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157 Riverside Avenue
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January 2017
157 Riverside Avenue single REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon Five Men Were Killed Today 21 March 1972 (US) https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=REO+Speedwagon&titel=157+Riverside+Avenue&cat=s REO speedwagon singles 1970 Blues rock, rockabilly revival 3:57 Epic Terry Luttrell, Alan Gratzer, Gregg Philbin, Gary Richrath, Neal Doughty Paul Leka, Billy Rose II Lay Me Down 1972
"157 Riverside Avenue" is a song by REO Speedwagon from their first album, REO Speedwagon, released in 1971. It was written by all five band members at the time, Terry Luttrell, Gary Richrath, Gregg Philbin, Neal Doughty, and Alan Gratzer. The title refers to the Westport, Connecticut address where the band stayed while recording that album.R.E.O. Speedwagon — R.E.O. Speedwagon / R.E.O.T.W.O. 2007 BGO Records 6 On March 29, 2012, the house the band stayed in was torn down to make way for a new house.https://westportnow.com/index.php?/v3/comments/going_down_157_riverside_ave/ Going Down: 157 Riverside Ave 30 March 2012
Record World said it was "plain effective boogie music."Record World April 1, 1972 2023-04-01 Hits of the Week 1 https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/72/RW-1972-04-01.pdf
The song is a standard at the band's live performances, as it has been for many years. Where the original studio version clocked in at only 3:57, live performances include a bass solo in addition to the song's piano and guitar solos, honky-tonk piano work, and an extended interlude where lead vocalist Kevin Cronin tells a story that leads up to a "conversation" between him and lead guitarist Gary Richrath (later Dave Amato) where the guitarist's side consists of guitar solos while Kevin's side is scat vocals. The version of the song on Live: You Get What You Play For is 7:38 in length. An even longer version (12:22) was included on the compilation album A Decade of Rock and Roll: 1970-1980, and a third live version (with Amato) appears on Arch Allies: Live at Riverport at a length of 7:39.
The longest recorded version of the song is listed as 13:37 in length, found on the Live Chicago 1979 Live Radio Broadcast CD, performed during the band's Nine Lives tour. However, 37 seconds of the song's introduction was tacked on to the end of the preceding song. That included, the song is actually performed for a total of 14:14.
Personnel
REO SpeedwagonR.E.O. Speedwagon — R.E.O. Speedwagon / R.E.O.T.W.O. 2007 BGO Records 4
Terry Luttrell – lead vocals
Gary Richrath – guitar
Neal Doughty – keyboards
Gregg Philbin – bass
Alan Gratzer – drums
References
Category:Songs about streets
Category:1971 debut singles
Category:REO Speedwagon songs
Category:1971 songs
Category:Songs written by Gary Richrath
Category:Song recordings produced by Paul Leka
Category:Songs written by Neal Doughty
Category:Epic Records singles