Daryl Hall - Sacred Songs

If there was ever an example of people just not getting it, Sacred Songs is it.

Daryl Hall, fearing that his artistic abilities were being smothered by his success with John Oates, decided to record an album on his own. After bumping into his friend, Robert Fripp, it was decided that Fripp would produce the album and off they went. A lot of people were understandably confused regarding what to expect of a supposed Hall & Fripp album. On the surface it certainly sounds like Hall & Oates but once you listen a little closer the differences start to show. Lyrics about two women named Babs that might be the same person, songs about life as business and vice versa, truly mature songs about how perplexing love is, mentions of magick, all backed with Fripp's guitar and fascinating production skills, it becomes clear that this is certainly not a Hall & Oates album.

Daryl Hall wrote all the songs but two, the Frippertronics solo Urban Landscape and NYCNY, a kind of progressive punk ode to New York with music written by Fripp and lyrics by Hall. The songs all have a semi-serious, sober vibe about them although the production is concise and filled with fun little touches throughout. Babs and Babs shifts into a Frippertronics chill-out mid-way through only to flip back into the proper song full throttle and end with a meeting of both worlds. Don't Leave Me Alone With Her fades all the way out only to come right back and keep chugging away. NYCNY ends with what sounds like a locked groove or a skip on a record, only to have someone lift the tone arm, all completely audible on the recording.

Due in part to Hall's then label, RCA, and manager Tommy Mottola (of Sony fame), the album was denied release due to fears it was uncommercial. Hall and Fripp's reaction was to share copies of the album with dj's, writers and fans in a push to get the word out. The album finally saw the light of day in 1980 and didn't sell badly, but the label didn't support it or release any singles, damning it to obscurity. As bad as that is, what's worse is the debacle that followed with Fripp's first solo album, Exposure. Hall contributed vocals to eight of that album's songs but Mottola again decided to butt in. This time he told Fripp that he would only allow two of Hall's vocals to appear on the album unless the album was credited to Hall & Fripp and released on RCA. Fripp kept two Hall vocals and had the rest re-recorded by other performers, although versions of most of Hall's performances for the album have been released as of 2006 via Fripp's own DGM label on a two disc reissue of Exposure.

Sacred Songs did see a CD reissue with Hall's two contributions to the initial release of Exposure added as bonus tracks, but that has gone out of print and the album is unavailable even as a digital purchase, so I'm featuring it here today for download. The best thing I can tell you to expect is more than you probably do. It's poppy enough you might be able to slip some of the songs on soft rock radio but this is not a pop album in the normal sense. It's also not a Hall & Fripp or Fripp & Hall album. Fripp's contributions are great and can be heard and felt throughout, but Hall is the main attraction. This is a really great record that has been forced to languish in obscurity, and that's truly unfortunate. I hope you give it a chance, you might be just as surprised by how great it is as I was, and you might find it stuck on repeat just as I have.


Daryl Hall - Sacred Songs

01 Sacred Songs
02 Something In 4/4 Time
03 Babs and Babs
04 Urban Landscape
05 NYCNY
06 The Farther Away I Am
07 Why Was It So Easy
08 Don't Leave Me Alone With Her
09 Survive
10 Without Tears