The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken

The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken is the thirteenth studio album by REO Speedwagon, and was released in 1990.

The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken
Original album artwork by Mark Ryden
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 1990
RecordedSeptember 3, 1989 - May 31, 1990
StudioOcean Way Recording (Hollywood, California)
One On One Studios (North Hollywood, California)
Encore Studios (Burbank, California)
GenreRock
Length46:26
LabelEpic
ProducerKevin Cronin, Jesse Harms, Tom Lord-Alge, Jim Scott
REO Speedwagon chronology
The Hits
(1988)
The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken
(1990)
Building the Bridge
(1996)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Entertainment WeeklyC+[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[2]
Select[3]

It marked the end of their contract with Epic Records and is, to date, the last REO album to chart, peaking at No. 129 on the Billboard 200.[4] The song "Love Is a Rock" reached No. 65 on Billboard's Hot 100, and "Live It Up" reached No. 6 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. "Go For Broke" was written for the film Days of Thunder but ultimately not used.

Following the departure of two long-time members, guitarist and songwriter Gary Richrath and drummer Alan Gratzer, more than half of the songs on this album were written or co-written by keyboardist Jesse Harms. It is also the first album to include guitarist Dave Amato and drummer Bryan Hitt who remain with the band as of 2023.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Love Is a Rock"Kevin Cronin5:36
2."The Heart Survives"Cronin, Jesse Harms4:50
3."Live It Up"Harms4:00
4."All Heaven Broke Loose"Neal Doughty, Adrian Gurvitz, Harms4:11
5."Love in the Future"Cronin, Tom Kelly4:32
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Half Way"Cronin, Harms, Mark Spiro4:17
7."Love to Hate"Harms4:09
8."You Won't See Me"Cronin3:21
9."Can't Lie to My Heart"Cronin, Diane Warren4:40
10."L.I.A.R."Dave Amato, Cronin, Doughty, Bruce Hall, Bryan Hitt3:09
11."Go for Broke"Amato, Cronin, Hall, Harms3:28

Personnel

REO Speedwagon[5]

Additional performers

  • Jesse Harms – keyboards, backing vocals
  • Steve Forman – percussion
  • Debra Dobkin – backing vocals
  • Beth Hooker – backing vocals
  • Darlene Koldenhoven – backing vocals
  • Janis Liebhart – backing vocals
  • Andrea Robinson – backing vocals
  • Machan Taylor – backing vocals
  • Terry Wood – backing vocals

Production

  • Kevin Cronin – producer
  • Jesse Harms – producer
  • Tom Lord-Alge – producer, recording (3-11), mixing
  • Jim Scott – producer (1, 2), recording (1, 2)
  • Julie Last – assistant engineer (1, 2)
  • Steve Gallagher – assistant engineer (3-11)
  • Mike Tacci – assistant engineer (3-11)
  • Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York).
  • David Coleman – art direction, design
  • Mark Ryden – illustration
  • Dennis Keeley – photography

Charts

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalog #
USA August 1990 Epic Records Stereo Vinyl E-45246
USA 1990 Epic Records Tape ET-45246
USA 1990 Epic Records CD EK45246

References

  1. "The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  2. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 586.
  3. Marlowe, Chris (October 1990). "REO Speedwagon: The Earth, A Small Man, His Dog & A Chicken". Select. No. 4. p. 113.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Albums (Seventh ed.). Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-183-3.
  5. REO Speedwagon — The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken. Sony Music Entertainment. 1990. p. 3.
  6. "Swisscharts.com – REO Speedwagon – The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken". Hung Medien. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
  7. "REO Speedwagon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July, 8 2023.
  8. "Artist Chart History – REO Speedwagon". Billboard charts. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  9. "Song artist 610 - REO Speedwagon". TsorT. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  10. "Top Singles – Volume 52, No. 19, September 22, 1990". RPM. September 22, 1990. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
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