''Hi Infidelity'' is the ninth
studio album by American
rock band
REO Speedwagon, released on November 21, 1980 by
Epic Records. The album became a big hit in the United States, peaking at number one on the ''
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...
''. It went on to become the biggest-selling album of 1981, eventually being certified
10 times platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America. Of the four singles released, "
Take It on the Run
"Take It on the Run" is a song by American rock band REO Speedwagon off the band's ninth studio album '' Hi Infidelity'' (1980). The song was written by lead guitarist Gary Richrath. "Take It on the Run" was the follow-up single behind the group's ...
" went to number 5 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, and the band got their first of two number one hits with "
Keep On Loving You".
Background
The album title is a
play on the term "in
high fidelity," which used to appear on album covers. The album art is an illustration of this pun where an act of
sexual infidelity is apparently occurring while the man is putting a record LP to play on the hi-fi stereo.
Singles
From the album six songs charted on the Billboard charts, including "
Keep On Loving You" which was the band's first Number 1 hit, and "
Take It on the Run
"Take It on the Run" is a song by American rock band REO Speedwagon off the band's ninth studio album '' Hi Infidelity'' (1980). The song was written by lead guitarist Gary Richrath. "Take It on the Run" was the follow-up single behind the group's ...
", which reached No. 5 on the charts. The song "Tough Guys" uses an audio clip from the 1937 ''
Our Gang'' episode "
Hearts Are Thumps".
"Tough Guys" was one of two songs from the album that charted on the ''Billboard''
Mainstream Rock
Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Format background
Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
chart despite not being released as singles. Music critic
Robert Christgau called "Tough Guys" his favorite song from the album but suggested that the line "They think they're full of fire/She thinks they're full of shit" would prevent the song from reaching the pop Top 40.
[
]
Reissues
On October 25, 2004, the band recorded the songs of this album live from beginning to end for an XM Radio " Then Again Live" special.
On July 19, 2011, Sony Music re-released ''Hi Infidelity'' with bonus demo tracks for the album's 30th anniversary.
Track listing
Original release
30th Anniversary edition (2011)
Personnel
REO Speedwagon
* Kevin Cronin
Kevin Patrick Cronin (born October 6, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter, who is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and pianist for the rock band REO Speedwagon. The band had several hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 throughout the ...
– lead and backing vocals (except on "Someone Tonight"), acoustic and rhythm guitars, acoustic piano on "Keep on Loving You" and "I Wish You Were There"
* Gary Richrath – electric guitar
* Neal Doughty – keyboards
* Bruce Hall – bass, lead vocal on "Someone Tonight"
* Alan Gratzer – drums, tambourine on "I Wish You Were There"
Additional personnel
* Steve Forman – percussion on "Keep on Loving You"
* Tom Kelly – backing vocals
* Richard Page
Richard Lewis Page (born 22 February 1941) is a former Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and from December 1979 to 2005.
Early life
Born the son of Victor Charles Page, he went to the independent H ...
– backing vocals
* N Yolletta - backing vocals on "In Your Letter"
Production
* Kevin Beamish – producer, engineer
* Kevin Cronin – producer, arrangements
* Gary Richrath – producer
* Alan Gratzer – co-producer
* Tom Cummings – assistant engineer
* Jeff Eccles – assistant engineer
* Kent Duncan – mastering at Kendun Recorders (Burbank, California).
* Aaron Rapoport
Aaron Rapoport (born May 22, 1954) is an American photographer, best known for his photographs of musicians.
Biography
In a career that spans over three decades, Rapoport has photographed in a wide variety of areas including commercial photogr ...
– photography
* John Kosh
John Kosh, known simply as Kosh, is an English art director, album cover designer, graphic artist, and documentary producer/director. He was born in London, England and rose to prominence in the mid-1960s while designing for the Royal Ballet a ...
– art direction, design
* Bobby Gordon – lighting design
* John Baruck – management
* Al Quaglieri – reissue producer
* Joseph M. Palmaccio – remastering
* Laura Grover – remastering supervisor
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Singles
Certifications
Release history
Notes
References
{{Authority control
REO Speedwagon albums
1980 albums
Epic Records albums
Albums produced by Kevin Beamish
Albums produced by Gary Richrath
Albums produced by Kevin Cronin