Sacred Songs
Encyclopedia
Sacred Songs is American singer/songwriter Daryl Hall
's first solo album. It was produced by guitarist Robert Fripp
, who also played on the album.
The album was recorded in 1977 but Hall's label, RCA
, did not release it for three years. According to Nick Tosches
, who wrote Dangerous Dances, the authorized biography of Hall & Oates
, "RCA refused to release Sacred Songs on the grounds that it wasn't commercial." (p 85). When finally released, sales were good, but there was no hit single.
. They had produced several hit pop singles, but Hall had grown to feel artistically limited and in 1977 was much more concerned with expressing his own outlook on life and music than with making more hit songs.
Fripp had dissolved his group King Crimson
in 1974, and after a sabbatical, returned to music with session work and other guest appearances.
According to the notes for the 1999 CD reissue of Sacred Songs, and to Eric Tamm's book-length study of Fripp's music, Hall and Fripp first met in 1974. Already familiar with one another's work, the duo felt an instant rapport, and planned to work together.
In 1977, Hall and Fripp reconnected while Hall was writing songs for his solo debut; Hall quickly drafted Fripp as producer and guitarist. Hall wrote all the songs, except "Urban Landscape," (a Frippertronics
solo), and "NYCNY" for which Fripp wrote the music and Hall the lyrics, and which appeared on Fripp's Exposure with different lyrics as "I May Not Have Had Enough Of Me But I've Had Enough Of You"
Sacred Songs was recorded in a rather short span of three weeks. Most of the songs were initially recorded with Hall singing and playing piano alongside Fripp's guitar work, followed by overdubs by Hall & Oates' regular touring band. Hall insisted on working with his own band rather than with the Los Angeles session musician
s who had played on Bigger Than Both of Us
, the previous Hall & Oates album; though the session players were uniformly excellent musicians, Hall felt their performances were hampered by a disconnectedness from the songs. The album was originally intended to be part of a trilogy of sorts with Robert Fripp's Exposure
and Peter Gabriel's second album.
Sacred Songs is notable as one of the first albums to feature "Frippertronics
", the guitarist's tape loop
system, to create the extended droning, synthesizer-like sounds on several songs.
Outraged, Hall and Fripp passed tapes of Sacred Songs to music journalists and disc jockeys. Tosches notes that a groundswell of interest was generated inside the music profession and from Hall's fans with a letter-writing campaign directed at RCA requesting the album's release (p 85).
Afterwards, Hall recorded vocals for most of the tracks on Fripp's solo debut, Exposure
, however due to pressure from RCA and Hall's management this was cut back to just two songs on the final release ("You Burn Me up I'm a Cigarette" and "North Star"). These are included on some CD versions of Sacred Songs. Nearly thirty years after Hall recorded these songs, most were finally released on the 2006 re-issue of Exposure
by Fripp's Discipline Global Mobile
label. In notes for the 1999 Buddah Records CD reissue, Fripp describes Hall as the best all-around singer he'd ever met and speculates that had Sacred Songs been released as planned in 1977 at the height of the punk rock
zeitgeist
, music fans and critics might have seen Hall not only as a good R&B and pop singer, but rather as a creative innovator comparable to iconic British singer David Bowie
.
Fripp and Hall seriously considered forming a full-time band together (with bassist Tony Levin
and drummer Jerry Marotta
), but plans fell through, and the band Fripp envisioned eventually morphed into the 1980s version of King Crimson.
" as it is sometimes spelled). Rock music author Timothy White interviewed Hall for the book Rock Lives. In that interview Hall indicated that in 1974 he began a serious study of esoteric spirituality reading books on topics like the cabala
, the ancient Celts, and the traditions of the Druids. He also became interested in the life and beliefs of Aleister Crowley
. Crowley coined the concept of Thelema
, magick concerned with harnessing the power of the imagination and willpower to effect changes in consciousness and in the material universe. For example the album track "Without Tears" is based on Crowley's book Magick Without Tears (published in 1973).
Fripp shared similar interests in mysticism; he had studied with John G. Bennett
, a disciple of G. I. Gurdjieff
.
except as noted.
Daryl Hall
Daryl Hall is an American rock, R&B and soul singer, keyboardist, guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of Hall & Oates . Hall scored several Billboard chart hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, and is regarded as one of the best blue eyed soul singers...
's first solo album. It was produced by guitarist Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
, who also played on the album.
The album was recorded in 1977 but Hall's label, RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
, did not release it for three years. According to Nick Tosches
Nick Tosches
Nick Tosches is an American journalist, novelist, biographer, and poet of Albanian and Italian descent.- Life :After different odd-jobs, Tosches started writing with poetry and rock-'n'-roll magazines, including Creem, Fusion, and Rolling Stone.Tosches' second book, a biography of Jerry Lee Lewis...
, who wrote Dangerous Dances, the authorized biography of Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
, "RCA refused to release Sacred Songs on the grounds that it wasn't commercial." (p 85). When finally released, sales were good, but there was no hit single.
Background
In the early 1970s, Hall had formed Hall and Oates, a partnership with guitarist/songwriter John OatesJohn Oates
John William Oates is an American rock, R&B and soul guitarist, musician, songwriter and producer best known as half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates ....
. They had produced several hit pop singles, but Hall had grown to feel artistically limited and in 1977 was much more concerned with expressing his own outlook on life and music than with making more hit songs.
Fripp had dissolved his group King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
in 1974, and after a sabbatical, returned to music with session work and other guest appearances.
According to the notes for the 1999 CD reissue of Sacred Songs, and to Eric Tamm's book-length study of Fripp's music, Hall and Fripp first met in 1974. Already familiar with one another's work, the duo felt an instant rapport, and planned to work together.
In 1977, Hall and Fripp reconnected while Hall was writing songs for his solo debut; Hall quickly drafted Fripp as producer and guitarist. Hall wrote all the songs, except "Urban Landscape," (a Frippertronics
Frippertronics
Frippertronics was a specific tape looping technique used by Robert Fripp. It evolved from a system of tape looping originally developed in the electronic music studios of the early 1960s that was first used by composers Terry Riley and Pauline Oliveros and made popular through its use in ambient...
solo), and "NYCNY" for which Fripp wrote the music and Hall the lyrics, and which appeared on Fripp's Exposure with different lyrics as "I May Not Have Had Enough Of Me But I've Had Enough Of You"
Sacred Songs was recorded in a rather short span of three weeks. Most of the songs were initially recorded with Hall singing and playing piano alongside Fripp's guitar work, followed by overdubs by Hall & Oates' regular touring band. Hall insisted on working with his own band rather than with the Los Angeles session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
s who had played on Bigger Than Both of Us
Bigger Than Both of Us
Bigger Than Both of Us is the fifth album by Daryl Hall and John Oates, released in 1976. The album included the first of their six #1 singles on Billboard's Hot 100, "Rich Girl"...
, the previous Hall & Oates album; though the session players were uniformly excellent musicians, Hall felt their performances were hampered by a disconnectedness from the songs. The album was originally intended to be part of a trilogy of sorts with Robert Fripp's Exposure
Exposure (Robert Fripp album)
-Side two:-2006 bonus disc third edition:-2006 bonus tracks :-Personnel:* Robert Fripp — guitars, Frippertronics* Daryl Hall — vocals on "Preface," "You Burn Me Up," "North Star," "Disengage II," "Chicago" disc two, "New York" disc two, "Exposure" bonus track, "Mary" bonus track; piano on "You Burn...
and Peter Gabriel's second album.
Sacred Songs is notable as one of the first albums to feature "Frippertronics
Frippertronics
Frippertronics was a specific tape looping technique used by Robert Fripp. It evolved from a system of tape looping originally developed in the electronic music studios of the early 1960s that was first used by composers Terry Riley and Pauline Oliveros and made popular through its use in ambient...
", the guitarist's tape loop
Tape loop
In music, tape loops are loops of prerecorded magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound. Contemporary composers such as Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen used tape loops to create phase patterns and rhythms...
system, to create the extended droning, synthesizer-like sounds on several songs.
RCA shelves the album
Very proud of the results, Fripp and Hall gave the album to RCA officials. Though still relatively pop-oriented, Sacred Songs was very different from Hall & Oates, and fearing the album might be unsuccessful and alienate Hall's mainstream fans, the company shelved the record, and release was postponed indefinitely.Outraged, Hall and Fripp passed tapes of Sacred Songs to music journalists and disc jockeys. Tosches notes that a groundswell of interest was generated inside the music profession and from Hall's fans with a letter-writing campaign directed at RCA requesting the album's release (p 85).
Release and afterwards
Upon release, Sacred Songs sold fairly well, peaking at #58 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart; however, there was no hit single from the record. It has since come to be regarded as a high point in the careers of both Hall and Fripp.Afterwards, Hall recorded vocals for most of the tracks on Fripp's solo debut, Exposure
Exposure (Robert Fripp album)
-Side two:-2006 bonus disc third edition:-2006 bonus tracks :-Personnel:* Robert Fripp — guitars, Frippertronics* Daryl Hall — vocals on "Preface," "You Burn Me Up," "North Star," "Disengage II," "Chicago" disc two, "New York" disc two, "Exposure" bonus track, "Mary" bonus track; piano on "You Burn...
, however due to pressure from RCA and Hall's management this was cut back to just two songs on the final release ("You Burn Me up I'm a Cigarette" and "North Star"). These are included on some CD versions of Sacred Songs. Nearly thirty years after Hall recorded these songs, most were finally released on the 2006 re-issue of Exposure
Exposure (Robert Fripp album)
-Side two:-2006 bonus disc third edition:-2006 bonus tracks :-Personnel:* Robert Fripp — guitars, Frippertronics* Daryl Hall — vocals on "Preface," "You Burn Me Up," "North Star," "Disengage II," "Chicago" disc two, "New York" disc two, "Exposure" bonus track, "Mary" bonus track; piano on "You Burn...
by Fripp's Discipline Global Mobile
Discipline Global Mobile
If you were looking for the Italian Prog-Power Metal band, see DGM .Discipline Global Mobile, alias DGM, is a small independent record label company started in 1992 by Robert Fripp of King Crimson. In addition to running a mail-order music shop, it has offered Crimson/Fripp and related live...
label. In notes for the 1999 Buddah Records CD reissue, Fripp describes Hall as the best all-around singer he'd ever met and speculates that had Sacred Songs been released as planned in 1977 at the height of the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
zeitgeist
Zeitgeist
Zeitgeist is "the spirit of the times" or "the spirit of the age."Zeitgeist is the general cultural, intellectual, ethical, spiritual or political climate within a nation or even specific groups, along with the general ambiance, morals, sociocultural direction, and mood associated with an era.The...
, music fans and critics might have seen Hall not only as a good R&B and pop singer, but rather as a creative innovator comparable to iconic British singer David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
.
Fripp and Hall seriously considered forming a full-time band together (with bassist Tony Levin
Tony Levin
Tony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
and drummer Jerry Marotta
Jerry Marotta
Jerry Marotta is a drummer currently residing in Woodstock, New York. He is the brother of Rick Marotta, who is also a well-known drummer and composer....
), but plans fell through, and the band Fripp envisioned eventually morphed into the 1980s version of King Crimson.
Influences
Both the lyrics and musical sounds of Sacred Songs reflected Hall's personal philosophy. The lyrical content alludes to some of Hall's interests in esoteric magic (or "magickMagic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
" as it is sometimes spelled). Rock music author Timothy White interviewed Hall for the book Rock Lives. In that interview Hall indicated that in 1974 he began a serious study of esoteric spirituality reading books on topics like the cabala
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
, the ancient Celts, and the traditions of the Druids. He also became interested in the life and beliefs of Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
. Crowley coined the concept of Thelema
Thelema
Thelema is a religious philosophy that was established, defined and developed by the early 20th century British writer and ceremonial magician, Aleister Crowley. He believed himself to be the prophet of a new age, the Æon of Horus, based upon a religious experience that he had in Egypt in 1904...
, magick concerned with harnessing the power of the imagination and willpower to effect changes in consciousness and in the material universe. For example the album track "Without Tears" is based on Crowley's book Magick Without Tears (published in 1973).
Fripp shared similar interests in mysticism; he had studied with John G. Bennett
John G. Bennett
John Godolphin Bennett, was a British mathematician, scientist, technologist, industrial research director, and author. He is perhaps best known for his many books on psychology and spirituality, and particularly the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff...
, a disciple of G. I. Gurdjieff
G. I. Gurdjieff
George Ivanovich Gurdjieff according to Gurdjieff's principles and instructions, or the "Fourth Way."At one point he described his teaching as "esoteric Christianity."...
.
Track listing
All songs written by Daryl HallDaryl Hall
Daryl Hall is an American rock, R&B and soul singer, keyboardist, guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of Hall & Oates . Hall scored several Billboard chart hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, and is regarded as one of the best blue eyed soul singers...
except as noted.
- "Sacred Songs" – 3:14
- "Something in 4/4 Time" – 4:22
- "Babs and Babs" – 7:41
- "Urban Landscape" (Robert FrippRobert FrippRobert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
) – 2:29 - "NYCNY" (Fripp, Hall) – 4:33
- "The Farther Away I Am" – 2:52
- "Why Was It So Easy" – 5:27
- "Don't Leave Me Alone with Her" – 6:22
- "Survive" – 6:37
- "Without Tears" – 2:47
Bonus tracks
- "You Burn Me up I'm a Cigarette" (Fripp, Hall) – 2:20
- "North Star" (Fripp, Hall, Joanna Walton) – 3:10
Personnel
- Daryl HallDaryl HallDaryl Hall is an American rock, R&B and soul singer, keyboardist, guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of Hall & Oates . Hall scored several Billboard chart hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, and is regarded as one of the best blue eyed soul singers...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, Mandar - Robert FrippRobert FrippRobert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, electronicsFrippertronicsFrippertronics was a specific tape looping technique used by Robert Fripp. It evolved from a system of tape looping originally developed in the electronic music studios of the early 1960s that was first used by composers Terry Riley and Pauline Oliveros and made popular through its use in ambient... - Roger PopeRoger PopeRoger Pope was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1647. He fought in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War....
- drums - Kenny Passarelli - bass guitar
- Caleb QuayeCaleb QuayeCaleb Quaye , is an English Afro-European rock guitarist and studio musician best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s with Elton John, Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney and Hall & Oates...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
Additional personnel
- Charles DeChantCharles DeChantCharles "Mr. Casual" DeChant is the saxophone and keyboard player for the multi-platinum selling recording artists Hall & Oates. He has been playing in the band since its inception in the early 1970s. Notable saxophone solos are heard in "Maneater," "Say It Isn't So," and "I Can't Go for That ."...
- saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, backing vocals on "Something in 4/4 Time" - David Kent - backing vocals on "Something in 4/4 Time"
- Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
- synthesizer on "North Star" - Phil CollinsPhil CollinsPhilip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
on "North Star" - Tony LevinTony LevinTony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
on "North Star" and "You Burn Me Up I'm A Cigarette" - Jerry MarottaJerry MarottaJerry Marotta is a drummer currently residing in Woodstock, New York. He is the brother of Rick Marotta, who is also a well-known drummer and composer....
- Drums on "You Burn Me Up I'm A Cigarette" - Sid McGinnisSid McGinnisSid McGinnis is an American musician and guitarist, best known for his work on the CBS Television show, Late Show with David Letterman, as part of the CBS Orchestra....
-- pedal steel guitar on "North Star"
Production
- Produced & Mastered By Robert Fripp
- Reissue Producer: Mike Ragogna
- Engineered By Ed Sprigg
- Assistant Engineer: Ted Spencer
- Project Coordinators: Arlessa Barnes, Lisa Butler, Glenn Delgado, Christina DeSimone, Robin Diamond, Felicia Gearhart, Laura Gregory, Jeremy Holiday, Robin Manning, Ed Osborne, Larry Parra, Bruce Pollock, Dana Renert, Catherine Seligman, Steve Strauss
Album
| Year | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Billboard Pop Albums Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
58 |