Continuing my look at the albums of 1975…
During this installment of Decades, I’ve had the pleasure of diving into the back catalogs of some bands I know but don’t know well. I hoped that would be the case again for Daryl Hall & John Oates and their self-titled fourth studio album. Unfortunately, my predominant reaction to this one was a shrug.
The album starts strong with today’s SOTD, ‘Camellia,’ a single that didn’t catch on but deserved a bigger audience. Then comes ‘Sara Smile,’ a great song with one of the most baffling first lines in pop history (I mean, “Baby hair, with a woman’s eyes,” what?!). And third track ‘Alone Too Long’ is right in the duo’s sweet spot.
It was ‘Sara Smile,’ the third single released, that finally put Hall & Oates on the map, giving them their first Top Ten hit (it made it to #4). A year later, a re-release of modest hit ‘She’s Gone’ would make it to #7 and many #1s followed in the late 70s and early 80s.
As for this album, it goes downhill after those early successes. I found the later songs some combination of dull, annoying, or baffling (a reggae cover of the Starlights’ ‘Soldering’ sounds like a parody).
In fact, the most interesting thing about Daryl Hall & John Oates is its cover art. The record was dubbed “The Silver Album” due to its metallic sheen, and the cover photo finds the duo wearing makeup in Bowie-esque glam rock fashion. The image is certainly incongruous with the blue-eyed soul music contained within.
It would also probably get the record banned in my home state of Florida.
Into the spotlight, one more time
Just in time to play
To one man and an empty table
He was drinking down the pain
All he could say was this lady’s name…
Oh Camellia won’t you take me away
After the show, when the room was empty
No, he wouldn’t go
So I asked him why he called her name
It seems she was some magic one night
With something for his pain
But all she left was a pretty name…
Oh Camellia won’t you take me away
To paradise tropical moon
Don’t you leave me sitting here in Atlanta
Meet Me In Montauk 
I’m not familiar with today’s SOTD, or the rest of this album, but if the album contained nothing but “Sara’s Smile” and “She’s Gone” in a loop, it would be a great record in my mind.
Meanwhile, I’m assuming the real Sara had fine (as in thin, soft) baby-like hair, so not really all that creepy IMO.
‘She’s Gone’ doesn’t appear on this album, so you’d just have to loop ‘Sara Smile’ and her baby hair. 😀
Hall and Oates’ 1973 album, Abandoned Luncheonette (that’s where you’ll find She’s Gone), was their masterpiece, with a majority of strong songs. After that, they would follow a model of albums with one or two great songs and a lot of filler, at least to my ears. Still, you could make a really fun mix out of their best efforts – and I have, in my Spotify!