Album of the Day

Years before they ruled the charts in the 1980s, Daryl Hall and John Oates cut three longplayers for Atlantic Records in a slightly more introspective vein. The second of these, 1973's ABANDONED LUNCHEONETTE, remains a favorite of the duo; as Oates once put it, “that album was where we learned how songs become records.” Helping show them the way was producer Arif Mardin, who enlisted some of New York's best session players to help cut these nine originals. Writing credits are split evenly, and such gems as “Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)” and the title track show Hall & Oates could dig a little deeper beneath surface pop hooks. Not that there's anything wrong with hooks - “She's Gone” is loaded with them, and eventually reached the Top 10. Today we'll revisit ABANDONED LUNCHEONETTE to celebrate Daryl Hall's birthday.