Arriving just at the end of Hall & Oates' phenomenal streak of success in the early '80s, 3 Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine, Daryl Hall's second solo album, was viewed as the first overture in a solo career but, in retrospect, its kinship with his first solo effort, 1980's Sacred Songs, is apparent.
There is some indication that Hall had to make, or wanted to make, some concessions to bring it onto the charts -- how could he not, he was one of the most popular musicians of his era -- but that's not particularly evident on the tremendous lead single, "Dreamtime," a swirling slice of arty new wave psychedelia that stands in direct contrast to anything Hall & Oates sent into the Top Ten -- it might have belonged on Sacred Songs or X-Static, but it could only have been cut in the mid-'80s when Hall had the freedom to make a record like this.
And this is a result of an artist who is given the freedom to make close to the record that he wants, with a few commercial concessions, plus a desire to make a modern record.
That does mean 3 Hearts is a bit tied to the time, particularly in its production with its clean synths and cavernous drum machines, but that's not necessarily a bad thing since it's primarily of interest as a portrait of where Hall was in 1986.
He's not as insistently melodic as he is with Oates, nor is he as experimental as he was on Sacred Songs, and that does mean that 3 Hearts falls in a middle ground that's a bit neither here nor there. And that means it's not particularly cohesive, but it does have its moments, the brightest of which is "Dreamtime," one of his greatest achievements.
There are other songs here that aren't quite as good, but it does take a bit of searching to find them, particularly because some of the cuts are either failed experiments or just fall flat.
But those moments that do work illustrate that Hall had ambitions that couldn't fit Hall & Oates, and needed an outlet like this, even if he couldn't quite pull it all together all the time.
Side A
A1. Dreamtime - 4:44
A2. Only A Vision - 4:33
A3. I Wasn’t Born Yesterday - 4:21
A4. Someone Like You - 5:32
A5. Next Step - 4:52
Side B
B1. For You - 5:49
B2. Foolish Pride - 3:56
B3. Right As Rain - 4:22
B4. Let It Out - 3:51
B5. What’s Gonna Happen To Us - 5:38
Personnel
- Daryl Hall – lead and backing vocals, guitar, mandolin, keyboards, drum programming
- Ric Morcombe – guitar
- G.E. Smith – guitar
- Jamie West-Oram – guitar
- David A. Stewart – guitar, guitar solo, drum programming
- Robbie McIntosh – guitar, guitar solo
- Robbie Kilgore – keyboards
- Mike Klvana – keyboards, Synclavier programming
- Patrick Seymour – keyboards, E-mu Emulator II sampling
- Stephen Gillifant – E-mu Emulator II sampling
- Tom "T-Bone" Wolk – bass guitar, guitar, mandolin
- Tony Beard – drums, additional percussion
- Michel De La Porte – percussion
- Steve Ferrone – additional percussion
- Olle Romo – additional percussion
- Jimmy Bralower – drum programming
- Manu Guiot – drum programming
- Steve Harvey – drum programming
- Bob Riley – drum programming
- Lenny Pickett – saxophone
- Dick Morrissey – sax solo
- Michael Kamen – string arrangements and conductor
- June Montana – additional backing vocals
- Kate St. John – additional backing vocals
- Bob Geldof – additional backing vocals
- Joni Mitchell – additional backing vocals
Production
- Produced by Daryl Hall, Dave Stewart and T-Bone Wolk; "What's Gonna Happen To Us" produced by Daryl Hall.
- Recorded between October 1985 and May 1986.
- Engineer at Studio de la Grande in Armee, Paris, France – Manu Guiot; assisted by Frederick Defaye and Serge Pauchard.
- Engineer at The Church in Crouch End, London, England – Jon Bavin; assisted by Stephen Gallifent.
- Engineer at Marcus Studios, London – Manu Guiot; assisted by Dick Beetham and Tim Burrell.
- Engineers at Right Track Studios, New York City – Frank Filipetti and Manu Guiot; assisted by Noah Baron and Paul Hamingson.
- Engineer at Electric Lady Studio, New York City – Manu Guiot; assisted by Ken Steiger.
- Mixed by Bob Clearmountain at Electric Lady Studio, except "For You": mixed by Frank Filipetti at Electric Lady; Filipetti was assisted by Ken Steiger.
- Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk (New York City, NY).
- Art Direction and Design – Jeb Brien and Joe Stelmach
- Hand Tinting – Cheryl Winser
- Photography – Paul Elledge
Notes
Release: 1986
Format: LP
Genre: Pop, Rock
Label: RCA Records
Catalog# PL87196
Prijs : €2,99
Vinyl: Users Tracks
Cover: Goed
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