Honestly, if you were hanging out in a suburban basement or a dive bar in 1978, you probably heard this album. You definitely heard the title. It’s one of those weird, eye-rolling puns that somehow stuck to the ribs of pop culture. You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish isn't just a "dad joke" on a record sleeve; it was the moment REO Speedwagon finally figured out how to be rock stars.
Before this record dropped in March '78, the guys from Champaign, Illinois, were basically the ultimate "regional" band. They worked hard. They played every county fair and hockey rink in the Midwest. But they weren't exactly household names in LA or New York. This album changed that. It was their seventh try. Seven! Most bands today get dropped if their second album doesn't go viral on TikTok. REO just kept grinding until they hit the Top 40.
The Joke That Became a Multi-Platinum Legacy
The title is kinda ridiculous. Let's be real. It’s been featured on lists of the "worst" album titles for decades. Even NME and Pitchfork have taken swings at it. But according to Kevin Cronin, the band’s frontman, the label didn't even fight them on it. Epic Records was apparently in a "let the artists be weird" phase.
Cronin heard the punchline at a party. It’s an old Groucho Marx bit, or at least it feels like one. He thought it matched the "outside the box" energy they were feeling in the studio. And he wasn't wrong.
What happened in the studio?
This was the first time Cronin and lead guitarist Gary Richrath took over the producer chairs. They were tired of other people thinning out their sound. They wanted the grit they had on stage to actually show up on the tape.
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- The Lineup Change: This was the debut of Bruce Hall on bass. He replaced Gregg Philbin, and that change brought a certain "thump" that the earlier records lacked.
- The Co-Production: Cronin and Richrath teamed up with Paul Grupp and John Boylan. They recorded in some legendary spots like Sound City in Van Nuys and the Record Plant.
- The Sound: It’s arena rock, but it’s got these weirdly sophisticated layers. You’ve got the Hammond organ, the Moog synthesizer, and then Gary’s absolutely searing guitar solos.
The Tracks That Refuse to Die
If you turn on a classic rock station right now, you have a 50% chance of hearing "Roll with the Changes" within the hour. It’s the ultimate "moving on" anthem. It starts with that driving piano riff—played by Cronin himself, by the way—and then just builds into this gospel-tinged rock explosion.
Then you have "Time for Me to Fly."
Funny enough, neither of these songs was a massive hit when they first came out. "Time for Me to Fly" only hit number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. It took years of FM radio play and movie soundtracks for it to become the monster it is today. You might have seen it recently in Ozark or Cobra Kai. It’s got legs. Kevin wrote it about breaking up with his high school girlfriend. It’s vulnerable, but it still rocks hard enough to play in a stadium.
Why the Cover is So... That
We have to talk about the cover art. Designed by Tom Wilkes, it features a tuning fork stuck into a fish, which is then connected to a piano. It’s literal. It’s surreal. It’s arguably hideous.
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Pitchfork once put it on a list of the worst covers ever. But here’s the thing: you remember it. In a sea of generic 70s rock covers with dudes in bell-bottoms standing in a field, the "Tuna Fish" cover stood out. It was visual branding before people called it that. It told you the band didn't take themselves too seriously, even if the music was tight as hell.
The B-Side Deep Cuts
Most people skip to the hits, but "The Unidentified Flying Tuna Trot" is this wild, boogie-woogie instrumental that shows off how good these guys actually were as players. It’s basically Gary Richrath showing off. Then there's "Say You Love Me or Say Goodnight," the closer. It’s a piano-vs-guitar duel that feels like a bar fight in the best way possible.
The Long-Term Impact
By the time the dust settled, the album was certified 2x Platinum. That’s two million copies in the US alone. It set the stage for Hi Infidelity two years later, which turned them into global icons.
Without the success of You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish, REO Speedwagon might have remained a Midwest footnote. Instead, they became the architects of the power ballad.
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Actionable Takeaways for Rock Fans
If you’re just getting into vintage vinyl or want to understand why your parents still own this record, here’s how to actually appreciate it:
- Listen to the 2013 Rock Candy Remaster: The original vinyl is great, but the Rock Candy reissue actually cleans up some of the muddy mid-tones and includes a massive booklet with rare photos.
- Check out the Basslines: Don't just listen to the guitar. Bruce Hall’s entrance on this album changed the band's pocket. "Lucky for You" has some of his best work.
- Watch the Live Versions: REO was always a live band first. Find the 1978 performance clips. Gary Richrath’s tone on his Les Paul is legendary for a reason—it’s thick, it’s loud, and it’s unapologetic.
- Don't overthink the title: It's a pun. It's supposed to be dumb. Just enjoy the fact that a band called REO Speedwagon (named after a 1915 truck) had the guts to put a fish on their cover and still sell millions of records.
The album isn't perfect. It's messy and loud and the lyrics on the second half get a bit thin. But it has heart. It’s the sound of a band finally finding their lane. You can't tune a fish, but you can definitely listen to this record at maximum volume while driving down a highway with the windows down. That's what it was made for.
To dig deeper into the Gary Richrath era, look for the live recordings from the same year, specifically the ones captured during their 1978 tour, where the "Tuna" tracks really came to life with an aggressive edge the studio couldn't quite contain.