Wheels Are Turnin'

Wheels Are Turnin'
Studio album by REO Speedwagon
Released	November 5, 1984 (1984-11-05)
Recorded	January–August 1984
Studio	Rumbo Recorders (Los Angeles)
Genre	Arena rock[1]
Length	39:31
Label	Epic
Producer	Kevin Cronin, Gary Richrath, Alan Gratzer
REO Speedwagon chronology
Good Trouble (1982) Wheels Are Turnin' (1984) Life as We Know It (1987)
Singles from Wheels Are Turnin'
"I Do' Wanna Know" Released: October 1984 "Can't Fight This Feeling" Released: December 1984[2] "One Lonely Night" Released: March 1985[3] "Live Every Moment" Released: July 1985[4]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[5]

Wheels Are Turnin' is the eleventh studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in November 1984. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The lead single was "I Do' Wanna Know," which stalled at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[6] The second single, "Can't Fight This Feeling," was REO's second and longest-running number one single. Other singles released were "One Lonely Night" and "Live Every Moment". These singles also reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #19 and #34, respectively.^[6] The singles from the album also had success on other Billboard charts: "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "I Do' Wanna Know" each reached #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart, with "One Lonely Night" reaching #17, and "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "One Lonely Night" reached #3 and #10, respectively on the Adult Contemporary chart.^[7][8][9]

Billboard writer Kim Freeman suggested that the release of "I Do' Wanna Know" before "Can't Fight This Feeling" could be regarded as an "oversight."^[10] However, lead singer Kevin Cronin, who wrote both songs, disagreed, stating "not all singles are released to be hits."^[10] Paul Grein attributed the initial sluggish sales of Wheels Are Turnin' before the release of "Can't Fight This Feeling" to the fact that "I Do' Wanna Know" was not successful with pop radio stations and noted that sales began to take off only after the release of the second single.^[11][12]

In 2013, the album was released on CD by UK-based company Rock Candy Records, with expanded liner notes and photos. The LP version contained a cut-out stroboscope.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Do' Wanna Know"	Kevin Cronin	4:12
2.	"One Lonely Night"	Neal Doughty	3:20
3.	"Thru the Window"	Bruce Hall, Jeffery B. Hall	5:01
4.	"Rock 'N Roll Star"	Cronin, Tom Kelly, Gary Richrath	3:40
5.	"Live Every Moment"	Cronin	4:56

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Can't Fight This Feeling"	Cronin	4:54
7.	"Gotta Feel More"	Cronin, Kelly, Richrath	4:26
8.	"Break His Spell"	Richrath	2:57
9.	"Wheels Are Turnin'"	Cronin	5:47

Personnel

REO Speedwagon

• Kevin Cronin – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar on "Thru the Window"
• Gary Richrath – electric guitar
• Neal Doughty – keyboards
• Bruce Hall – bass
• Alan Gratzer – drums

Additional personnel

• Steve Forman – percussion
• Tommy Funderburk – backing vocals
• Tom Kelly – backing vocals
• Richard Page – backing vocals
• Bill Cuomo – orchestration on "Can't Fight This Feeling"

Production

• Kevin Cronin – producer, arrangements
• Alan Gratzer – producer
• Gary Richrath – producer
• David DeVore – assistant producer, engineer
• Julian Stoll – assistant engineer
• Steve Hall – mastering at Future Disc (Hollywood, California).
• John Kosh – art direction, design
• Ron Larson – art direction, design
• Randee St. Nicholas – photography

Charts

Chart (1984-1985)	Peak position
Australian albums (Kent Music Report)[13]	54
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[14]	13
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[15]	40
US Billboard 200[16]	7

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[17]	Platinum	100,000^^
United States (RIAA)[18]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Trenz, Brandon (1998). "REO Speedwagon". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 935–936.
2. "RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America.
3. "REO speedwagon singles".
4. "REO speedwagon singles".
5. DeGagne, Mike. REO Speedwagon: Wheels Are Turnin' at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
6. "Billboard Hot 100: REO Speedwagon". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
7. "Mainstream Rock Songs: REO Speedwagon". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
8. "Adult Contemporary: REO Speedwagon". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
9. "Billboard Top Rock Tracks". Billboard Magazine. November 24, 1984. p. 18. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
10. Freeman, Kim (March 16, 1985). "REO Comes Back, Crosses Over". Billboard Magazine. p. 42. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
11. Grein, Paul (January 26, 1985). "Chart Beat". Billboard Magazine. p. 6. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
12. Grein, Paul (March 9, 1985). "Chart Beat". Billboard Magazine. p. 6. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
13. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 250. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
14. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0514". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
15. "Swedishcharts.com – REO Speedwagon – Wheels Are Turnin'". Hung Medien. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
16. "REO Speedwagon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
17. "Canadian album certifications – REO Speedwagon – Wheels Are Turnin". Music Canada.
18. "American album certifications – R.E.O. Speedwagon – Wheels Are Turnin'". Recording Industry Association of America.

• REO Speedwagon – Wheels Are Turnin' @ MSN Music