R.E.O. Speedwagon

R.E.O. (1976)

  1. Keep Pushin'
  2. Any Kind of Love
  3. (Only a) Summer Love
  4. (I Believe) Our Time is Gonna Come
  5. Breakaway
  6. Flying Turkey Trot
  7. Tonight
  8. Lightnin

Not to be confused with R.E.O. Speedwagon, which was their debut album way back when. This one—simply titled R.E.O.—feels like an intentional attempt to rebrand the band. And to be fair, it was a rebrand they desperately needed. After floundering through the early part of the decade with three different lead singers and more than their share of inconsistency, someone in the group must have finally said what everyone was probably thinking: “Let’s get Kevin Cronin back.”

And thank goodness they did. Bringing Cronin back into the fold may have been the smartest decision they ever made. Not only did he bring a bit of stability and personality to the vocals, but his songwriting finally gave this band a sound that stood out. It wasn’t going to make them overnight sensations (the hits were still a few years off), but the groundwork was finally being laid. The band was becoming a force on the touring circuit, and people were starting to take notice.

The shift in direction is obvious right out of the gate with Keep Pushin’. Here’s the first REO song that really sounded like the REO Speedwagon people would come to know. It’s polished, it’s tight, and more importantly, it doesn’t feel like it’s stuck in the early '70s. Follow that with Any Kind of Love, and you’ve got a 1-2 punch that makes it clear—these guys had finally figured it out.

Side two is just as impressive. Breakaway could have been a radio hit under different circumstances, and Flying Turkey Trot, while a bit of a novelty instrumental, gives guitarist Gary Richrath a well-deserved spotlight. Lightning closes things out with some lyrical nods to Ridin’ the Storm Out—lots of weather metaphors and themes of resilience—but it holds its own just fine without sounding like a rehash.

If there’s one gripe, it’s that keyboardist Neal Doughty seems a bit too smitten with the synthesizer. It’s not overbearing, but it pops up in a lot of places where it just isn’t needed. Thankfully, when he sticks to piano, he’s still got that classic boogie-woogie touch that made him a standout in their earlier records.

Overall, R.E.O. isn’t a breakthrough in terms of commercial success, but artistically, this was the band finally stepping onto solid ground. You could feel it—something good was finally starting to happen.

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