The Ballads
At one time, REO Speedwagon were considered hard rockers, or at least arena rockers. Over time, their harder-rocking material was forgotten, and their true talent surfaced -- namely, power ballads Along with Journey REO Speedwagon was one of the first groups to develop the power ballad -- the distinctive blend of anthemic melodies, slow tempos, big guitars and big hooks. They had their biggest hits with power ballads so it makes sense that Epic would assemble a collection, appropriately titled Ballads that contains all of them on one disc. As it happens, Ballads features all but one of their Top Ten hits ("Keep the Fire Burnin'" is the absent party), plus a pair of new songs, "Just for You" and "'Til the Rivers Run Dry." Naturally, the well-known hits ("Time for Me to Fly," "Keep on Loving You," "Can't Fight This Feeling," "Take It on the Run" dominate, especially since they're sandwiched between the two new songs on the first side. Nothing -- not the pleasant new songs, not the listenable album tracks, not the acceptable also-ran singles -- matches those songs, which sound all the stronger when they're sequenced together. Still, that doesn't make Ballads a weak listen, since the second-tier material here is among REO s best and helps elevate this collection to one of their most enjoyable albums. After all, their albums were frequently dotted with filler, and one benefit of a compilation is that it leaves the filler behind. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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Credits »
Kevin Beamish - Producer
David Coleman - Artwork
David Coleman - Art Direction
David Coleman - Photography
David Coleman - Illustrations
David Coleman - Cover Photo
Kevin Cronin - Producer
Kevin Cronin - Liner Notes
Kevin Cronin - Music Supervisor
Kevin Cronin - Musical Supervision
Alan Gratzer - Producer
Mick Guzauski - Mixing
Greg Ladanyi - Producer
REO Speedwagon - Main Performer
Gary Richrath - Producer
Al Quaglieri - Compilation Producer
Aaron Rapoport - Photography
Aaron Rapoport - Back Cover
Vic Anesini - Mastering
Jefferson Denim - Packaging Manager
Breeze Munson - Photography
Joy Gilbert - Project Director
Jesse Harms - Producer
Paul Grupp - Producer
Noel Golden - Engineer
David DeVore - Producer
Eddie DeLena - Engineer
Peter Asher - Producer
Tom Lord-Alge - Producer
David Campbell - String Arrangements
David Campbell - Conductor
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