Hall & Oates - War Babies

Released - November 1974

Genre - Rock

Producer - Todd Rundgren

Selected Personnel - Daryl Hall (Vocals/Synthesiser/Guitar); John Oates (Vocals/Synthesiser/Guitar); Todd Rundgren (Guitar/Backing Vocals); Richie Cerniglia (Guitar); Tommy Mottola (Synthesiser); John Siegler (Bass); John Wilcox (Drums)

Standout Track - Is It A Star?

Well, after my various diversions and forays back into years I'd already explored on this blog, we're back to 1974, and conveniently enough, with an album that follows on neatly from the last one I posted about. Hall & Oates' War Babies is a record that saw the blue-eyed soul duo moving in a very different direction in a move that risked alienating their existing fans. "She's Gone" had yet to become the hit that would truly introduce them to a broader audience, meaning all they had was a small cult following who enjoyed their pop-inflected take on soul music, and one who were probably slightly baffled by this art rock offering. It's a genuinely unique object within the Hall & Oates catalogue, bearing little resemblance to their earlier soul albums or their later synth-oriented pop hits. As a big rock fan, I've no problem with the duo exploring different musical territory, and they ably prove themselves as capable art rock musicians in their own right while still retaining their impeccable and stylish ability to write an immediately catchy melody. It might be a little unusual for people familiar with the duo's other work, but it's an undeniably great little album.

It's easy to lay a lot of the credit (or blame) for the album's change of approach at the door of producer Todd Rundgren. Having worked with soul legend Arif Mardin on Abandoned Luncheonette, Hall & Oates chose instead to work with Rundgren, who had recently released the prog-influenced A Wizard, A True Star. As a more off-kilter rockstar, Rundgren undoubtedly had a big influence on the finished sound of War Babies, though whether all the credit should go his way or whether Hall & Oates were already self-consciously angling towards this kind of direction already is impossible to say. Rundgren certainly makes his presence felt throughout with a number of fearsome and dizzyingly acrobatic guitar solos across the length of the record, most notably on "Is It A Star?" and "Screaming Through December," and a guitar solo is a rare thing to hear on a Hall & Oates record. As such, he's frequently more noticeable than John Oates himself, who is frequently relegated to a session player here. It's a role he would increasingly find himself settling into over the years as Daryl Hall became ever more prominent in their recorded output, but here Oates has compositional input into only three of the album's songs, with Hall taking nearly all the lead vocal duties and Oates presumably just skulking around in the background playing the odd rhythm guitar part.

It would be a real shame, and a real downer on the album as a whole if it weren't for Hall's impeccable talent. Oates's songs ("Can't Stop The Music (He Played It Much Too Long)" being his only solo writing credit, and "Is It A Star?" and "Johnny Gore And The C Eaters" co-written with Hall) may be among the album's best ("Is It A Star?", in particular, is a great rock song, propelled by its locomotive percussion and boasting a great solo from Rundgren), but even outside of those Hall's songwriting is typically great. "Beanie G And The Rose Tattoo" is a vicious, moody rock song and "70's Scenario" is one of the most dramatic and impassioned songs he ever wrote, with Rundgren's arrangements swirling around Hall's piano and declamatory vocals. It's not a total departure, either, with songs like "You're Much Too Soon" recalling some of the more Philly soul-oriented stuff of their earlier albums.

In its second half things get slightly less consistent and reliably entertaining - "War Baby Son Of Zorro" is good fun, but "I'm Watching You (A Mutant Romance)" and "Better Watch Your Back" are both fairly by-the-numbers and forgettable pop songs, while "Screaming Through December" is one of the biggest missteps in Hall & Oates' career. While the subtle influence of Rundgren skewing the arrangements of these pop songs into art rock territory generally works across the album, the middle section of "Screaming Through December" sees the whole song descending into a kaleidoscopic, psychedelic freakout that just doesn't sit right with any of the rest of the album, while even the bulk of the song itself is fairly maudlin and uninspiring. Thankfully, the great "Johnny Gore And The C Eaters," seeing Oates returning to songwriting duties, finishes things off in fine style as a prime piece of pop rock.

If War Babies represented a conscious attempt by the duo to vary up their sound in the hope of winning over a wider audience, it was sadly a doomed effort as it again failed to chart highly or achieve any big singles, and they quickly reverted to their blue-eyed soul origins for the next album, simply titled Daryl Hall & John Oates, which would again restore Oates to co-headlining status. Success was then only just round the corner for them, and the art rock experimentation of War Babies was consigned to history, but it's a hugely enjoyable album that serves as further demonstration of just how diverse and interesting they could be as musicians despite their legacy as fairly shallow mainstream popstars.

Track Listing:

All songs written by Daryl Hall except where noted.

1. Can't Stop The Music (He Played It Much Too Long) (John Oates)

2. Is It A Star? (Daryl Hall & John Oates)

3. Beanie G And The Rose Tattoo

4. You're Much Too Soon

5. 70's Scenario

6. War Baby Son Of Zorro

7. I'm Watching You (A Mutant Romance)
8. Better Watch Your Back

9. Screaming Through December

10. Johnny Gore And The C Eaters (Daryl Hall & John Oates)