Hi Infidelity
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Album Summary
REO Speedwagon laid down what would become one of the defining records of the early 1980s when they tracked 'Hi Infidelity' at Record One Studios in Sherman Oaks, California, with producer/engineer Kevin Beamish at the helm — a collaboration that brought out the fullest, most polished version of the band's melodic rock sound. Released on Epic Records in November 1980, the album captured lead vocalist Kevin Cronin and the rest of the quintet — Gary Richrath, Neal Doughty, Bruce Hall, and Alan Gratzer — at the absolute peak of their chemistry, delivering a set of songs that felt both intimate and stadium-sized all at once. It was the kind of record that arrived quietly and then just refused to leave, and the world was better for it.
Reception
- The album ascended to number one on the Billboard 200 and held that position for fifteen weeks, becoming one of the best-selling albums of 1981 and ultimately moving over ten million copies in the United States alone.
- 'Keep On Loving You' became the band's first number one single on the Billboard Hot 100, while 'Take It On The Run' climbed to number five, giving the album two massive radio staples that kept 'Hi Infidelity' in heavy rotation for the better part of two years.
- The album was certified 10x Platinum by the RIAA, standing as a commercial landmark for Epic Records and for melodic rock as a genre.
Significance
- 'Hi Infidelity' arrived at a pivotal moment in rock history — post-disco, pre-MTV dominance — and it planted a flag for emotionally honest, hook-driven arena rock that would set the template for FM radio throughout the entire decade of the 1980s.
- The album demonstrated that a rock band could lead with vulnerability and romanticism without sacrificing sonic muscle, a balance that REO Speedwagon achieved with remarkable consistency across all ten tracks, from the driving energy of 'Don't Let Him Go' to the aching tenderness of 'I Wish You Were There.'
- By bridging the raw energy of 1970s hard rock with the melodic sensibility and studio polish that would come to define 1980s pop-rock, 'Hi Infidelity' helped chart the course that countless bands would follow — making it not just a commercial triumph but a genuinely influential artistic statement.
Tracklist
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A1 Don't Let Him Go 105
3:44
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A2 Keep On Loving You 174
3:19
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A3 Follow My Heart 97
3:47
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A4 In Your Letter 131
3:14
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A5 Take It On The Run 77
3:59
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B1 Tough Guys 135
3:48
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B2 Out Of Season 137
3:05
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B3 Shakin' It Loose 157
2:24
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B4 Someone Tonight 133
2:39
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B5 I Wish You Were There 117
4:26
Artist Details
REO Speedwagon burst onto the scene out of Champaign, Illinois back in 1967, a hard-driving rock and roll machine that spent years grinding through the Midwest club circuit before the whole world finally caught up to what they were laying down. They carved their sound right out of the heart of American heartland rock — equal parts muscle and melody — and when the 1980s rolled around, albums like *Hi Infidelity* turned them into bona fide superstars, proving that years of dues-paying on the road could absolutely pay off in gold and platinum. REO Speedwagon stands as a testament to the blue-collar spirit of rock and roll, bridging the raw energy of the seventies with the polished, emotionally charged anthems that would define an entire generation's soundtrack.
