Abandoned Luncheonette - Hall & Oates

Joe writes: I've never seen Hall & Oates' second album Abandoned Luncheonette in a "best albums of all time" list, and I used to study these things closely. But I really think it's one of the best albums of all time. I guess Hall & Oates are still primarily associated with the bombast and brazen commerciality of their eighties hits (which I also love). This album has none of that - it is impeccably cool and soulful.

It's produced by Arif Mardin. The musicianship is incredible and the songwriting even more so. The first five songs are flawless, including the only one that's really well known, She's Gone. The album came out in 1973 and it took three years for She's Gone to become a US hit (it reached no. 7 in 1976). It was their first UK hit the same year, although it only reached no. 42 here. Opening track When The Morning Comes is my favourite, so simple and concise, with a lyric full of yearning and intrigue.

When I first wrote about this album, it was only available in the UK on import and there was one track missing from iTunes. Fortunately that has now been remedied.

Hall & Oates - When The Morning Comes:

Hall & Oates - Had I Known You Better Then:



(update of post original from 10/06/08)

Let Your Love Flow

Joe writes: This Bellamy Brothers soft rock classic is on the current Barclaycard advert on British TV (the one with the water slide).

I was surprised to discover no-one has posted this on a Hype Machine blog yet. There is one Bellamy Brothers track on a Hype Machine blog but that gets slagged off. I guess they can't compare to Of Montreal.



If you like Let Your Love Flow, you may love the Abandoned Luncheonette album by Hall & Oates and my favourite Bread track, Guitar Man (another track that is absent from the Hype Machine).