Friday, May 8, 2015

"Hall, Oates, Sammy": THE WEEKEND MIX



There seems to be some Hall & Oates activity across the interwebs this week. Our pal Steve posted something over at Power Pop, referencing a piece in Salon where the duo seems to be hated more than Hitler. Our pal ASH posted something, calling the band everyone's "guilty little secret." And I have been enjoying repeat viewings of the season premiere of "Live From Daryl's House," with special guest Sammy Hagar. (Fantastic!)

As I have said in the past, I have never felt guilty about loving Hall & Oates. I might have been embarrassed for Daryl & John as they pranced around in pastels and bad haircuts, mugging for the MTV cameras. But it was those tunes and those videos that turned H&O into the history making hit machine that we all know and love to hate.

I like those hits, some of them anyway. But "I Can't Go For That" and "Maneater" are not why I love Hall & Oates. It was because of all the records prior to 1984's "H20." The MTV years are my least favorite years, though the duo did return in 1990 with "Change Of Season," one of their best and one that sits in my Top 3 favorite H&O records.

So, all that being said, I was in the mood for a mix of the not so obvious from H&O, with a hit or two for good measure and I topped it off with two of the best performances from the LFDH episode with Sammy Hagar.

Hope ya dig it!

TRACKLIST

Abandoned Luncheonette
Looking For A Good Sign
Change Of Season
Head Above Water
Guessing Games
I'm Sorry
I Don't Wanna Lose You
The Woman Comes & Goes
Alone Too Long
Perkiomen
London, Luck & Love
Grounds For Separation
Wait For Me
August Day
So Close (Unplugged)
Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy w/Sammy Hagar
Rock Candy w/Sammy Hagar

zip

11 comments:

tinpot said...

Looking forward to hearing this. Was too up myself to appreciate them 1st time round, but have been impressed by DH on his show. eg he and Chuck Prophet did that "who put the bop..." song and made it sound GREAT. Unbelievable.
Thanks, Sal.

William Repsher said...

I read the Salon piece ... against my better judgment. "Their music doesn't signify anything. There's no subtext, no worldview, no underlying melancholy or creative exuberance - no real connection to the world outside of the song itself."

That pretty much sums up why I got out of paid rock criticism ... mediocre horse's asses like this spouting utter nonsense and thinking they just re-invented the wheel. I didn't even like Hall & Oates back then, but when I heard "Kiss on the List" on the radio ... man, "Heart of Glass" moment, I don't want to admit how much I love this silly pop song. ALL their early 80s stuff was like that.

And earlier stuff like "Sara Smile" and "Rich Girl" were genuinely soulful. Sorry this dude didn't get the memo, but I suspect he didn't get the memo on a lot of other things, too.

I think "You Make My Dreams" was the transitional song for them -- the popiest thing they'd done at that point, nearing the end of a decade, and pointing the direction them and a lot of other artists would be moving in. It's a hard thing for bands to bridge decades, and they certainly did from the 70's to the 80's -- that impresses me now, decades later. Much like U2 bridged the 80s/90s, or the Stones bridged the 60s/70s. That takes a lot more creativity and intelligence than most people will ever grasp. Particularly nudges like the guy in Salon clocking in with his wankery.

A walk in the woods said...

I'm a Hall & Oates fan all the way... this mix looks shweeet! Thanks.

p.s. William, boy do I remember when "Heart Of Glass" came out - it really was a singular pop song, wasn't it? I've only had a few pop radio moments like that - where a song was a pop hit but so genuinely new and compelling in its oddness. Others included Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" (still can't think of a cooler or more ODD top 10 pop hit. ever.) and Prince's "When Doves Cry" and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

Chris Collins said...

this mix is fantastic. Salon be damned!

Anonymous said...

Hall & Oates with Sammy Hagar is like a double dare!

Actually, one of the many things I owe Sal is my appreciation for their early work (H&O's, not Sammy's)...

Another of those weird but glorious pop radio moments for me was hearing Prince's "Kiss," also Blondie's "Rapture." (first time I'd ever heard rap, or "rap"). Wish I was old enough to have stumbled on "Paperback Writer" on KFRC (my old San Francisco top 40 station).

Bruce H

Anonymous said...

Nice mix, Nice to know I still run outside the mainstream.....
Best 2 H&O albums (IMO) would be "Livetime" and "Along the Red Ledge" which would be just before their 'commercial' success I suppose but I can still listen to both from first cut to the last. and I still make "August Day" the centrepiece of my 'Late Summer' Mixtape.

Cheers Obey_Gravity

cmealha said...

Don't understand the backlash against H&O except that maybe all people know are those horrible videos. Sara Smile, August Day, Every Time You Go Away, all the other songs on you list are just a small example of the extraordinary output from these guys. The haters look a few crappy commercial hits with even worse videos and base their opinion on those things. It's like basing you opinion of the Beatles on "I Want to Hold Your Hand". They're so much more and so deserving of being in the RRHOF, even though that honor is getting more and more diluted with each passing year.

KodakGhost said...

Mmmm. Looks like a great selection. looking forward to it on the work commute this week.I would also argue that "Shes Gone", even though very early in the cannon, was a game changer. Interesting chord changes and documenting the minutiae of leaving... " toothbrush hanging in the stand"
and the sparsity of the arrangement before the bombastic stuff later on. Love the Live from Darryls house (some more than others obviously) Rumer and Sara Smile is worth another few views.
Keep up the commentary. It is appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Any day started with "Bebop Drop"
is a day in full motion. Like any artist, some good, some bad, but overall, H&O ain't leavin' my music collection anytime soon

hpunch said...

I've always loved War Babies and Daryl's Sacred Songs. I've cautiously peeked into their catalog of late. I'm shocked how many fantastic album cuts they have. The irritating hits scared me away. Those are the weakest tracks on the records.

Great idea for the mix, and a fine execution.

dogbreath said...

Barring the "hits" I have only a casual acquaintance with the music of H&O but I do like this selection & the last tracks with Hagar work for me. Many thanks for the mix. Plus, for the word captcha thingy, I'm impressed I was able to tell pizza from ice cream to prove I'm not a robot. Today anyway...