Hi Infidelity
Released November 21, 1980
Recorded March–October 1980
Genre AOR
Length 34:55
Label Epic
Producer Kevin Beamish, Kevin Cronin, Alan Gratzer, Gary Richrath
Hi Infidelity is the ninth studio album by the band REO Speedwagon, it was released on November 21, 1980 (see 1980 in music). The album became a big hit in the United States peaking at number one on the Billboard 200. It went on to become one of the biggest selling rock albums of 1981, eventually being certified ten times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Of the four singles released, “Take It on the Run” went to number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the band got their first of two number one hits with “Keep On Loving You”.
The album title is a play on the term Hi-Fi (high fidelity), and the album art is an illustration of this pun where an act of sexual infidelity is occurring while the man is putting a record LP to play on the hi-fi stereo.
From the album six songs charted Billboard charts, including “Keep On Loving You” which was the band’s first Number 1 hit, and “Take It on the Run”, which reached No. 5 on the charts. The song “Tough Guys” uses an audio clip from the 1937 Our Gang episode “Hearts Are Thumps”.
“Tough Guys” was one of two songs from the album that charted on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart despite not being released as singles. Music critic Robert Christgau called “Tough Guys” his favorite song from the album but suggested that the line “They think they’re full of fire/She thinks they’re full of shit” would prevent the song from reaching the pop Top 40.
Track listing
Side 1
1. “Don’t Let Him Go” Kevin Cronin 3:47
2. “Keep On Loving You” Cronin 3:22
3. “Follow My Heart” Tom Kelly, Gary Richrath 3:50
4. “In Your Letter” Richrath 3:18
5. “Take It on the Run” Richrath 3:59
Side 2
No. Title Writer(s) Length
6. “Tough Guys” Cronin 3:51
7. “Out of Season” Cronin, Kelly 3:07
8. “Shakin’ It Loose” Richrath 2:27
9. “Someone Tonight” Bruce Hall 2:42
10. “I Wish You Were There” Cronin 4:27
Disc 2 – The Crystal Demos (2011 CD 30th Anniversary edition) bonus tracks
Personnel
Kevin Cronin – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
Gary Richrath – lead guitar
Neal Doughty – keyboards
Bruce Hall – bass, backing vocals (lead on track 9)
Alan Gratzer – drums, backing vocals
Additional personnel
Steve Forman – percussion
He-Man Broken Hearts Club Choir – backing vocals
Tom Kelly – backing vocals
Richard Page – backing vocals
Production
Producers: Kevin Beamish, Kevin Cronin, Alan Gratzer, Gary Richrath
Engineer: Kevin Beamish
Assistant engineer: Tom Cummings
Mastering: Kent Duncan, Greg Fulginiti, Jo Hansch
Remastering: Joseph M. Palmaccio
Reissue producer: Al Quaglieri
Remastering supervisor: Laura Grover
Arranger: Kevin Cronin
Programming: Kevin Cronin
Lyric assistant: Kevin Cronin
Art direction: Kosh
Design: Bobby Gordon, Kosh
Photography: Aaron Rapoport
Lighting design: Bobby Gordon
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