The Hits

Legions of air-guitar playing American kids who grew up on FM rock radio in the '70s knew there was more to REO Speedwagon than dumb rock riffage and songs about girls and broken hearts. They loved a band that connected with them on levels that helped define specific moments in their lives: high school graduations and backyard kegger parties, first crushes and spurned heartbreaks. REO Speedwagon pinned sentimentality to riff-heavy tunes and managed to encapsulate their fans' feelings in song. It made the band huge, and it’s what makes them classic rock. All those '70s and early-'80s hits are here, from gazillion-selling power ballads (“I Can’t Fight This Feeling,” “Keep on Loving You,” “Take It on the Run”) to four-on-the-floor rock ’n’ rollers (“Back on the Road Again,” “Keep Pushin’ On,” “Roll with the Changes”). The smoking live version of “Ridin’ the Storm Out” (the band’s first chart hit) showcases the heady skills of unheralded rock ’n’ roll guitarist Gary Richrath, and two 1982 songs (“I Don’t Want to Lose You” and the hit “Here with Me”) are exclusive to this release.