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The Hits (REO Speedwagon album)

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The Hits
Greatest hits album by
REO Speedwagon
ReleasedMay 31, 1988 (US)[1]
April 30, 2002 (Remastered)
RecordedJanuary 1976–April 1988
GenreRock
Length52:55
LabelEpic
Producer
REO Speedwagon chronology
Life as We Know It
(1987) 		The Hits
(1988) 		The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken
(1990)
Singles from The Hits
  1. "Here with Me"
    Released: June 1988
  2. "I Don't Want to Lose You"
    Released: November 1988
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Robert ChristgauC[3]

The Hits is a compilation album from REO Speedwagon. It contains hits such as "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "Keep on Loving You", as well as new tracks "Here with Me" and "I Don't Want to Lose You". "Here with Me" cracked the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] and the top ten on the Adult Contemporary chart; however, it would be the last single to feature drummer Alan Gratzer and guitarist Gary Richrath, as they each left the band within the year following this album's release. The album has sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. which led it to go 4× Platinum.

A conspicuous absentee from the album is "Keep the Fire Burnin'", which reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982. The collection is one of several released by the band's label. The album was remastered and reissued in 2002. The album was also re-released in 2020 on black and white vinyl.[5]

Cash Box called "Here with Me" a "power ballad that lifts you up where you belong, a majestic and sweeping effort that has romanticism, leavened with pop sensibility."[6] Cash Box called "I Don't Want to Lose You" a "hard-driving, corporate-sounding rocker."[7]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)AlbumLength
1."I Don't Want to Lose You"Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg 3:08
2."Here with Me"Rick Braun, Kevin Cronin 5:05
3."Roll with the Changes"CroninYou Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish (1978)5:37
4."Keep on Loving You"CroninHi Infidelity (1980)3:21
5."That Ain't Love"CroninLife as We Know It (1987)4:02
6."Take It on the Run"Gary RichrathHi Infidelity4:02
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)AlbumLength
7."Don't Let Him Go"CroninHi Infidelity3:48
8."Can't Fight This Feeling"CroninWheels Are Turnin' (1984)4:55
9."Keep Pushin'"CroninR.E.O. (1976)4:06
10."In My Dreams"Cronin, KellyLife as We Know It4:31
11."Time for Me to Fly"CroninYou Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish3:44
12."Ridin' the Storm Out" (live)RichrathLive: You Get What You Play For (1977)5:51
CD edition track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Don't Want to Lose You"Kelly, SteinbergKeith Olsen3:08
2."Here with Me"Cronin, BraunOlsen5:05
3."Roll with the Changes"CroninKevin Cronin, Gary Richrath5:37
4."Keep on Loving You"CroninKevin Beamish, Cronin, Richrath3:21
5."That Ain't Love"CroninDavid Devore, Cronin, Richrath, Alan Gratzer4:02
6."Take It on the Run"RichrathBeamish, Cronin, Richrath4:02
7."In My Dreams"Cronin, KellyDevore, Cronin, Richrath, Gratzer4:31
8."Don't Let Him Go"CroninBeamish, Cronin, Richrath3:48
9."Can't Fight This Feeling"CroninCronin, Richrath, Gratzer4:55
10."Keep Pushin'"CroninJohn Stronach4:06
11."Time for Me to Fly"CroninCronin, Richrath3:44
12."One Lonely Night"Neal DoughtyCronin, Richrath, Gratzer3:23
13."Back on the Road Again"Bruce HallBeamish, Cronin, Richrath5:29
14."Ridin' the Storm Out" (live)RichrathStronach, John Henning, Richrath5:51
Total length:61:07

Personnel

[edit]

REO Speedwagon

Additional personnel[8]

  • Tommy Funderburk – backing vocals
  • Eric Persing – additional synthesizers, programming

Production

[edit]
  • Keith Olsen – producer (1, 2)
  • Kevin Cronin – producer (3-9, 11, 12, 13)
  • Gary Richrath – producer (3-9, 11-14)
  • Paul Grupp – producer (3, 11)
  • John Boylan – executive producer (3, 11)
  • Kevin Beamish – producer (4, 6, 8, 13)
  • Alan Gratzer – co-producer (4, 6, 8), producer (5, 7, 9, 12), associate producer (13)
  • David DeVore – producer (5, 7), production assistant (9, 12), package assembling, mastering
  • John Stronach – producer (10, 14)
  • Gary Lubow – production assistant (13)
  • John Henning – producer (14)
  • Joe Gastwirt – engineer
  • Steve Hall – mastering
  • Tony Lane – art direction
  • Nancy Donald – art direction
  • David Coleman – design
  • Harry Mittman – photography
  • Dennis Keeley – inner sleeve photography
  • Malcolm Dome – liner notes
  • Baruck-Consolo Management – management

Studios

  • Recorded and Assembled at Pacific Studios (Chatsworth, California).
  • Mastered at Future Disc (North Hollywood, California).

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for The Hits
Chart (1988) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9] 62
US Billboard 200[10] 56

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for The Hits
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Catalog numbers

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America.
  2. ^ Allmusic review
  3. ^ Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
  4. ^ "Billboard: Hot 100 REO Speedwagon". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  5. ^ "REO Speedwagon - The Hits (2020, Clear w/Black and White Splatter, Vinyl)". discogs. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  6. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. July 2, 1988. p. 14. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  7. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. October 8, 1988. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  8. ^ REO Speedwagon The Hits - "I Don't Want to Lose You" and "Here with Me". Sony Music Entertainment. 1988. p. 3.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 8565". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
  10. ^ "REO Speedwagon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
  11. ^ "American album certifications – R.E.O._Speedwagon – The Hits". Recording Industry Association of America.
  12. ^ "British album certifications – REO Speedwagon – The Hits". British Phonographic Industry.
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