''The Essential REO Speedwagon'' is a greatest hits album by the 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 through

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

and

Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In 2 ...

. The collection spans the band's history from 1971 through 1999 and the package includes two compact discs. The album consists of tracks from nearly every studio album up to 1999 except "

This Time We Mean It ''This Time We Mean It'' is the fifth studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1975. It peaked at number 74 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1975, It was the third and last album to feature Mike Murphy on vocals and features the single "Reelin'" ...

" from 1975. In 2009, the album was re-released as part of the Limited Edition 3.0 series which added a third bonus disc with eight more tracks.

Track listing

''The Essential REO Speedwagon''

''The Essential REO Speedwagon .0'

Note: ''The Essential REO Speedwagon .0' has the same tracks above with an added CD with eight more tracks.

Personnel

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 ...

–

Vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

(Disc 01: tracks 02-04, 06-15/All tracks on Disc 02 & 03); Rhythm guitar, Acoustic Guitar, and Piano on various tracks *

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 ...

– lead guitars (All tracks on Disc 01/Disc 02: 01-15/Disc 03: 01-07) *Gregg Philbin –

Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

(Disc 01: tracks 01-12/Disc 03: 06) *

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 ...

– Keyboards (All tracks) * Alan Gratzer –

Drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

(All tracks on Disc 01/Disc 02: 01-15/Disc 03: 01-07) * Terry Luttrell – Lead Vocals (Disc 01: track 01) *Mike Murphy – Lead Vocals (Disc 01: track 05) * Bruce Hall – Bass (Disc 01: tracks 13-15/All tracks on Disc 02/Disc 03: 01-05, 07-08), Lead vocals on "Back on the Road Again" * Dave Amato – Lead guitar (Disc 02: tracks 16-18/Disc 03: 08) * Bryan Hitt – Drums (Disc 02: tracks 16-18/Disc 03: 08) *

Jesse Harms Jesse Harms (born July 6, 1952, in Massachusetts) is an American musician and songwriter. He has worked with Sammy Hagar, David Lee Roth, Eddie Money, REO Speedwagon, Bad English, Guitar Shorty, Patty Smyth, and McAuley Schenker Group. Early ...

– Keyboards (Disc 02: tracks 16/Disc: 03: 08)

Release history

References

External links

The Essential at Allmusic.comThe Essential 3.0 at Allmusic.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Essential REO Speedwagon, The 2004 greatest hits albums REO Speedwagon albums Epic Records compilation albums