For me personally, ‘Nine Lives’ is the pick of all the REO Speedwagon discography, and there’s plenty of it, there is melodic power, attitude, good catchy songs, and no wimp-out material whatsoever.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: REO Speedwagon
ALBUM: Nine Lives
LABEL: Epic
SERIAL: FE 35988
YEAR: 1979
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Kevin Cronin – vocals, guitars * Gary Richrath – guitars * Neal Doughty – piano, organ, synthesizers * Bruce Hall – bass, vocals * Alan Gratzer – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Heavy On Your Love * 02 Drop It (An Old Disguise) * 03 Only The Strong Survive * 04 Easy Money * 05 Rock ‘n’ Roll Music * 06 Take Me * 07 I Need You Tonight * 08 Meet Me On The Mountain * 09 Back On The Road Again
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
When I was a teenager, this was one album which got thrashed to death on the old family stereo! I couldn’t get enough of REO Speedwagon and these songs, and when you think about it, this represented a change in direction for this mid-west staple act, which had up until then, released a whole host of albums playing in a straight ahead rock style.
After the release of their Live album ‘You Get What You Play For’ in 1977, and their more recent studio album ‘You Can Tune A Piano But You Can’t Tuna Fish’ (phew), the REO Speedwagon boys upped the ante big time for this classic of AOR ‘Nine Lives’. Cronin and Richrath produced the album with some help from Kevin Beamish, and the result is splendid arena rock of the finest sort. The rhythm guitar work of both Gary and Kevin is reminiscent of BOC‘s Buck Dharma plus the duo of Scholz and Goudreau from Boston. Yes, it’s that good!
The Songs
There’s plenty of guitar power onboard, with songs like ‘Heavy On Your Love’ and the superb pairing of ‘Meet Me On The Mountain’ and ‘Back On The Road Again’ long since imprinted on my brain for a good many years. The vocal choruses on ‘Take Me’ are breathtaking, while the improvisation of ‘Easy Money’ makes one wonder whether they are south of the border or lost in the jungle. If you hear the song, you’ll know what I mean with all the sound effects going on.
The remake of Chuck Berry‘s ‘Rock & Roll Music’ is admirable, while the track ‘Drop It (An Old Disguise)’ is a shade similar to Boston‘s ‘Smokin’. Perhaps my fave moment is the twang-tastic acoustic ballad ‘I Need You Tonight’, fuelled by Neal Doughty’s cool piano lines. This is what Nelson could’ve sounded like back in the 70’s!
In Summary
For me personally, ‘Nine Lives’ is the pick of all the REO Speedwagon discography, and there’s plenty of it. There is melodic power, attitude, good catchy songs, and no wimp-out material whatsoever. Sure. ‘Hi Infidelity’ made them megastars, but for purists, ‘Nine Lives’ is where REO were truly at. Very easy to obtain, and definitely one that needs to be in your collection.
REO Speedwagon on Video
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