Sacred Songs

Daryl Hall's 1977 eclectic solo project with uber-progressive guitar god Robert Fripp was suppressed by RCA until it was eventually released in 1980. And that is too bad, as it is a great album. Hall's vocal chops are on full display here, from the straight-ahead rock of the the opening two numbers to the, beautiful balladeering or "Why Was it So Easy" and "Without Tears" to the punk-rock histrionics of "NYCNY." To me, though, the highlight of this record is almost eight-minute masterpiece "Babs and Babs", a left-brain v right-brain dialog that introduces Fripp's "Frippertronics" tape-loop contraption in the guitar solo. Wierd, spacey and beautiful sonic harmonic convergence adds an ethereal feel to this anthem. The Frippertronics come back in the song's fadeout and continue on through the next cut, "Urban Landscape" before ending in the hard-charging opening of "NYCNY." You will also hear the Frippertronics in the new-agey "The Farther Away I Am" and the hauntingly gorgeous closer "Without Tears." Any casual or hard-core fan of Hall & Oates needs to add this to their collection, now.

This album is part of a trilogy done by Robert Fripp in the late 70's. It consists of Peter Gabriel's 2nd solo album, Sacred Songs and Fripp's own album. Taken together it is one of Progressive Rock's great achievements. This album stands by itself as the best thing Daryl Hall ever recorded. His soul stylings against Fripps soundscapes are nothing short of other worldly. Sacred Songs, welcome back from the dead and into the light of digital recordings.