Fans of live material will thoroughly enjoy this handpicked hit-and-miss 18-track compilation of REO Speedwagon's hits recorded during the band's mid- to late-'80s tours. Most of the songs work well in a live environment, with songs like "Tough Guys," "I Do' Wanna Know," and "Keep the Fire Burning" coming out on top, harnessing the most energy while keeping with their original form. Only six of the tracks are from the studio, with "Shakin' It Loose" being the most spirited, as the others are mediocre REO efforts ("L.I.A.R," "Live Every Moment," "Love Is a Rock"). As a hits package, though, The Second Decade of Rock and Roll should be spared, especially since their best song, "Keep on Loving You," has been replaced by a poorly ventured reggae version that sounds silly and out of place. While the ballads are kept to a minimum, some of their less accomplished material could have been replaced with some of their '70s work from Tuna Fish or even REO. Tracks like "Live It Up" and "One Too Many Girlfriends" represent their late-'80s disappointments in The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog, and a Chicken and Life As We Know It, sounding a wee bit uninspired.

Many albums have scaled to the top of the American charts, many of them not so good, but few have been as widely forgotten and spurned as REO Speedwagon's Hi Infidelity. In a way, the group deserved this kind of success. They had been slogging it out in the arenas of the U.S., building up a sizeable audience because they could deliver live. And then, in 1980, they delivered a record that not just summarized their strengths, but captured everything that was good about arena rock. This is the sound of the stadiums in that netherworld between giants like Zeppelin and MTV's slick, video-ready anthems.

Due to it's album title, REO Speedwagon's 1976 release, REO, is often mistaken as being the band's debut album–but it was their sixth overall (1971's REO SPEEDWAGON was their inaugural release). The album marked the return of original singer Kevin Cronin, who would eventually help the band scale the top of the charts in just a few short years. But on REO, the newly reinstated vocalist had just begun to help the hard rockin' band hone their craft. "Keep Pushin'" would soon become a perennial concert standard, while other highlights include the hard-edged "Lightning" and "Our Time is Gonna Come."

Over the course of the 1980s, REO Speedwagon became one of the decade's leading power balladeers. However, these singles sapped the band's reputation as a rock & roll band. Although it may focus more on ballads such as "Time for Me to Fly," "Keep on Loving You," and "Can't Fight This Feeling," Hits does not completely overlook the band's rock anthems, taking care to also include such underrated rockers as "I Don't Want to Lose You," "Don't Let Him Go," and a live version of "Ridin the Storm Out," the band's first and best rock single from the 1970s. Though there is a rather large quantity of REO compilations, Hits remains the wisest investment for most listeners.

You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish was a breakthrough album for REO Speedwagon in a sense, gelling the guitar craft of Gary Richrath and the vocals of Kevin Cronin with songs that rambled and rolled and never stopped for air. Richrath's style finally formed some catchy hooks, and Cronin's songwriting is solid, while his voice sounds rejuvenated and downright fiery. "Roll with the Changes" and "Time for Me to Fly" only made it to number 58 and number 56 on the charts, but the album's sales trumped all of the chart statistics, giving REO its second platinum-selling album.

Many albums have scaled to the top of the American charts, many of them not so good, but few have been as widely forgotten and spurned as REO Speedwagon's Hi Infidelity. In a way, the group deserved this kind of success. They had been slogging it out in the arenas of the U.S., building up a sizeable audience because they could deliver live. And then, in 1980, they delivered a record that not just summarized their strengths, but captured everything that was good about arena rock. This is the sound of the stadiums in that netherworld between giants like Zeppelin and MTV's slick, video-ready anthems.

Although best known for the AOR and radio hits from the early 1980s (which included the number ones 'Keep On Loving You' and 'Can't Fight This Feeling'), R.E.O. Speedwagon's long history goes way back to their formation in Champaign, Illinois in 1967. Initially a covers band playing bars and fraternity houses, the initial line-up of Neal Doughty on keyboards, Alan Gratzer on drums and vocals, Joe Matt on guitar and vocals and Mike Blair on bass and vocals, named themselves after the R.E.O. Speed Wagon, a model of American flat-bed truck. By the time they came to record their debut LP for Epic Records in 1971, the line-up had settled around Terry Luttrell on lead vocals, driving force Gary Richrath on guitar and Gregg Philbin on bass, joining Neal Doughty and Alan Gratzer. Although guitarist Gary Richrath has long been an important and influential figure in the songwriting and musical direction of the band, by the release of second LP, "R.E.O./T.W.O.", the band were joined by Kevin Cronin on lead vocals.

A Decade Of Rock And Roll 1970 To 1980 is a compilation album from REO Speedwagon. This is a well-chosen recap of REO's dues-paying years. These electrifying guitar licks and razor-sharp pop hooks would soon send Speedwagon to arena-rock superstardom! Here are Ridin' the Storm Out; Roll with the Changes; Time for Me to Fly; Only the Strong Survive; Music Man; Reelin'; Keep Pushin'; Breakaway; Ridin' the Storm Out , and more from the band's formative years.

REO Speedwagon gets slagged regularly, but they always deliver in concert and the freewheelin' Nine Lives, their (natch) ninth, sports one cool sleeve: tight leather, suspenders, fishnets, and cat chicks. The black circle inside rocks mightily also. Bassman Bruce Hall steps up to the plate with "Back on the Road Again," a stadium stage staple that kept these Illinois boys makin' noise on the radio. The Caribbean vibe in the hard luck "Easy Money" can't touch the Scorpions' 1979 foray into reggae ("Is There Anybody There?"), but old reliable axeman Gary Richrath keeps the number burning. The obligatory ballad, "I Need You Tonight," is one of REO's best cuts ever with priceless piano from Neal Doughty, the most unsung keyboardist alive.

Live: You Get What You Play For is a live album by rock band REO Speedwagon, released as a double-LP in 1977 (and years later as a single CD omitting "Gary's Guitar Solo" and "Little Queenie"). It was recorded at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, the Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, Kiel Auditorium in Saint Louis, Missouri and Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom in Atlanta, Georgia. It peaked at number #72 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1977. The song "Ridin' the Storm Out" reached #94 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. The album went platinum on December 14, 1978. The Japanese CD reissue, released in 2011, restores the album and songs to its original full length by including both "Gary's Guitar Solo" and "Little Queenie", which were omitted in the original single CD release due to time constraints.