You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish

Last updated
You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish
YouCanTuneaPianoButYouCantTunaFish.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 1978 (1978-04) [1]
Recorded1977–78
Studio
Genre Arena rock [2]
Length33:47
Label Epic
Producer Kevin Cronin, Gary Richrath, Paul Grupp, John Boylan
REO Speedwagon chronology
Live: You Get What You Play For
(1977)
You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish
(1978)
Nine Lives
(1979)
Singles from You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish
  1. "Roll with the Changes"
    Released: May 1978 [1]
  2. "Time for Me to Fly"
    Released: July 1978 [3]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Rolling Stone (favorable) [5]

You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish is the seventh studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1978. It was their first album to be co-produced by lead singer Kevin Cronin and lead guitarist Gary Richrath. The album was REO's first to make the Top 40, peaking at No. 29. [6] The album sold over 2 million copies in the US, which led it to being certified 2× Platinum.

Contents

This is the first album to feature Bruce Hall on bass, replacing Gregg Philbin. In 2013, the album was released on CD by UK-based company Rock Candy Records, with expanded liner notes and photos.

The hits "Time for Me to Fly" and "Roll with the Changes" have since become two of the band's best-known songs. "Time for Me to Fly" was later covered in a bluegrass arrangement by Dolly Parton on her 1989 album White Limozeen . In 2005, the album cover was featured on Pitchfork's list of "The Worst Record Covers of All Time", [7] and in 2014 its title was featured in NME's list of "The 50 Worst Album Titles in History". [8] In 2020, Netflix's Ozark TV series third season episode, "Kevin Cronin Was Here" featured "Time for Me to Fly", which resulted in the song making the top 40 on the Billboard Digital Songs Chart. [9] [10]

"Roll with the Changes" was featured in the 2011 movie The Cabin in the Woods . Cash Box said that it "opens with a flowing piano riff that quickly develops into a dynamic, well-structured tune propelled by electrifying guitar licks." [11] The song was also briefly featured in the 2013 movie Jobs .

"Time for Me to Fly"

The song "Time for Me to Fly" peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978; despite this relatively modest peak position, it has become one of the band's best-known songs, and has received airplay on FM radio over the years. According to singer Kevin Cronin, the song was inspired by his breakup with his high school girlfriend. [12] The song would again hit the top 40 in 2020 on Billboard's Digital Songs Chart after it was featured on Netflix's Ozark third-season episode, "Kevin Cronin was Here." [9] [10] It was also used in the films Vision Quest and Grown Ups .

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Roll with the Changes" Kevin Cronin 5:37
2."Time for Me to Fly"Cronin3:42
3."Runnin' Blind"Debbie Mackron, Gary Richrath 3:08
4."Blazin' Your Own Trail Again"Cronin3:32
5."Sing to Me"Richrath2:34
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lucky for You"Cronin, Richrath5:02
2."Do You Know Where Your Woman Is Tonight?"Richrath2:53
3."The Unidentified Flying Tuna Trot"Richrath2:17
4."Say You Love Me or Say Goodnight"Cronin, Richrath4:58

Personnel

REO Speedwagon [13]

Additional personnel

Production

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [21] 2× Platinum2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish
RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog #
United StatesApril 1978 Epic Stereo vinyl E-35082
1978 Cassette PET-35082
8-track E35082
United KingdomJuly 1978 vinyl
United States2000CD (Remaster)EK-61613
Japan2011 Sony Music CD (DSD-Remaster)EICP 1488
United Kingdom2013Rock CandyCD-24 bit audio
(Remastered & Reloaded)
CANDY176

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">REO Speedwagon</span> American rock band

REO Speedwagon, or simply REO, is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. Their best-selling album, Hi Infidelity (1980), contained four US Top 40 hits and sold more than 10 million copies.

<i>Hi Infidelity</i> 1980 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Hi Infidelity is the ninth studio album by American rock band REO Speedwagon, released on November 21, 1980, by Epic Records. The album became a big hit in the United States, peaking at number one on the Billboard 200. It went on to become the biggest-selling album of 1981, eventually being certified 10 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".

<i>Wheels Are Turnin</i> 1984 studio album by REO Speedwagon

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. 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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Fight This Feeling</span> 1984 single by REO Speedwagon

"Can't Fight This Feeling" is a power ballad performed by the American rock band REO Speedwagon. The song first appeared on the 1984 album Wheels Are Turnin'. The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and held the top spot for three consecutive weeks from March 9 to March 23, 1985. It was the group's second number-one hit on the U.S. charts and reached number sixteen in the UK. "Can't Fight This Feeling" has appeared on dozens of 'various artists' compilation albums, as well as several REO Speedwagon greatest hits albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keep On Loving You (song)</span> 1980 single by REO Speedwagon

"Keep On Loving You" is a rock ballad written by Kevin Cronin and performed by American rock band REO Speedwagon. It features the lead guitar work of Gary Richrath. The song first appeared on REO Speedwagon's 1980 album Hi Infidelity. It was the first REO Speedwagon single to break the top 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, reaching the number-one spot for one week in March 1981. The single was certified platinum for U.S. sales of over one million copies. It peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. "Keep On Loving You" has been a mainstay on 1980s soft rock compilations and has appeared on dozens of 'various artists' compilation albums, as well as several REO Speedwagon greatest hits albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take It on the Run</span> 1981 single by REO Speedwagon

"Take It on the Run" is a song by American rock band REO Speedwagon off the band's ninth studio album Hi Infidelity (1980). The song was written by lead guitarist Gary Richrath. "Take It on the Run" was the follow-up single behind the group's number-one hit, "Keep on Loving You". The single went gold on April 17, 1989. "Take It on the Run" has appeared on dozens of "various artists" compilation albums, as well as several REO Speedwagon greatest-hits albums. The 2017 song "Messin' Around" by Pitbull featuring Enrique Iglesias interpolates "Take It on the Run".

<i>Live: You Get What You Play For</i> 1977 live album by REO Speedwagon

Live: You Get What You Play For is a live album by rock band REO Speedwagon, released as a double-LP in 1977. It was recorded at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building in Kansas City, Kansas, the Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, Kiel Auditorium in Saint Louis, Missouri and Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom in Atlanta, Georgia. It peaked at number #72 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1977. The song "Ridin' the Storm Out" reached #94 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, but has since become a classic rock radio staple. The album went platinum on December 14, 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Richrath</span> American musician

Gary Dean Richrath was an American guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist and a songwriter for the band REO Speedwagon from 1970 until 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Cronin</span> American singer

Kevin Patrick Cronin Jr. is an American musician who is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band REO Speedwagon. The band had several hits on the Billboard Hot 100 throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including two chart-toppers written by Cronin: "Keep On Loving You" (1980) and "Can't Fight This Feeling" (1984).

<i>Good Trouble</i> (album) 1982 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Good Trouble is the tenth studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1982 as a follow-up to Hi Infidelity. It peaked at #7 on the Billboard charts. The single "Keep the Fire Burnin'" gave the band a #7 hit on Billboard's Pop Singles Chart and a #2 hit on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, their highest-charting hit on this chart.

<i>Nine Lives</i> (REO Speedwagon album) 1979 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Nine Lives is the eighth studio album by REO Speedwagon. It peaked at number #33 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1979. 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. 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.

<i>R.E.O.</i> (album) 1976 studio album by REO Speedwagon

R.E.O. is the sixth studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1976. It peaked at number 159 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1976. It marked the return of Kevin Cronin to the band after a four-year absence. Five of the songs were featured on the band's subsequent live album, Live: You Get What You Play For. Many fans refer to the album as C.O.W. due to the background of the cover art.

<i>Life as We Know It</i> (REO Speedwagon album) 1987 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Life as We Know It is the twelfth studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1987.

<i>The Hits</i> (REO Speedwagon album) 1988 greatest hits album by REO Speedwagon

The Hits is a compilation album from REO Speedwagon. It contains hits such as "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "Keep on Loving You", as well as new tracks "Here with Me" and "I Don't Want to Lose You". "Here with Me" cracked the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. and the top ten on the Adult Contemporary chart; however, it would be the last single to feature drummer Alan Gratzer and guitarist Gary Richrath, as they each left the band within the year following this album's release. The album has sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. which led it to go 4× Platinum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keep the Fire Burnin' (REO Speedwagon song)</span> 1982 single by REO Speedwagon

"Keep the Fire Burnin'" is a song by REO Speedwagon from their 1982 album Good Trouble. This single was the only track from the Good Trouble album to make the top ten on the pop charts, cresting at number seven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Let Him Go</span> 1981 single by REO Speedwagon

"Don't Let Him Go" is a song written by Kevin Cronin. It was originally released as the opening song for REO Speedwagon's #1 album Hi Infidelity. It was also released as a single, reaching #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Don't Let Him Go" has appeared on several REO Speedwagon greatest hits albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Your Letter</span> 1981 single by REO Speedwagon

"In Your Letter" is a song written by Gary Richrath that was first released on REO Speedwagon's 1980 album Hi Infidelity. It was released as the fourth single from the album and just made the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #20. It also reached #26 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. It also had some chart success in Canada, reaching #34.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time for Me to Fly (song)</span> 1978 single by REO Speedwagon

"Time for Me to Fly" is a song by American rock band REO Speedwagon, released in 1978 as the second single from the album You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish. It was written by lead singer Kevin Cronin and took 10 years to write. The song originally reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100, but later reached number 34 on the Digital Songs chart after being used in Netflix's Ozark. It also reached number 90 on the Canadian charts. The song has a BPM of 81 BPM and plays in 4/4 time signature. Cash Box praised the "melodic singing and acoustic guitar work...enveloping chorus and...catchy lyric." Record World said that it is "characteristic of the group's imaginative use of rock's common raw materials."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Lonely Night (song)</span> 1985 single by REO Speedwagon

"One Lonely Night" is a song performed by the American band REO Speedwagon. The song is the third single from the band's 1984 album Wheels Are Turnin'. It peaked at No. 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it the second best performing single from the album in the United States, although very far from the success of "Can't Fight This Feeling".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Do' Wanna Know</span> 1984 single by REO Speedwagon

"I Do' Wanna Know" is a song written by Kevin Cronin that was the lead single from REO Speedwagon's 1984 album Wheels Are Turnin'. It was more of a rocker reminiscent of the songs REO Speedwagon had released in the 1970s than the ballads the band had been successful with in the early 1980s. It had limited success on popular music charts, which was blamed for delaying sales of the album until the release of the follow-up single, the ballad "Can't Fight This Feeling." The video to the song was nominated for several awards.

References

  1. 1 2 "Great Rock Discography". p. 685.
  2. Trenz, Brandon (1998). "REO Speedwagon". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 935–936.
  3. "REO speedwagon singles".
  4. DeGagne, Mike. REO Speedwagon: You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  5. "REO Speedwagon: You Can Tune A Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". October 2, 2007. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Albums (Seventh ed.). Record Research. ISBN   978-0-89820-183-3.
  7. "The Worst Record Covers of All Time - Pitchfork". pitchfork.com.
  8. "The 50 Worst Album Titles Ever - NME". March 10, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Tallerico, Brian (March 27, 2020). "Ozark Recap: Time For Me to Fly". Vulture.
  10. 1 2 "REO Speedwagon's 'Time For Me To Fly' Debuts At #34 On Billboard Digital Song Sales Chart Following 'Ozark' Season 3 Feature". April 7, 2020.
  11. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 6, 1978. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  12. "Why REO Speedwagon's 'Time for Me to Fly' Took 10 Years to Write". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  13. REO Speedwagon — You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish. Rock Candy Records Ltd. 2013. p. 16.
  14. 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.
  15. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4563b". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  16. "REO Speedwagon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  17. 1 2 "Artist Chart History – REO Speedwagon". Billboard charts. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  18. "Cash Box Top 100 6/24/78". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
  19. "Top Singles – Volume 29, No. 13, June 24, 1978". RPM. RPM Music Publications Ltd. June 24, 1978. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  20. "Top Singles – Volume 29, No. 24, September 9, 1978". RPM. RPM Music Publications Ltd. September 9, 1978. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  21. "American album certifications – R.E.O._Speedwagon – You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved January 18, 2015.