chemistry. Why he didn’t contribute more over the years remains a mystery.

Richrath, however, is fading. His co-writing credits are sparse, his guitar often buried, and his enthusiasm seemingly dwindling. His departure shortly after the album’s release felt less like a shock and more like an inevitability. Cronin’s bitter One Too Many Girlfriends—a thinly-veiled jab at band friction—is an unfortunate low point, and a reminder that intra-band politics were fast becoming a distraction.

Bruce Hall’s Accidents Can Happen is decent enough—infectious, even—but it’s so wrapped up in overproduction that it ultimately feels more like a jingle than a song. And that’s a shame. Hall always brought grit to a group that desperately needed it, especially as Cronin leaned more and more into the adult-contemporary sheen.

In the end, Life as We Know It isn’t a disaster—but it’s not the comeback REO needed, either. There are glimpses of pleasure, but they’re fleeting. The album feels like a product of its time, and not in the best sense. Still, for completists or for those willing to cherry-pick a few bright spots, it’s not without its moments. But anyone expecting another Hi Infidelity—or even a You Can Tune a Piano…—may want to temper their expectations. The life they knew was slipping away.





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