This morning, my Ipod was shuffling away, and hit on some Hall and Oates. That made me think of the Hall and Oates playlist that I had made for the Ipod, and I quickly navigated towards it.
Within that playlist is one of my all-time favorite musical segues that happens in the opening moments of the 1984 Hall and Oates release Big Bam Boom.
Big Bam Boom opens with an opening sequence that pays a bit of musical homage to Grandmaster Flash’s “White Lines.” Appropriately titled “Dance On Your Knees,” the track slips seamlessly into “Out of Touch,” and before you even realize that you’re into the second track, you’re off and rolling through one of the more musically adventurous Hall and Oates releases of the 80s.
Dance On Your Knees/Out of Touch
And how can you not dig this video?
Hall and Oates - Out of Touch
With the above video, Hall and Oates made an impression with me that was further intensified by the band’s concert performance at Liberty Park in Jersey City, NJ on July 4th, 1985, several days before their performance at Live Aid. As I recall, the full show was broadcast live by HBO, subsequently released on VHS(long out of print,) and unfortunately is not available on DVD.
On my wish list of things that I wish would come out on DVD, The Liberty Concert is smack at the top of the list.
I can summarize Hall and Oates in 22 tracks. Grab the Looking Back import compilation, add the live version of “Wait for Me” and “Say it Isn’t So” from Rock and Soul, and throw in “Dance On Your Knees/Out of Touch,” “Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid,” and “Possession Obsession,” from Big Bam Boom, and you’re done!
And while you’re at it, grab the audio from The Liberty Concert below - as Hall and Oates live shows go, this one is one of the better ones.
Speaking of good live stuff from Hall and Oates, “Acoustic Power” - remember those words.
We’ll get to that.
Hall and Oates
The Liberty Concert
Liberty Park
Jersey City, New Jersey
7/4/85
Track List:
Dance On Your Knees / Out of Touch
Family Man
Rich Girl
Say It Isn’t So
You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling
Method of Modern Love
Maneater
Adult Education
You Make My Dreams Come True
Hot Fun in the Summertime
Kiss On My List
I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)
Private Eyes
Relevant Links:
Hall and Oates official website
Purchase - Daryl Hall and John Oates - Looking Back from Amazon - CD
Purchase - Hall and Oates - Big Bam Boom (with bonus tracks) from Amazon - CD or MP3
Purchase - Hall and Oates - Rock and Soul Part One (with bonus tracks) from Amazon - CD or MP3
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5 responses so far ↓
1 Ann // Jul 20, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Matt shoots he scores! I was in my mid-20’s when H2O were big, and loved, loved, loved their stuff. When I hear stuff like this, I’m 20 again, if only for a few minutes.
Thanks, Matt. I needed to be 25 tonight.
2 Dan // Jul 21, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I was at that Liberty Concert show. It was hot as a motherfucker. I went with a girlfriend, who I treated like crap (at the concert and generally), and now have regretted it for over 20 years.
3 Matt Wardlaw // Jul 21, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Ann - we all have those moments where we need to go back a little bit….that’s why I started this blog - to have a place to do just that….and of course put down thoughts about the present as well!
The H2O album was one of my early album purchases, on cassette - listened to it from side one to side two, back to side one, over and over again!
Dan - I always LOVE reading comments like this, and stories from people that were at a famous show. I can remember watching the broadcast, and it looked like a scorcher for sure, even on television!
As for the girlfriend - sorry to hear that. I think we have times (not necessarily girlfriend related) in general that we wish we could rewind and redo. It makes us human, for sure.
Thanks for stopping by!
4 Dave Nardone // Nov 18, 2008 at 7:17 pm
As I understand it, the HBO special was just a one hour excerpt from this show… they broadcast the entire concert (3+ hours) on radio that day. Would love to hear all the OTHER stuff they played that night!
5 Matt Wardlaw // Nov 18, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Dave - wow…..well, my next Hall and Oates post might interest you and others that want more more more…I’m planning to put it online in the next day or so.
I might have to hunt around for that full 3 hour broadcast….I would love to hear everything else, as well!
This is the only thing I’ve ever seen….but I do definitely remember the live nationwide broadcast you are talking about….I think it even might have been sent out to some radio stations on vinyl for later broadcast…
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