Hi-Infidelity/Gaucho
This weekend, On The Turntable will feature two LPs celebrating 40 years since their release. The program will begin with “Hi-Infidelity” from successful “Arena Rock” band from Chicago …. REO Speedwagon. The program will then feature “Gaucho” the Grammy nominated LP from Steely Dan. What made these two albums the perfect pair was … they were both released on November 21, 1980 … exactly forty years ago this weekend.
Hi-Infidelity
Hi Infidelity is the ninth studio album by REO Speedwagon, released on November 21, 1980. The album became a big hit, peaking at number one on the Billboard 200. The album eventually was certified 10 times platinum and became the biggest-selling rock album of 1981. Four singles were release from the LP, two of which hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100. An interesting fact … though it was released in 1980, it was released on vinyl, cassette tape and 8-track tape … the CD format release came five years later.
All four of the singles release from the lp were on side one … Those singles include, “Take It On The Run”, “Keep On Loving You”, which produced the band’s first #1, “In Your Letter” and “Don’t Let Him Go.” Side two opens with Tough Guys … which was one of two songs not released as a single that charted on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart … The Song did not get any airplay because of language that is not allowed on mainstream media … unfortunately, we will have to edit that out for this airing … The band was definitely an Arena Rock success … I saw them early in their career as an opening band for Joe Walsh, ELO and Aerosmith but never got a taste for their music ….Best Ever Albums Dot Com considers Hi Infidelity the 68th best lp of 1980 and the 580th best of the decade … seems a bit low for an lp that is 10 time platinum … Digital Dream Door Dot Com ranked the lp 7th on its top 100 of the year
Notable Tracks – “Keep On Loving You” “Take It On The Run” “Tough Guys”
Gaucho
Gaucho is the seventh studio album by Steely Dan, released on the same day as Hi-Infidelity. The sessions for Gaucho represent the band’s typical penchant for studio perfectionism … To record the album, the band used at least 42 different musicians, spent over a year in the studio. The list of guest musicians included – Michael McDonald, Rick Deringer, Mark Knofler, Joe Sample, Larry Carlton and Patti Austin.
Gaucho was awarded a Grammy award in 1982 for Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording …it was also nominated for two other Grammys including Album of the Year. The album received mainly good reviews …. Best Ever Albums Dot Com considers Gaucho to be the 21st best album of 1980 and the 65th best of the decade … Digital Dream Door Dot Com ranked the album 39th on its top 100 of the year.
Notable Tracks – “Hey Nineteen” “Babylon Sisters” “Time Out Of Mind”
Catch “Hi-Infidelity” and “Gaucho” On The Turntable this Saturday at 6pm and Sunday at 7am. Both LPs played in their entirety, each side uninterrupted. Listen on-air @97.7FM, 1330AM, on line @ www.kvol1330.com or on The Rewind App.