Epic
34143
1976
"I used to be lonely til I learned about living alone." Kevin Cronin blazes back into the REO fold for the second time with inspiring tush-kicker "Keep Pushing," and ignites the band's golden period. Admirers Enuff Z' Nuff (also from Illinois) quote this cut on their debut. Gary Richrath knocks Cronin out of the spotlight (the dynamic of this group's greatness) for the instrumental cooker "Flying Turkey Trot," making way for the upcoming "Unidentified Flying Tuna Trot" (somebody's hungry). Then the quintet follows the Raspberries by throwing a collective hat into the "Tonight" ring the Move established, to be followed by April Wine, Shooting Star and the Smashing Pumpkins (to name but a few). Richrath keeps his chops afire throughout, cracking the sky wide-open with "Lightning," a stormy ode to a nature child which wraps this satisfying slab, but the wild REO ride was only kickin' into high gear. REO Speedwagon's time was gonna come.
-STONE, Cheap Trash NYC
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