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"157 Riverside Avenue" is a song by REO Speedwagon from their first album, REO Speedwagon, released in 1971. It was written by all five band members at the time, Terry Luttrell, Gary Richrath, Gregg Philbin, Neal Doughty, and Alan Gratzer. The title refers to the Westport, Connecticut address where the band stayed while recording that album.
The song was a standard at the band's live performances for many years. Where the original studio version clocked in at only 3:57, live performances included an extended interlude where lead vocalist Kevin Cronin told a story that led up to a "conversation" between him and lead guitarist Gary Richrath (later Dave Amato) where the guitarist's side consisted of guitar solos while Kevin's side was scat vocals. The version of the song on Live: You Get What You Play For is 7:38 in length and is the one most often played on classic rock radio. An even longer version (12:22) was released on the compilation album A Decade of Rock and Roll: 1970-1980, while a third live version appears on Arch Allies: Live at Riverport.
