Big Bam Boom

by Daryl Hall & John Oates

Overview

Big Bam Boom is the last of the big Hall & Oates albums, the one that closed their period of greatest commercial success and artistic achievement. Parting from Neil Kernon, their engineer/co-producer for Voices, Private Eyes, and H20, the duo hired Bob Clearmountain as a co-producer and engineer, bringing in hip-hop pioneer Arthur Baker for additional mixing and production, and the change behind the boards is evident on the record. As the title none too subtly implies, this is a bigger, noisier record than its predecessors, with its rhythms smacking around in an echo chamber and each track built on layers of synthesizers and studio effects. Hall & Oates' crack touring band are credited in the liner notes as playing on each track, but this is one of the first mainstream records of the '80s records where it sounds as everything was sequenced and run through a computer -- the sound that came to define the latter half of the decade. There's undeniably interesting things going on in the mix on each of the nine tracks -- frankly, there's too much going on, and the production weighs down many of the songs on this sprawling, diffuse album; it also obscures the dark undercurrent to many of the tunes, several of which seem to foreshadow the duo's long hiatus following this record. Some songs cut through on the strength of their craft, and these are usually the singles: the excellent "Out of Touch," which rivals anything on Private Eyes or Voices; the silly yet engaging "Method of Modern Love"; the haunting "Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid," easily the best ballad on the record; then, the exception to the rule, the hard-rocking "Bank on Your Love," which is one time the production works in the favor of the song, adding muscle instead of diluting its impact. These songs, matched with the ambition of the rest of the record, makes Big Bam Boom an interesting, worthwhile listen, but coming after a trio of records that had very few flaws, it feels like a disappointment, and it was no great surprise that Hall & Oates took a lengthy break a year or so after its release. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	10/11/2019
Label:	Sony Music
UPC:	0190759837412
Rank:	3887

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Daryl Hall & John Oates   Primary Artist
Bashiri Johnson   Timbales,Percussion
Jimmy Bralower   Drums,Linn Drum,Saxophone,Synthesizer
Mickey Curry   Drums
T-Bone Wolk   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Wells Christy   Synclavier,Synthesizer
Coati Mundi   Spanish Vocals
G.E. Smith   Guitar
Jay Burnett   Percussion
John Oates   Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Guitar (Synthesizer)
Robbie Kilgore   Keyboards
Daryl Hall   Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Vibraphone,Synthesizer
Clive Smith   Synthesizer,Fairlight CMI
Charles DeChant   Vocals,Keyboards,Saxophone
Anthony Aquilato   Keyboards,Synthesizer Drums

Technical Credits

Bob Clearmountain   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Janna Allen   Composer
Sandy Allen   Composer
Sara Allen   Composer
Michel Sauvage   Assistant Engineer
Arthur Baker   Composer,Producer,Mixing Consultant
T-Bone Wolk   Arranger
G.E. Smith   Title
Jay Burnett   Engineer
John Oates   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Performer
Robbie Kilgore   Programming,Synthesizer Programming
Daryl Hall   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Performer
Gary Hellman   Assistant Engineer
Tommy Mottola   Direction
Jean Pagliuso   Cover Photo,Inlay Photography
Yuji Muraoka   Liner Notes
Mike Klvana   Keyboard Technician
Mick Haggerty   Artwork,Art Direction,Liner Note Art