Customer Reviews

H2o

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

BMG has done a good job in its reissue of one of Hall and Oates's best albums -- the collection that yielded the classics "Maneater" and "One On One."

The remaster enhances the already-high quality of the 1982 RCA set's production, which had seen the duo taking a step up in terms of technology while still focusing on songcraft.

Listen for the remixes too, including the explosive "Family Man" 12-incher and the potent reworking of "One On One," both from 1982.

The additional liner notes by Ken Sharp nicely weave in quotes from mostly new interviews with Hall, Oates and co-producer Neil Kernon. It also nicely reproduces much of the liner art of the original 1982 album.

Well, here's your answer: The Japanese win. Hands down. Big time.

To start off, I compared the album tracks of the 2004 U.S. remastered versions of VOICES, H20 & BIG BAM BOOM against the limited edition, Japanese, K2 remastered, album mini-LP-sleeve replication versions of the same titles. Then I compared the bonus track remixes on each U.S. remaster to their counterparts on the Japanese-only 12-INCH COLLECTION, VOLUMES 1 & 2.

I cannot attest if the difference between the two remastering results are a result of:

1.) The K2 process being more robust than whatever mastering equipment was used (at Sony Studios in NYC) for the U.S. versions
2.) Whether the Japanese utilized source material closer to the original masters than the U.S. versions, or
3.) If the Japanese engineering was just better, or they took more time & care, than their U.S. counterparts.

Whatever the case may be, the K2 albums, and the two Japanese remix Collections, blow the U.S. versions out of the building. There is more of everything: More gain, bigger soundstage, more definition and, oh yeah, baby, more bottom end. The remixes on the U.S. versions are adequate; on the Japanese COLLECTION CD's, they THUNDER.

The three U.S. titles have nine additional remix tracks. All of these tracks appear on the two Japanese COLLECTION titles. All of the sonic accolades I attributed to the individual K2 album remasters apply to these two CDs also.

The bottom line? If you're a fan of the band, you have the cash and some above-average gear, the K2's and the dual-remix CD's are the ticket. While the entire RCA H&O catalog is available on the limited edition K2's (with the nice mini-LP sleeves), there would be some serious moolah required to acquire the full set. I consider the 3 titles mentioned here to be their best overall work from that period, so I opted for just those.

I'm currently piling thru all of the "Hits" packages from recent years to determine which has the best audio. It will be interesting to run the 2004 "Ultimate" set against the new "Essential" package.

WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?

Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.

Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, anything contained in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and/or die cuts, are precisely replicated and included. An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.

Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.

Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.

All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.

I originally bought this album on the original 16 bit cd years ago just for the track "Family Man" cuz at the time it wasn't availble on any H&O G/H album & also becuz it is my all time fav H&O track. I also really enjoyed the timeless "One on One" which is one of the best ballads ever and "Maneater" which has one of the most unforgettable bass lines in music history. So I was pretty happy just getting those 3 great tracks. But after the first listen, I quickly realized that there were several more hidden gems to be found here. One of them - "Crime Pays" which probably could've been a hit single, has a terrific robotic sound to it & it fully utilizes the drum machine & synthesizer giving it an extremely catchy dance beat. Definitely a product of it's time but that's what makes it so great. Another track that could've been a single is "Guessing Games". It's light & bouncy & one of those songs that you'll find yourself humming later on. Other great tracks here are the playful "Italian girls" which was sung by John Oates and Daryl Hall's soulful vocals really shine on "Delayed Reaction". Daryl also sings the very catchy & melancholy mid-tempo number "Go Solo" which is also a highlight on the album. The rest of the album isn't quite as memorable as the aforementioned tracks but it isn't bad either. If you're a big fan of these guys, you owe it to yourself to check out H2O cuz there really is not one bad track to be found here. Definitely one of their very best albums.

As far as the re-mastering goes, it is exceptional & has breathed a whole new life into this album. Unlike some cd's where the sound is basically just louder but sounds exactly like the older version, you can tell that these H&O re-masters are much improved. There is much more bass, more clarity on the higher end & they also have a much fuller sound as well. So if your an older fan like me & are hesitant to buy this album twice (Like I did), I highly recommend that you take the plunge cuz I promise you, you won't regret it. It sounds fantastic.

Hall & Oates were on a roll by 1982's H2o album. "Voices" provided a creative and commercial resurgence, "Private Eyes" may have been their best album to date, and H20 leads off with one of the duo's all time great singles, the Motown inflected "Maneater." They followed that with the seductive, soulful "One On One," and pushed themselves on an arty, edgy cover of Michael Oldfield's "Family Man." The album exudes confidence and hit-making professionalism, and deservedly peaked at number three on its release.

For the most part, is still holds up. The singles are still the strongest things on the album; at this juncture, Hall & Oates had their finger on the magic motherlode of hit crafting. They were also tapping into just enough of the new wave zeitgeist to keep the songs from teetering into pablum, with the tension of "Crime Pays" and the biting "Go Solo" being as strong as any of the hits. But fatigue is beginning to show, with John Oates' "Italian Girls" being too silly for its own good, and both "Guessing Games" and "At Tension" sounding more than a little like filler. As for Hall, never one to sheath his misogynistic streak, "Open All Night" is less than flattering.

But once you tally in the singles, the album's rating tilts up. The re-issue ups the ante by offering the dance mixes of "Maneater" and "Family Man," along with an expanded mix of "One on One." Daryl Hall and John Oates were riding an express that had a couple more great albums in them, and "H20" comes out of a period where their reach was still grasping everything they were aiming for.

The kings of blue-eyed caucasian soul were at the height of their popularity when they produced "H2O" in '82. As far as listenability, this is one of their strongest records, but re-listens gradually shave off some of the glam to reveal watered-down, disruptive gloom. "Maneater," which might be too sexist even for a battle-of-the-sexes piece, is mighty good, as is their ridiculously fresh cover of Mike Oldfield's "Family Man." The structure of "Open All Night" is superb, and it makes an uninteresting concept that's lost its appeal after being used two thousand times seem pretty catchy again. But whereas most of their older songs seemed to be intended for a specific person, this collection seems too broadly-directed to work as well as it should. The crown jewel is "One on One," which is flawlessly produced, straight to the point, and delicious.

I would buy this album just for the hard to find masterpeices: Guessing Games, Go Solo, and Italian Girls. Those songs should have been famous. The chord changes are amazing.

This is one of the 3 best Hall and Oates albums to date! MANEATER, ONE ON ONE and FAMILY MAN were all hits from this CD but OPEN ALL NIGHT, ITALIAN GIRLS and GO SOLO were never released as singles but should have been!!! Even the other tracks are good on this set of tunes. I highly recommend this album, H2O to everyone who is a true fan.

My absolute favorite Hall and Oates album of all time. I love the remixes of One on One, Maneater, and Family Man. A little known song on the CD is also a favorite of mine, At Tension, which is sung by Oates.

A must have for true Hall and Oates fans!!

Great music ,sounds much better on studio then on live show.After hearing H20 for over 20 years,it is defentially one of my favorites.

I don't know about this one

You might be better served by a compilation. Very Best of Hall and Oates is very good, though (curiously) it leaves off Shes Gone. WTF?

Italian Girls, One on One, Family Man - these are all very good songs. The first is one of Oates best songs and a live favorite

Faccia bella cara mia!

Not too much here though, if you want classic Hall and Oates. Its better than Do It For Love (which just has the title track to recommend it). Slightly better than the Rundgren produced War Babies

Try to find a compilation with Italian Girls though, cos that tracks a lotta fun!