When “Keep on Loving You” reached the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100
in 1980, some listeners could be forgiven for thinking that
REO Speedwagon came
out of nowhere. Prior to that seminal power ballad, the Illinois-formed
band had never attained a chart position higher than No. 56 (“Time for
Me to Fly,” 1978). When the success of “Take It on the Run” (No. 5)
quickly followed, it was clear that REO Speedwagon was here to stay. But
their success was hard-earned, and their catalogue already quite deep
by the dawn of the new decade. The original group formed in 1967; after
conquering the local and regional scenes, the band signed with Epic
Records in 1971. Now, the first part of their Epic journey has been
chronicled on a comprehensive new box set.
The Early Years 1971-1977,
available now from Cherry Red’s Hear No Evil imprint, has REO’s first
six studio albums and first live album remastered and expanded on 8 CDs.
L.A. Woman: The Workshop Sessions
is a double LP featuring all of the previously unreleased material
found on the CD collection on three sides of vinyl, with the fourth
side featuring a laser etching of the original "Electric Woman" art
originally included with the L.A. Woman album. It also includes the previously unreleased song "She Smells So Nice." 
