''R.E.O. Speedwagon'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American rock band

REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon), or simply REO, was an American Rock music, rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial suc ...

. Released in 1971, it was the only album recorded with singer Terry Luttrell, who would go on to join

Starcastle Starcastle was an American progressive rock band from Champaign, Illinois, United States. Formed in 1969, the group played many shows under the names Pegasus and Mad John Fever before eventually settling on Starcastle. They signed their first r ...

Kevin Cronin Kevin Patrick Cronin Jr. (born October 6, 1951) is an American musician who was the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band REO Speedwagon. The band had several hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 throughout the 1970s and 1980s, in ...

joined the band for '' R.E.O./T.W.O.'' This album concluded with a

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

song unlike the later

arena rock Arena rock (also known as stadium rock, pomp rock or corporate rock) is a style of rock music that became mainstream in the 1970s. It typically involves radio-friendly rock music that was designed to be played for large audiences. As hard rock ...

songs that made them famous.

History

The album produced the fan favorites “157 Riverside Avenue”, “Sophisticated Lady” and “Lay Me Down”, but sold very poorly, though “Sophisticated Lady” did reach number 122 on the singles charts. “157 Riverside Avenue” and “Lay Me Down” were subsequently recorded on the live album ''Live: You Get What You Play For''. “157 Riverside Avenue” and “Sophisticated Lady” were both featured on the compilation album ''A Decade of Rock and Roll: 1970-1980''. In 2007, the British company

BGO Records BGO Records (Beat Goes On) is a British record label specializing in classic rock, blues, jazz, and folk music. In 1965, Andy Gray opened Andys Records and set up a market stall in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Year by year he opened up more shops. ...

released ''REO Speedwagon'' and ''R.E.O./T.W.O.'' together (BGOCD775), marking the first time the band's first album was widely available in CD format. For some unknown reason, Epic Records never issued this first album on the cassette tape format (but they did issue an 8-Track Stereo Tape Cartridge version of it). ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' called the single "Sophisticated Lady" "ultra-energy music of the sort that enlivens top 40 formats." ''

'' called the single "Lay Me Down" a "hard, but not too hard, rock number" and "exciting music."

Track listing

All songs written by

Neal Doughty REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon), or simply REO, was an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success through ...

, Alan Gratzer, Terry Luttrell, Gregg Philbin, and

Gary Richrath Gary Dean Richrath (October 18, 1949 – September 13, 2015) was an American guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist and a songwriter for the band REO Speedwagon from 1970 until 1989. Early life Richrath was born in Peoria, Illinois, on Octob ...

. ;Side one #"Gypsy Woman's Passion" – 5:17 #"

157 Riverside Avenue "157 Riverside Avenue" is a song by REO Speedwagon from their first album, ''REO Speedwagon'', released in 1971. It was written by all five band members at the time, Terry Luttrell, Gary Richrath, Gregg Philbin, Neal Doughty, and Alan Gratzer. ...

" – 3:57 #"Anti-Establishment Man" – 5:21 #"Lay Me Down" – 3:51 ;Side two #

"Sophisticated Lady" – 4:00 #"Five Men Were Killed Today" – 3:00 #"Prison Women" – 2:36 #"Dead at Last" – 10:08

Personnel

REO Speedwagon * Terry Luttrell - lead vocals *

- guitar *Neal Doughty - keyboards *Gregg Philbin - bass, backing vocals *Alan Gratzer - drums, backing vocals ;Additional personnel *Andre Borly - organ (track 6) *Freedom Soul Singers - backing vocals (track 8)

Charts

Singles -

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

(United States)

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reo Speedwagon REO Speedwagon albums 1971 debut albums Albums produced by Paul Leka Epic Records albums