Customer Reviews

Ridin the Storm Out

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Call me crazy, but I actually quite LIKE the "different" REO with this lead singer-but that's just me. Sure, Kevin was the more commercial singer, but his voice gets on my nerves sometimes. My favorite album from the Mike Murphy period is "Lost In A Dream"-IMO.

This is a GREAT album. Nothing but 110% effort on every song. Mike Murphy sang on this one and his vocals are soulful and very unique. If you are a baby boomer this will take you back to leaving home (Movin') , trying to find love (Oh Woman), losing love (Start a New Life) and trying to make something of yourself (oh sure these guys were going to California to be rock stars but you know what I mean)(Find My Fortune). No long jams on this like the live album, but Gary's guitar playing is excellent.

i have been an reo fan since 81. true they have had their sappy ballad albums, but this one kicks you in the butt and doesn't stop. good singing and music and lyrics. must buy for the die hards.

RIDIN' THE STORM OUT is a great REO Speedwagon album. Even though Kevin Cronin is gone, Mike Murphy has a unique voice that is well suited to these hard-rockin' numbers. The title song could be about any troublesome situation, and "Open Up" is a great steal from CSNY's "Everybody I Love You." "Find My Fortune" belongs on any field-day soundtrack, as does the aforementioned title track, but the whole album is great. A must for any serious rock fan.

The first REO song I ever heard was the studio version of Riding The Storm Out. I didn't know he wasn't the original vocalist for the band. When I finally heard Kevin I was disappointed. I think Mike has a good rock voice, while Kevin is wimpy sounding. Every time I hear this song on the radio now, they always play the live version. I think that is a mistake.

This is often consider the bands best effort with out kevin there lead singer they are known for and has the orignal signature song riding the storm out try this one out if you like 70s rock or reo alot you may find yourself loving it!

This is the sound of REO before they became pop artists. Most of the people I know like the sound of REO from this era. Kevin Cronin is too much of a yodeler. Yeah, I know he was with the band prior to this album. His vocals detract from the rest of the musicians. My REO collection begins and ends with Michael Murphy as lead vocalist. Another good REO album is "This Time We Mean It". You probably can only find it on vinyl, but well worth the search.

Reo's third album "Ridin' the Storm Out" originally featured Kevin Cronin on vocals, but he was replaced during the sessons by Michael Murphy who would sing on two other albums before Kevin returned to the band in 76.
Ridin' the Storm Out is the strongest of the Mike Murphy albums. Of course containing the staples Ridin the Storm Out and Son of a Poor Man. Other highlights include Movin, and Whiskey Night. Hardcore fans will want to check this out, but casual fans can pass it up without feeling like they've missed something.

this album was my intro to Reo Speedwagon. at the time not many people up here in canada had heard of them . but thanks to late night FM radio we northerners were introduced to a pretty good band. the song that was played over and over again was ridin the storm out which is no surprise. this song remains one of REOs classics and just might rate as there all time fan favorite. but after that song the album kinda flattens out and becomes rather so-so. there are some good songs son of a poor man,no expression to name a couple but there is a bit of filler on this record. if you're interested in picking up some older REO stuff then pickup REO 2 first. it's a better all around album and it will give you a better picture of what REO was all about in the early to mid 70s. a really good bar band that made it to a bigger stage. if you want to hear the studio version of Ridin the storm out then sure by this album. i picked up the cd a couple of years ago and i still enjoy it but the occasional listener may think hmmm and forget about it. not a bad album but not a great one either. for dedicated REO fans only.

REO Speedwagon was in the early seventies one of the best bands around. Their music was inovative, unique, rocked like crazy and was definitly not top forty schlock! Kevin Cronin was the driving force behind their decline into comercialized blandness, Cronin is responsible for some of the worst music ever written i.e. High Infidelity! This album is thankfully poles apart from that peice of expelitive!