Hall & Oates - War Babies

OK Reissue of a Great Album

This is a truly special album; a far more adventurous work (both musically and lyrically) than one would normally expect from Hall and Oates. It's a concept album of sorts that follows a musician's rise and fall (or rather, fall and rise, as the narrative intriguingly seems to move in reverse) and the lyrics are constantly surprising, decadent and perceptive... not a cliche to be found. Although the tunes were primarily written by Daryl Hall, the music nonetheless bears the unmistakeable stamp of producer Todd Rundgren. Chronologically, I believe the album fits between "Todd" and the first Utopia album and it sounds very much like a link in that sonic chain -- for fans of Todd's work, especially the spacey-progressive-rock-funk vibe that prevailed during this era of Todd's career, "War Babies" is essential listening. It is also recommended to more conservative Hall and Oates' fans looking to dig a little deeper and to fans of experimental 70s pop in general.

The reissue is, to be diplomatic, more or less adequate. Sound-wise, it's not exactly a revelation, but those familiar with the vinyl or with Todd's production style at the time will not be horrified by the remastering job. The packaging, on the other hand, is pretty lackluster. Given the bare-bones treatment Wounded Bird releases seem to receive, I wasn't exactly expecting "Deluxe Edition" treatment with an essay, photos, interviews, etc., but I AM surprised that they didn't bother to include the lyrics that came with the original album. On the plus side, the back cover and inner sleeve photo have been nicely reproduced. They didn't even do THAT with the import, so thank god for small favors, eh?

At any rate, the bottom line is: for those who don't already own the import and who don't care so much about packaging, this reissue is fine (though a bit overpriced). It's great to have such a wonderful album available domestically at all, right? Those looking to replace the earlier cd release should maybe pass on this one; it hardly qualifies as an upgrade. For those of us who were waiting for a spectacular-sounding remaster with stellar packaging this overlooked gem deserves... well, unfortunately, we'll have to keep waiting. April 11, 2008

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