Every band has that one breakthrough album. The album that changes their career. The album that finally introduces them to the biggest live audiences and multi-million selling platinum status!
For some bands it's their debut album, for others it's their third album.
But, for a little band out of southern Illinois, the career trajectory took just a little bit longer…
After 9 years of recording history and a mere 8 studio albums under their belt, REO Speedwagon finally hit the big time with the release of "Hi Infidelity."
Released in the Fall of 1980, "Hi Infidelity" still faced an uphill battle taking 4 months to hit the top of the album charts. But when it did there was no looking back.
The album eventually knocked John Lennon's "Double Fantasy" from the top slot where it stayed the #1 album in the country for 15 weeks straight. Along the way, and with something new called MTV, "Hi Infidelity" produced the bands first ever #1 single and would go on to sell close to 10 million copies in the US.
That's a lot of stats to start a CD review. But because, in the pantheon of rock and roll, REO Speedwagon is often used as a punchline, those facts have to be told before we can discuss the 30th Anniversary Edition of "Hi Infidelity."
Epic/Legacy has just released the album as a newly remastered 2 CD set. Disc one includes the original release with the hits: "Keep On Loving You" and "Take It On The Run" which contains one of the best guitar solos of the 80's by original guitarist Gary Richrath. For proof just drop the needle at 2 minutes and 20 seconds and I dare you to tell me I'm wrong.
Disc 2 contains demo recordings for 9 of the 10 songs that eventually made up "Hi Infidelity." These demos are a unique behind-the-scenes look at a band that was determined to finally hit a home run on the album charts. The demos are a bit more raw than the finished album versions but you can hear the hit potential in each and every one.
For me personally "Hi Infidelity" along with Foreigner "4" and Journey's "Escape" were the soundtrack of the summer of 1981. 30 years later, these albums and songs are a high water mark for these 3 classic bands who can still be found packing stadiums from coast to coast, summer after summer. The band members may not be the same, but the songs are -- and people will pay to hear them until the members, old and new, decide to call it a day.
Drumroll please… 10 out of 10 vinyl albums!!
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