Life As We Know It

REO Speedwagon | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Epic
• ASIN: B000008JYA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,958 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Reo's finnest., September 4, 2004

By 

Gitters (Allendale, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life As We Know It (Audio CD)

Buy the time Life as We Know it was released in 1987 some fans weren't to interested in buying a new Reo album, but Life as We Know it is Reo's strongest album since Hi Infidelity. New Way to Love kicks off the album, then the familiar That Ain't Love and In My Dreams. With Life as We Know it the boys really wrote a killer batch of tunes. One too Many Girlfriends, Variety Tonight, and Screams and Whispers also stand out. If you can find this one I highly recommend it.

3.0 out of 5 stars The burn-out factor strikes hard., December 3, 2011

By 

Somewhere in Texas (Planet Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life As We Know It (Audio CD)

I dug out my CD "Life As We Know It" and gave it a good listen tonight. It's not the "Jump The Shark" stinkbomb I remember when I bought it brand new in 1987. Back then I listened to it for a few weeks, put it on the shelf and never listened to it all the way through until now.

If you grew up on REO's 80's hit ballads you will probably enjoy this CD. But if you grew up on REO's 70's rockers you will probably dislike it as much as I do.

"Life As We Know It" is a pleasant and very sweet POP album - and that's the problem. Had "Life" been recorded by anyone but REO I would have rated it higher. But growing up on this band and knowing the musical heights REO achieved in the seventies and early 80's it's disappointing to hear this once great ROCK band finally burning out.

Like Cheap Trick's last couple of albums on Epic or Heart's 80's albums on Capitol this is the sound of a veteran yet bored and uninspired band playing it safe to keep the record company happy and to stay on the radio - using "Big 80's" production techniques, drum and synth programming with song doctors helping to prop the inconsistent songwriting up. And like the ugly cover and Kevin's mustache(?) it ain't pretty.

The production badly dates this album. Alan Gratzer's drum kit is drenched in gated reverb and goofy sound effects. Neil's synth and emulator parts might have sounded cool or cute in 1987, now are annoying.

There's some good songs here and the band tries hard to keep things interesting. The very catchy "Can't Get You Out of My Heart" should have been released as a single instead of the middling and bland "Variety Tonight". "One Too Many Girlfriends" which is one of the best songs on the album could have also been a single.

Gary's "Over The Edge" reminds me way too much of Kenny Loggins "Footloose" (same "duh-duh" keyboard riff) until near the end where REO and Richrath finally breaks out with some nice hot soloing. Still it's sad for me to think REO is rocking as hard as Kenny Loggins at this point and this is Gary's last song on a REO album.

"Life As We Know It" is a hit and miss effort from a band laboring to keep up with the changing tastes of the late 80's while the relationships of it's members were splintering. Kevin's "Tired of Getting Nowhere" is a perfect song to sum this whole CD up.

"Life As We Know It" is a sad way for the best and most successful lineup REO ever had to go out on.

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Under Rated, July 29, 2011

By 

optimus32 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Life As We Know It (Audio CD)

One of REO Speedwagon's finest but it did not receive the credit it deserves. Been an REO fan since High Infidelity. Saw them live in 2010 and was blown away. Started replenishing my REO collection either on digital or CD format. Can't believe they released their first album in 1971. REO Speedwagon invented the power ballad genre but through all the personell changes they still know how to rock. One of America's finest bands.