Nine Lives
Studio album by
REO Speedwagon
ReleasedJuly 20, 1979
RecordedSpring 1979
StudioSound City (Studio A) (Los Angeles)
Kendun Recorders (Studio D) (Burbank)
GenreHard rock
Length34:24
LabelEpic
ProducerKevin Cronin, Gary Richrath, Kevin Beamish
REO Speedwagon chronology
You Can Tune a Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish
(1978) 		Nine Lives
(1979) 		Hi Infidelity
(1980)

Nine Lives is the eighth studio album by REO Speedwagon. It peaked at number #33 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1979.[1] The album went gold on December 5, 1979. The title Nine Lives was chosen because the album was the band's ninth, including their live album, and it also featured nine songs. It was the last REO album to prominently feature a more hard rock sound.[citation needed] The group would turn to more pop-oriented material with 1980's Hi Infidelity. In 2013, the album was released on CD by UK-based company Rock Candy Records, with expanded liner notes and photos.

The track "Only the Strong Survive" also later appeared on Gary Richrath's 1992 album Only the Strong Survive.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Melodic[citation needed]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[4]
Record Mirror[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]

The Globe and Mail wrote that "Nine Lives doesn't offer anything that hasn't already been done to death on the other eight... A little boogie-woogie piano, a few guitar solos that never quite get off the ground, some screeched vocals—it all adds up to a half-hour of competence with very little originality."[7]

Record World said of the single "Easy Money" that "the verse builds into a roaring chorus that's an AOR standard."[8] The magazine said of the single release of "Only the Strong Survive" that it "rips and roars with typical REO flash."[9]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heavy on Your Love"Kevin Cronin, Gary Richrath3:35
2."Drop It (An Old Disguise)"Cronin3:14
3."Only the Strong Survive"Richrath3:52
4."Easy Money"Richrath4:01
5."Rock & Roll Music"Chuck Berry2:55
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Take Me"Cronin3:29
7."I Need You Tonight"Cronin3:35
8."Meet Me on the Mountain"Richrath4:04
9."Back on the Road Again"Bruce Hall5:39

Personnel

REO Speedwagon[10]

Additional personnel
Production

Charts

Chart (1979) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] 52
US Billboard 200[12] 33

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[13] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalog #
USA July 20, 1979 Epic Records Stereo Vinyl E-35988
USA 1979 Epic Records Tape PET-35988
USA 1979 Epic Records 8 TRK E35988
USA 1990 Epic Records CD EK35988
Japan 2011 Sony Music CD (DSD-Remaster) EICP 1489
UK 2013 Rock Candy Records CD-24 bit audio
(Remastered & Reloaded) 		CANDY177

References

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Albums (Seventh ed.). Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-183-3.
  2. ^ Stone, Doug. REO Speedwagon: Nine Lives at AllMusic. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
  4. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 563.
  5. ^ Dome, Malcolm (5 January 1980). "REO Speedwagon: Nine Lives". Record Mirror. p. 15.
  6. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 586.
  7. ^ Niester, Alan (18 Aug 1979). "Nine Lives REO Speedwagon". The Globe and Mail. p. F4.
  8. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 8, 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  9. ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. November 24, 1979. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  10. ^ REO Speedwagon — Nine Lives. Rock Candy Records Ltd. 2013. p. 16.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6838b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
  12. ^ "REO Speedwagon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
  13. ^ "American album certifications – R.E.O. Speedwagon – Nine Lives". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
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