REO Speedwagon – Wheels Are Turnin’
Rock Candy Records
www.rockcandyrecords.com

Rating: B

REO Speedwagon spent over a decade trying to hit the big time. In 1980 they released Hi Infidelity and sold over ten million copies.  The band finally arrived.

However, when the band went back into the studio for the follow up album, they released what many fans consider to be a true lemon in Good Trouble. 

Now, faced with their backs to the wall, once again the band needed a hit in a bad way.  In 1984, on the album Wheels are Turnin’ they got a number one single with “Can’t Fight This Feeling.” 

Old-school REO fans moaned that the group once again went soft and sold out, which in some respects is very true.  However, the huge hit song also gained REO a huge new and younger audience.  The result was REO reclaiming their place among the top of rock’s heap with this album and tour. 

One man who agreed with the old school fans assessment of REO Speedwagon in 1984 was guitarist Gary Richrath.  Pop success of this magnitude was not for him and he left the band. 

The end result is that this is an important album in REO’s history for the huge hit, the big split and for how they went forward and ironically ended up returning to their hard rocking roots live in concert. 

Released as a Special Deluxe Collector’s Edition, this album has been fully remastered from 24 BIT digital technology, 16 page full color booklet, 3,500 word essay, enhanced artwork, rare photos and a new interview with Kevin Cronin.

Track Listing:

I Do Wanna Know | One Lonely Night | Thru the Window | Rock ‘N’ Roll Star | Live Every Moment | Can’t Fight This Feeling | Gotta Feel More | Break His Spell | Wheels are Turnin’

By Jeb Wright