Hall and Oates -- towers of strength or mullet meatheads?

They were dead good fun when I was about 10. Until I saw the light and discovered Duran Duran and Bowie, I mean, clearly... ;-)

I don't quite understand why I always seem to underestimate them. I've heard about 5 or 6 stellar and rather unknown songs by them in a row, culled from who knows where in their career. "The Sky Is Falling" is a fantastic statement on global warming, I think, even if it wasn't written with that in mind.

I should have gone to see them when they played here somewhat recently. Hindsight 20/20.

Hahahah just listen to "Kerry" and think of John Kerry. Hahahahahaha.

"Oh Kerry! You can carry on! Just don't get carried away! Watch it now, K.!..."

Awesome. Much love, Bimble.

And love to you, too, Alfred! That video is a treat.

I didn't know G.E. Smith played drums too!

I knew it! I kept thinking, "It can't be. He makes too many funny, serious wanking faces while playing gee-tar to concentrate on drums."

Hahahah. You are not wrong!

The other drummer was supposed to be T-Bone Wolk, but he couldn't make the gig so they got another second drummer.

I only really like "She's Gone." but that's a good one.

You don't like "Rich Girl"? What a great song. But neither it nor "She's Gone" sound much like H & O's mega-hits from the mid-80s.

I'm overall smitten right now with their albums from '77 & '78. I want both of those right now, vinyl or CD, whatever.

I'm overall smitten right now with their albums from '77 & '78. I want both of those right now, vinyl or CD, whatever.

OK, You ILXor Hall & Oates Lovin' Motherfuckers, Tell Me All About Their Relatively Obscure 1977-1979 Releases

i just listened to abandoned luncheonette today, shit is so awes...

picked up Rock 'N Soul Party (basically a greatest hits thru '83) for a buck and I'm pretty thrilled. Super bonus: a tri-fold 1984 calendar (more of a poster, really) superimposed over their 12 studio album covers up to that point. I always forget how many freakin' records these guys put out. Also, they had some truly hideous covers!

"Did It In A Minute" is my favourite song in the whole world right now.

"United State" from Voices is doing it for me right now. Ridiculous lyrics, but a solid power pop tune.

Weird! I've been listening to "You Make My Dreams Come True" over and over since I saw it in a Kevin Kline movie. It's the perfect "step up and own the dancefloor"-track.

"Big Kids" is great .

Paul is (as I said in another thread) reviewing the new Stereo MCs album,

-- masonic boom, Wednesday, 6 June 2001 00:00 (6 years ago) Bookmark Link

Well, that's what he told you.

I'd almost go as far to suggest that anyone who says he/she doesn't like a single song of H&O's is full of shit.

My fave = "Adult Education."

totally underrated songwriters.

I saw them live last night in L.A. at a rather small club. They said they played there the first time they ever played L.A. Did a couple of songs from Abandoned Luncheonette they'd never played live before. Daryl said he didn't know why they never played these songs live before. I'm talking about "When The Morning Comes" and "Had I Known You Better Then".

But what really flipped me out of my skull was that they started the show with "Everything Your Heart Desires" which was so terribly significant for me when I was first getting into them and I had put it at the start of my custom-made Hall & Oates compilation.

I mean out of all the songs they could have started with...I was spooked.

Sounds cool! How did "Everything..." sound?

is it just me or is flight of the conchords' part time model based on I'm Just a Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like a Man)?

FYI: The latest Lefsetz Letter is all about them.

Bimble & Lefsetz fighting the good fight

Well, about a year ago I made a claim here that I was gonna try to listen to all their albums at least once. Well, their late 80's - 2003 albums left me so bored and disappointed that I gave up on them entirely and thereby missed a few of their albums. I still haven't heard "Home For Christmas" (Christmas songs? Blech) or "Our Kind of Soul" (covers) but I can't say the prospect of either of these keeps me awake at night.

The other album I missed was 1997's "Marigold Sky", though I'd heard a few songs from it. And wouldn't you know it turns out to be the ONLY album I like of them past 1982's H20? The only reason I got around to finally listening to it was because I was deep cleaning my apartment and found it under a pile of CD's (I never had a proper CD case for it, someone sold it to me without the case, believe it or not).

I really really love "Sara Smile."

What would you say are their most rock-like songs?

What would you say are their most rock-like songs?

Adult Education or Family Man, maybe (at least among their singles).

Define "rock."

Include "You Make My Dreams," "How Does it Feel To Be Back?", and Hall's solo "Dreamtime."

Define "rock."

Include "You Make My Dreams" . . . .

Yeah, that's fair. I thought about that one, but decided it was more "pop," than "rock," if that's not a false dichotomy.

I love this.

Is there a greater music video than You make my dreams come true? I find that hard to believe

I played Sarah Smile this week.

their actions in the YMMDCT music video looks like they're impersonating muppets.

i just listened to abandoned luncheonette today, shit is so awes...

― 69, Sunday, October 21, 2007 7:52 AM (8 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

My EMP paper and H&O panel proposal got accepted. I'll join Stephen Thomas Erlewine and Thomas Inskeep.

Kudos!

They're basically indistinguishable from the NY Dolls in this video, and I'm not kidding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6MVlSeaWEE

“Can’t Go” is such bliss

Let's rank their top forty hits.

It's interesting reading those sheepish, heavily-qualified posts from 2001, because it feels like we've come so far since then.

Surely they're not still underrated, are they?

half of the ILM H&O threads consist of gruesome apologias.

I think maybe the advent of a younger generation of critics has helped too? Idk

Free pass forever for Sacred Songs alone afaic

"It's interesting reading those sheepish, heavily-qualified posts from 2001, because it feels like we've come so far since then.

Surely they're not still underrated, are they?"

That was my first thought too. In 2001 it was probably more fashionable to confess to a penchant for snuff movies than to admit you liked Hall & Oates, Toto, Michael McDonald et al.