And speaking as we were yesterday of Live From Daryl's Place, from 2011 please enjoy the charming host and special guest Smokey Robinson and an utterly astounding performance of Smokey's classic "Tears of a Clown."
And now I have a confession.
If you had told me in the 80s that 30 years later I'd be a total Daryl Hall fan, I would have said you were high.
Seriously -- I didn't dislike Hall and Oates, but they just weren't my cup of tea (I used to joke that Michael Bolton was the kind of singer that made you really appreciate Daryl Hall, which was not meant as a compliment).
But for whatever reason, I now think they're the bees fucking knees. Their hits hold up vastly better than most artifacts of their era, for starters. And the video -- sadly out of print -- of them live at the Apollo with David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations is one of the greatest in concert things ever filmed by anybody. (I had a VHS tape of it digitized -- if you want one, be nice to me and I'll dupe you a DVD).
In any event, a certain Shady Dame and I have tickets to see H&O later this year, and I plan to enjoy every minute of the show. Have I mentioned that if you had told me that 30 years ago I would have said that you were high?
Have a great weekend, everybody!
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5 comments:
Great topic: Bands dismissed in their heydays that we now appreciate.
I too was never a Hall & Oates fan, but I did appreciate them, much in the same way I was never a Bill Joel fan, but it's easy -- very easy -- to appreciate him as a songwriter and arranger.
For me two bands that I did NOT care for the first time around are Ten Years After (prior to CRICKLEWOOD GREEN, which is one fine album) and Savoy Brown, Now I say to myself, "Their early albums are pretty good."
And I still pray daily that my early judgments on Bloodrock and Grand Funk Railroad never ever change.
The Beauty on a Backstreet album was the first I had from H&O. Had a Zeppelin-esque tune named Winged Bull that was good.
Their early 80's MTV stuff was exceptional, as was the band the two put together. Loved GE Smith on the guitar.
They're really good singers, both as leads and in harmony with each other. And for those who haven't heard John Oates on many lead vocals, I'd recommend "Possession Obsession", the last track on their 1984 album "BIG BAM BOOM" (the L.P. version of the song, not the crappy single remix).
By the way, John Oates just put out a memoir a few months ago - could be an interesting read.
J. Lag
Not a big Hall and Oates fan. I disagree that their hits have held up well. The early ones yes, the later 80s ones, definitely not. I will say that I happened by their Jazzfest set several years ago with my sisters, who are not fans either and . . . they were terrific. Band super tight, H&O loose and relaxed. They stretched out on several of the hits, which worked much better than you'd think. One of my biggest musical surprises ever. Still hate "Say It Isn't So" and others of that ilk, but they were one of the better shows I saw at Jazzfest that year. I like Daryl's House a lot.
If you have not seen the Diane Birch LADH...do yourself a favor. She channeled the 70's H/O...and her cover of Fall in Philadelphia is the best moments on the show.
And yeah. I feel the same way about Hall and Oates. Their band, harmonies and such are some of the best.
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