Big Bam Boom [Original recording reissued][Original recording remastered]

Hall & Oates

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 27, 1996)
• Original Release Date: 1984
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000002WZM
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #230,055 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expanding on the "Rock and Soul" Foundation, December 13, 2004

By	L.A. Scene (Indian Trail, NC USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

By the time 1984 rolled around, Daryl Hall and John Oates clearly had established themselves as one of the premier duos in the history of the Pop Music era. One year earlier (1983), Hall and Oates released a greatest hits collection called "Rock and Soul Part 1". Hall and Oates had always been terrific at integrating the genres of Rock and Soul in their music. "Rock and Soul Part 1" would go on to be a very successful greatest hits collection and almost seemed to be a culmination of their work over the prior decade. Little did we all realize that bigger things were to come - in the order of their album "Big Bam Boom". "Big Bam Boom" would not only be a commercial success, but many long-time critics of Hall and Oates would now come around and give them the critical acclaim that they so much deserved. This acclaim is well justified - this is one terrific collection.

Although "Big Bam Boom" isn't a concept album, there does seem to be a common thread among the music. The music has a very urban sound. This urban sound expands on the Rock and Soul genres. In 1984, "disco music" was almost obsolete. It had been replaced by "Dance" music. Around this time, studio mixing became very common to many Pop sounds. Many of these songs were known as "12 inch Remixes" (because they would often be released on 12 inch vinyl as singles). This allowed many songs, including those that were not traditional "Dance" style songs to be played in Dance Clubs. As a result, traditional Rock starts such as Bruce Springsteen had many of their tunes remixed into a "Dance" style and were now getting airplay in the clubs (Springsteen had "Cover Me" and "Dancing in the Dark remixed). The design of "Big Bam Boom" really seemed to fit nicely with the Dance Remix movement that was going on during this time. The difference is that Hall and Oates manage to create "Dance Ready" songs that expand on the foundation of their Rock and Soul music. Hall and Oates still did some 12 inch remixes of four of the songs (this can be found on the "Big Bam Boom" Remaster edition), but when you listen to "Big Bam Boom" closely you will hear that this is almost overkill - this is because the original versions really fit this "Dance" formula.

The collection starts out with "Dance on Your Knees". This song is has some nice Rock elements (i.e guitar), but you will hear many dance elements as well. This near 90 second tune has a near flawless segue into the monster hit "Out of Touch". One thing you will hear in "Dance On Your Knees" is the Bass influence. Whether it's Bass Guitar or Bass Drums, Hall and Oates make heavy use of a Bass sound throughout this collection. Much of this Bass influence is probably because their Studio Bassist for "Big Bam Boom", T-Bone Wolk played a major role in the arranging of this album. I think this Bass Influence combined with many of the dance elements help contribute to what is an Urban Sound. As for "Out of Touch", this song has the dance elements integrated into what I consider a traditional Rock song. It's a solid song, but it sounds much better when you hear it with the "Dance on Your Knees" intro.

In fact, Songs 2-5 on the collection seem to take a cue from "Out of Touch". This cue is that they are songs built on the a foundation of Rock music and have the dance elements integrated into it. You will also hear lots of Bass Guitar and Bass Drums throughout these tunes. You will hear some R&B influences at times, but the Rock influence is still strong. "Method of Modern Love" is basically a soft rock song. You will hear some R&B, but this is probably more due to the fact that the dance elements have been integrated. "Bank on Your Love" is a very underrated song. This sounds more like a song you'd hear in a Rock club than a traditional dance club. It has a solid Rock and Roll feel, but also listen closely to some elements that give it a slight dance spin. The fifth song "Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid" is probably the best song of the collection. This song like "Method of Modern Love" has an R&B spin, but has Rock roots - the bass elements are alive and well here.

As you move toward the last four songs, this is where you will hear the Soul/R&B edge to Hall and Oates take center stage. There also seem to be some funk elements you will hear in these songs. "Going Thru the Motions" is a song almost ready made for the dance clubs. Yes this song has some nice guitar work from a Rock perspective, but now its the R&B sound being the dominant sound. There are two songs in which John Oates gets to do some lead vocals. I found the Oates lead vocal tracks to be a real treat. These songs are "Cold Dark and Yesterday" and "Possession Obsession" - I rank these two songs as two of the stronger songs. The other remaining track is "All American Girl". Like "Going Thru The Motions", this song seemed almost ready made for the dance clubs. This song took me a while to get into it, but eventually I liked it.

The disappomting thing is that there are no lyrics and little in the way of studio musician and production credits. The songwriting credits and song durations are listed. There is a terrific writeup on the album that also provides a retrospective on Hall and Oates' career by Colin Escott. Overall, I like what Hall and Oates did on this album. They produced a terrific sound - one that they would never match in their subsequent releases. I highly recommend this collection.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best, September 26, 2001

By	R. Toomey (Piscataway, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love this album. I'm so happy that they finally released it on CD. I'll never forget the first time I brought this album. The album deserves a high rating for the track "Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid" alone. What more can I say, each song is great. "Out Of Touch", "Method Of Modern Love", "Possession Obsession" and the latin flavor of "All American Girl" are the standout tracks on the album. Even the two mediocre songs are worth a listen. It's not that "Going Thru The Motions" and "Bank On Your Love" are horrible it's just that they don't stand up to the rest of the tracks. Check out the song "Cold Dark and Yesterday". They could've released it as a single rather than a B-Side. If you're a fan of this album check out Daryl Hall's solo album "3 Hearts In The Happy Ending Machine". I think it should be the continuation of this album.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is What Rock is All About!, March 26, 2000

By	Reginald D. Garrard "the G-man" (Camilla, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I remember when this one came out, I played the "Hades" out of it. This is one of the best albums of the 80's, a perfect blend of rock and rhythm and blues. Hall's voice has never been stronger, and Oates guitar riffs are superb. "Method of Modern Love" had me rocking as I went to work; "Out of Touch" had me "thumping" after I got there; and "Going Thru the Motions" brought me home. The party didn't stop then because the entire album took me through the wee hours of the morning. The new "boy bands" have nothing on this soulful duo. Hall & Oates were, and will forever be, the greatest pair in the rock and roll era!