The REO Speedwagon CD Review

The Essential R.E.O. Speedwagon (2004)


Disc One
  1. Sophisticated Lady
  2. Music Man
  3. Golden Country
  4. Son of a Poor Man
  5. Lost in a Dream
  6. Keep Pushin'
  7. (I Believe) Our Time is Gonna Come
  8. Lightning
  9. Like You Do
  10.Flying Turkey Trot
  11.157 Riverside Avenue
  12.Ridin' the Storm Out
  13.Roll With the Changes
  14.Time For Me To Fly
  15.Say You Love Me or Say Goodnight
  
  Disc Two
  1. Back on the Road Again
  2. Only the Strong Survive
  3. Don't Let Him Go
  4. Keep on Loving You
  5. In Your Letter
  6. Take it on the Run
  7. Keep the Fire Burnin'
  8. The Key
  9. One Lonely Night
  10.Live Every Moment
  11.Can't Fight This Feeling
  12.That Ain't Love
  13.In My Dreams
  14.Variety Tonight
  15.Here With Me
  16.Love is a Rock
  17.Building the Bridge
  18.Just for You

If you're only going to own one REO Speedwagon collection, this is the one. The Essential is one of the rare cases where a band’s latter-day compilation actually gets it right. Most of these types of releases tend to leave off a hit or two, or they wind up being uneven in their focus. Not here. This two-disc set delivers the goods from start to finish with impressive accuracy.

Everything you'd want from the band’s career-defining era is here in generous supply. And not only that, but it essentially absorbs nearly all of A Decade of Rock and Roll—the band’s earlier attempt at summarizing their first ten years. That record was always a bit of a curiosity in that it documented a period before the hits actually started coming. Still, it gave a solid representation of their early work, and it’s great to have most of that material included here alongside the later blockbuster singles.

Disc two, of course, is where the big guns are. Nearly every major hit from the Hi Infidelity era onward gets a well-deserved airing. From Keep On Lovin’ You to Can’t Fight This Feeling, all the crucial tracks are covered. Even some of the more overlooked but worthy songs get their moment.

Quite simply, this is the most complete and satisfying REO Speedwagon compilation out there. The only thing missing is the dust on your old LPs.

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