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Translation of German Liner Notes:
(Credit: Thomas Weiss, REO FANS member)

Along with bands like Journey and Boston, REO Speedwagon epitomizes the American mainstream. Their perfectly constructed, catchy pop-rock songs, slick melodies, and pleasant vocal arrangements enjoyed enormous popularity on American radio. Above all, the band celebrated its greatest success with its clever, sensitive ballads.

When REO Speedwagon named themselves after a firetruck built by Ransom E. Olds in the years 1918 through 1920 -- the fastest of the time -- their career was just beinning to kindle. The Speedwagon crew bristled with raw rock, elements borrowed from rhythm and blues, and country riffs. REO Speedwagon was founded in 1967 [sic] in Champaign in the US state of Illinois by pianist Neil [sic] Doughty (born July 29th, 1946) and drummer Alan Gratzer (born November 9th, 1948). The two burned out students of University of Illinois had played in the folk-rock group Fushia until then [sic], but were now tearing up the bars and pubs around campus with their new ensemble.

At some point, Irving Azoff, the future manager of Jackson Browne, Steely Dan, and the Eagles, and later the president of MCA Records, heard them. He took them on and landed concert engagements opening for Bob Seger and Kansas. But when the firetruck didn't really hit the scene, Azoff quickly observed, "Guys, you need a different guitarist and songwriter." Azoff knew a young, talented picker named Gary Richrath who played 150 kilometers away in a band from Peoria. Gary Richrath (born October 18th, 1949 in Peoria) remembers, "I didn't hesitate too long when Irving Azoff called me up and proposed that I join REO. Even though Peoria is much larger, at the time, I saw Champaign as a music Mecca. That's where Dan Fogelberg was from, and the university community supported many bands."

In mid 1970, Richrath became a member of REO Speedwagon. Doughty and Gratzer quickly accepted the independent guitar specialist as the musical leader of their band. Richrath explains, "I never liked playing the songs of other guitarists. I was already writing my own songs as a 16-year-old. Maybe that's why I've always had my own ideas."

REO Speedwagon soon signed a recording contract with Epic Records. With the line-up of Richrath, Gratzer, Doughty, Terry Luttrell (vocals), and Gregg Philbin (bass), they recorded the 1971 album REO Speedwagon. The debut was hastily recorded on a simple eight-track recorder, and sounded raw and boorish. To this day, Gary Richrath is irritated about that project. "A producer came to us and said, 'Come on, let's make an album. We'll sign a contract, and I'll make you famous.' With as little experience as we had back then, we were impressed, of course. We had no clue about contracts. In any case, it was the most expensive signature of my life. It cost me half of my fees and royalties for the next ten years."

Because the band was neither satisfied with the commercial success nor the sound of the first album, they searched hard for an explanation. They resolved to find a new singer. Gary Richrath got the job of finding a new one. In Chicago, he got lucky and stumbled into singer and keyboardist Kevin Cronin (born October 6th in Evanston, Illinois)[sic] The new band member didn't need to complain about a lack of work. "It was no cakewalk in the beginning. We played in every little bar, in every little dive in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan...." Cronin was to have been the band's stroke of luck. His youthful, clear voice still lends the REO Speedwagon songs of today a necessary recognizable quality. To that, add a danceable piano-playing style and exceptional composition skills.

In 1972, they recorded the next album T.W.O. with Cronin. That opus sent the band on their first nationwide tour in the same year. In St. Louis alone, more than 12,000 fans came to admire the "New discovery from the midwest" (Billboard). The musicians invested the profits in an old airplane, allowing them to scour every little corner of the US for gigs. The 1973 effort, their third, was titled Ridin' The Storm Out, on which Joe Walsh (James Gang, The Eagles) was invited to play slide guitar. The conglomeration of hard rock and bits of country reached only position 171 on the US charts, but eventually went gold. But during the recording, a dispute erupted between Kevin Cronin and Gary Richrath. The band's two musical heads quarreled over its leadership and direction. At the end of the recording sessions, Cronin left the band to dedicate himself to a solo career. "Being barely in our early twenties, we were both just immature; it's no wonder," remembers Kevin Cronin.

Mike Murphy was drafted as successor and had to overdub his vocals on many songs from Ridin' The Storm Out. The next two albums, Lost In A Dream (1974) and This Time We Mean It (1975) were both recorded with this line-up. Lost In A Dream reached position 62 and This Time We Mean It reached 43 on the US LP charts.

The band, however, was as displeased with the production of their albums as Cronin was with his unsuccessful solo career. In 1976, a regretful Cronin returned to REO Speedwagon. The opus of the same year, R.E.O., totally flopped. But the band worked even harder on their songs and developed a vision for the future. From then on, Richrath would write the harder, rock-oriented songs, and Cronin would bring about the catchy melodies and ballads. Next, the band released the double live album You Get What You Play For (1977). It documented a successful cross section of the Speedwagon dues-paying years and, with "Ridin' The Storm Out" and "Golden Country," contained two highlights. The energetic live spectacle became REO's greatest success thus far. The double LP catapulted to position 42 on the US hit parade and spent a total of 32 weeks on the charts. It was decorated in platinum. This success gave the band enormous self confidence. "It was our first self-produced and -mixed album -- and immediately a hit," mused Gary Richrath. On the coattails of You Get What You Play For, an REO Speedwagon single jumped onto the American hit parade; the live version of "Ridin' The Storm Out" achieved position 79. You Can Tune A Piano But You Can't Tune A Fish [sic] (1978) followed, and is the first record on which Bruce Hall (born May 3rd, 1953), departed bass player Gregg Philbin's replacement, can be heard.

Kevin Cronin and Gary Richrath shared the production work, and again the vinyl reached platinum status. With "Roll With The Changes" (position 42) and "Time For Me To Fly" (position 68), it contained two US hit singles. The recording sessions for the album were a massive undertaking; Cronin and Richrath were unhappy with the sound for a long time and therefore kept tweaking and polishing. In the end, the sessions took six months longer than planned, and cost a weighty $200,000 more than was budgeted. The commercially successful product, however, quickly quieted naysayers. The next effort was 1979's Nine Lives which produced far less demand than its predecessor. Despite that, this record also went gold and contained "Easy Money" and "Only The Strong Survive," two modest singles. Many critics were eager to sharpen their pencils and write about REO Speedwagon's supposed decline. But Creem, a magazine with a more positive outlook, published, "Out on the wide plains of America, REO Speedwagon is one of the most beloved US bands." That author has every right to say, "I told you so." The next release, a best-of sampler titled A Decade Of Rock And Roll, also brought home gold. Up to this point in time, REO had sold over six million albums, all without registering a major hit single.

All this was to undergo profound change with the 1980 release of Hi Infidelity. Commercially, the album was a mega-success and REO Speedwagon became world-famous overnight. Through mid-1982, Hi Infidelity and it's singles sold over 18 million copies world-wide. The album reached position 18 in Germany, peaked at 4 in England, and made the top spot in the USA. In the States, Hi Infidelity stayed in the charts for 65 weeks, 32 of which were spent in the top ten. Impressive also was the success of the singles which stormed the hit parade: "Keep On Loving You," "Take It On The Run," "Don't Let Him Go," and "In Your Letter." The most successful single was the Kevin Cronin-written "Keep On Loving You," which hit number 1 on the US charts on December 6th, 1980, and stayed another 14 weeks in the top ten. Also, the Gary Richrath number "Take It On The Run" climbed all the way to position in the USA, and spent 23 weeks in the hit parade. Another gem from Hi Infidelity is the melodic rocker "Tough Guys," which begins with a cool dialog between children.

REO Speedwagon cashed in on their popularity by touring intensively. Under pressure, they manufactured the 1982 LP Good Trouble within two months. The result was a disappointment to all involved. Musically, the opus didn't stand up to its predecessor. Despite that, it reached position 7 in the USA. The single "Keep The Fire Burnin'" reached the same position. "Sweet Time" was an additional minor hit.

The band finally allowed themselves a well-deserved break. "We urgently needed to recuperate, and it didn't matter if the next album would take five years," said Cronin. But the fans didn't need to wait that long. In 1984, the quartet [sic] brought their last hit album to market. Wheels Are Turnin' quickly jumped into the top ten, and with the love ballad "Can't Fight This Feeling," achieved anothernumber 1 hit in the US. In Germany, the song became the most popular Speedwagon single yet (number 5). Further successful singles off the album were "I Do'Wanna Know," "One Lonely Night," and "Live Every Moment." According to Rock-Musik-Lexikon, "1987 was the year in which it became evident that the brilliant hit factory had passed its prime." Life As We Know It could not fulfill its expectations. Since then, huge hits have not been forthcoming. Still, none of the musicians are thinking about solo projects. "Why should we? We're happy with what we are doing and what we have achieved. As long as the chemistry between Kevin and me is there, we'll stay together," explains Gary Richrath.

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