Benson and Number 93

This weekend TV Land has been playing the 70's TV show Benson nonstop. Seeing this show reminded me of how much I loved it when I saw it the first time and still found it funny after all this time. What's interesting though, is when I try to figure out what I like about Benson the answer isn't all that thrilling. What I like about the show, then and now, is that it is a predicatable show with appealing characters / actors with broad personality types mouthing off to each other in zippy one liners. That's it. Benson represents assembly line sitcom production at an acceptably effective level. It's not a knock against Robert Guillome (sp?) or anything, it's just simple laughs for the sake of humor. Not a bad thing, but it doesn't stick with you either.

Speaking of assembly line production appealing to the lowest common denominator, this brings us to Number 93:

REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity (1980)

REO, maybe even more than Journey, defined the "regular guy rock" aspect of AOR also known as bands tagged "corporate rock". REO had been around for years but found the more melodic and midtempo they made their songs, the more radio play they received. In 1980, REO decided to go all out in crafting music that fit that particular sound. The result made REO a hugely successful band and laid out the map of their career for the next decade.

My first memories of REO was hearing their tapes get played on the streetcorner across from my house by the local thugs. Hi Infidelity and Good Trouble seemed to be the only two tapes they owned. I hated those jerks on the corner but I loved the music they were playing. REO's Hi Infidelity was one of the first cassettes I ever bought.

The music was upbeat, catchy and fun. It was midwestern rock in the vein of Bob Seger or Bruce Springsteen, a mix of 50's rock and 60's soul pumped up to bar band volume. But, where Seger and Springsteen were introspective or political songwriters, REO wrote about melodrama. As a teenager, that was perfect for me as I didn't know much about life at that point anyway.

The two big hits from the album were the power ballads, "Keep On Loving You" and "Take It On The Run". Both songs followed the format of soft verses followed by a bracing anthemic chorus. "Keep On Loving You" became a classic soft rock prom night ballad. "Take It On The Run" was the better song of the two, taking an interesting approach to the you-cheated-on-me-girl theme ("Heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it from another you've been missing around") and a great two section guitar solo that still kills me to this day.

Other highlights include the jumpy Bo Diddleyish "Don't Let Him Go", the barroom boogie of "Shakin' It Loose" and the macho put down "Tough Guys" (first song I had with a swear word!). The real highlight was "In Your Letter", a doo wop throwback that must have been inspired because the band never did a song like this again. It's simple, fun and effective.

I remained a big REO fan throughout the 80's, I saw them in concert in 1985 and saw a tight, professional show. The album at the time, Wheels Are Turnin', was on my record player all the time. After the 80's I found I had played their records (as well as many of my other favorites) too much and moved on to listening to other bands. But REO Speedwagon will always bring back memories of hot summers and good times. Sometimes undemanding entertainment is just what you need.