Big Bam Boom is the twelfth studio album by Daryl Hall & John Oates, released by RCA Records late in 1984. It marked the end of one of the most successful album runs by a duo of the 1980s. RCA issued a remastered version in July 2004 with four bonus tracks. The song "Out of Touch" (the first single) was a #1 pop hit, and charted in several other areas (#24 Hot Black Singles, #8 on the Adult Contemporary charts and #1 on the dance charts, #48 in the UK). Another song taken from the album, the Daryl Hall and Janna Allen-penned "Method of Modern Love" reached a high point of #5, and "Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid," reached #18.
Musical styles on the album include Pop, rock, and dance-rock. The album had even more of an electronic, urban feel to it compared to their previous albums, combining their song structure & vocalization with the latest technical advances in recording and playing. The album employed some of the most sophisticated equipment ever used in the recording industry at the time.
Big Bam Boom peaked at No. 5 and sold over three million copies worldwide.
Video Big Bam Boom
Background and recording
The making of Big Bam Boom represented a fresh new musical universe for Daryl Hall & John Oates, it was an experimental crucible of traditional recordings and state of the art, for the time, technologies.
In 1984 analog, or tape, recording was at its zenith, the twenty four track tape recorders enabled artists to record forty-eight tracks simultaneously on two-inch tape, digital recording was a new technology too. The duo opted to record on analog tape rather than the then-new digital multitrack machines. Due to their commercial success, the duo were able to take advantage of the latest musical devices available then, specially the most advanced polyphonic synthesizers like Synclavier and the Fairlight.
With all these innovations in recording techniques there were almost no limitations to become their recordings in a musical statement, the pop duo started to digitally sample everything they record. Bob Clearmountain, one of the producers, and, Mickey Curry, the drummer, recorded various drum sounds, manipulating delays and reverbs to create huge dramatic bottom end that is emblematic of this album and the 80's in general.
Thanks to the new polyphonic synthesizers, the duo experimented with new sounds, for example, recording: Boy Scout canteens, cardboard boxes, vocals, footsteps in gravel, etc., and combined them with the use of newer and more sophisticated drum machines.
Maps Big Bam Boom
Track listing
Promotion
In order to promote the album, the duo embarked the Big Bam Boom Tour - Live Through '85. It was their last major roadtrip together for a Hall & Oates record, they did most of the traveling in a private plane. MTV provided tour date and ticket outlet announcements and the channel's name appeared on all tickets and print advertising, and was tagged on all radio spots. The duo performed a show at The Forum in Inglewood, California on December 17, 1984 with a satellite-delivered live broadcast of the concert, it was aired the next day. The radio broadcast was remastered and released on CD, via music download and streaming in 2015 under the title: The LA Forum - 17 Dec 1984.
Critical reception
In a review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Big Bam Boom "a sprawling and diffuse album" and "a bigger, noiser record than its predecessors, with its rhythms smacking around in an echo chamber and each track built on layers of synthesizers and studio effects". In Erlewine's opinion, it was a disappointment coming after a trio of albums that had very few flaws. Erlewine also criticized the production on the album saying that "it obscures the dark undercurrent to many of the tunes, several of which seem to foreshadow the duo's long hiatus following this record".
Personnel
- Daryl Hall - lead vocals (1-6, 8), backing vocals, synthesizers, electric guitar, vibraphone, arrangements
- John Oates - lead vocals (7, 9), backing vocals, synthesizers, electric guitar, synth guitar, arrangements
- Brian Doyle - electric guitars, harmonica
- Eddie Anderson - Director of Security
- Coati Mundi - Spanish vocals
- Bashiri Johnson - percussion, timbales
- Jimmy Bralower - LinnDrum programming
- Jay Burnett - percussion
- Wells Christy - Synclavier programming
- Mickey Curry - drums
- Anthony Aquilato - keyboard and synth drum technician
- Charles DeChant - saxophone
- Robbie Kilgore - keyboards, synthesizer programming
- Mike Klvana - keyboard technician
- Clive Smith - Fairlight CMI
- G.E. Smith - electric guitar
- Tom "T-Bone" Wolk - synthesizer, bass guitar, electric guitar, arrangements
Production
- Producers: Daryl Hall, John Oates, Bob Clearmountain
- Engineering: Jay Burnett and Bob Clearmountain
- Assistant Engineers: Gary Hellman, Bruce Buchalter and Michael Sauvage
- Mixing: Bob Clearmountain
- "Mix Consultant and Additional Production"; also remixing on tracks #10-13: Arthur Baker
- Editing on tracks #10-13: The Latin Rascals
- Mastering: Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk (New York, NY)
- Art Direction and Artwork: Mick Haggerty
- Cover Photography: Jean Pagliuso
- Inner Photography: Jean Pagliuso and Larry Williams
- Liner Notes: Yuji Muraoka
- Management and Direction: Tommy Mottola
Charts and certifications
The album debuted at number 33 on the Billboard 200 the week of October 27, 1984 as the highest debut of the week, after five weeks it reached and peaked at number five on the chart on December 1, 1984, the album remained on the chart for fifty one weeks and was ranked as the seventeenth most successful album of 1985 on the Billboard 200. Additionally, it reached number twenty five on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart the week of January 12, 1985. By December 1984 the album sold one million copies in the US and it was certified Platinum on December 3, 1984, eventually, it sold another million of copies and it was certified double Platinum by the RIAA on April 1, 1985.
In the United Kingdom the album debuted and peaked at number twenty eight on October 28, 1984 and was present on the chart for thirteen weeks. It was certified Silver by the BPI on February 1, 1985 for shipments of 60,000.
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
Bibliography
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments