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{{short description|1973 studio album by Hall & Oates}}
{{italic title}}
{{italic title}}
{{use American English|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox album | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
| Name = Abandoned Luncheonette
{{Infobox album
| Type = studio
| Artist = [[Hall & Oates]]
| name = Abandoned Luncheonette
| Cover = Hall_Oates_Luncheonette.jpg
| type = studio
| Released = November 3, 1973
| artist = [[Daryl Hall & John Oates]]
| cover = Hall and Oates, Abandoned Luncheonette (1973).png
| Recorded = 1973
| alt =
| Genre = [[Soft rock]], [[Blue-eyed soul]], [[Folk rock]]
| Length = 36:42
| released = November 1973
| recorded = 1973
| Label = [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]
| studio = [[Atlantic Studios|Atlantic Recording Studios]] {{small|(New York City, NY)}} <br/> Advantage Sound Studios {{small|(New York City, NY)}}
| Producer = [[Arif Mardin]]
| genre = {{hlist|[[Pop rock]]<ref name= "AllMusic"/>|[[Soul music|soul]]<ref name= "AllMusic"/>}}
| Last album = ''[[Whole Oats]]'' <br/>(1972)
| length = 36:54
| This album = '''''Abandoned Luncheonette''''' <br/>(1973)
| label = [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]
| Next album = ''[[War Babies (Hall & Oates album)|War Babies]]'' <br/>(1974)
| producer = [[Arif Mardin]]
| prev_title = [[Whole Oats]]
| prev_year = 1972
| next_title = [[War Babies (Hall & Oates album)|War Babies]]
| next_year = 1974
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Abandoned Luncheonette
| type = [[Album]]
| single1 = [[She's Gone (Hall & Oates song)|She's Gone]]
| single1date = November 1973<ref>{{cite web |title=She's Gone / I'm Just A Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like A Man - Daryl Hall And John Oates |url=http://www.45cat.com/record/2993us |website=45cat |access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref>
| single2 = When the Morning Comes
| single2date = May 1974<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daryl Hall And John Oates - When The Morning Comes |url=http://www.45cat.com/record/453026us |website=45cat}}</ref>
}}
}}
}}

'''''Abandoned Luncheonette''''' is the second studio album by the American [[pop rock]] duo [[Daryl Hall & John Oates]], released in November 1973 by [[Atlantic Records]]. It combines folk and acoustic rock. It is the most commercially successful of their Atlantic Records period; the album reached #33 on the ''Billboard'' [[Billboard 200|Top LPs & Tapes]] chart and featured one of their first major hits, "[[She's Gone (Hall & Oates song)|She's Gone]]", which found success after a 1976 reissue. Twenty-nine years after its release, the album was certified platinum (over one million copies sold) by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]].

== Background ==
After their first album, ''[[Whole Oats]]'', failed to make an impact, the duo moved from [[Philadelphia]] to New York and started recording ''Abandoned Luncheonette'', which became the first album they recorded as New Yorkers.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Giles |first=Jeff |date=November 3, 2015 |title=How Hall and Oates Found Themselves on 'Abandoned Luncheonette' |url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/hall-oates-abandoned-luncheonette-album-released/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |language=en-US |access-date=February 28, 2017}}</ref> Their producer was still [[Arif Mardin]], but they wanted to get away from the commercial standards to establish the parameters of their musical identity, and Mardin helped in that regard.
Mardin liked the American musical influence that Hall & Oates had been brought up on, and knew just how to bring all their ideas to life, adding much of his own vision.

{{Quote|text=Recording that album was where we learned how songs become records. Our producer, the legendary Arif Mardin carefully crafted each song, every bit of nuance, bringing in the perfect players for the right moments. And it all worked together as one beautiful musical tapestry.|sign=|source=[[John Oates]] in an interview with Chris Epting.<ref name=":0" />}}

When Hall and Oates began producing their own records in the early 1980s, they thought back to the things they had learned from watching Mardin.<ref name=":0" />

Hall was particularly satisfied with the first side of the album, calling it the "magic" side with every note "just right". The second side was markedly different due to the influence of guitarist Chris Bond, who had ambitions of becoming a producer. "In those days, [Bond] was obsessed with [[The Beatles]]", said Hall. "Whenever you hear something that sounds [[Beatlesque|Beatles-esque]] […] you can trace that back to Chris Bond." However, Bond's ideas were not consistent with Hall's ideas of what the album should be. As Hall describes it, he was not yet a Beatles fan when they were making the album, "so side two, if I could change anything, I’d just get rid of all that crap and let the songs be the songs."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morsch |first=Mike |date=February 14, 2013 |title=Hall & Oates: 40 Years of 'Abandoned Luncheonette' |url=https://americansongwriter.com/hall-oates/ |website=American Songwriter |language=en-US |access-date=November 20, 2020}}</ref>

Unlike later albums, ''Abandoned Luncheonette'' contains a relatively even songwriting split. Both partners contribute a handful of their own songs, while still making room for a few co-writes.<ref name=":1" /> Synthesizers were used to obtain the sound the duo wanted on the album.<ref name=":1" />

== Critical reception ==
{{Album ratings
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
| rev1 = ''[[AllMusic]]''
| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name= "AllMusic">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/abandoned-luncheonette-mw0000190248|title=Abandoned Luncheonette|website=[[AllMusic]]|author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|access-date=May 6, 2023}}</ref>
| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}} [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r8846|pure_url=yes}} link]
| rev2 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev2 = ''[[Creem]]''
| rev2Score = B−<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |date=October 1974 |url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/crm7410.php|title=The Christgau Consumer Guide |magazine=[[Creem]] |access-date=February 25, 2019}}</ref>
| rev2Score = <small>(Not Rated)</small> [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/187641/review/5946265?utm_source=Rhapsody&utm_medium=CDreview link]
}}
}}


Initially, the album was not very successful in the United States, though it received significant airplay on a local Minneapolis–St. Paul FM radio station, [[KQRS-FM|KQRS]], resulting in its becoming a hit in that area.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}} The album soon became popular on the college circuit.
'''''Abandoned Luncheonette''''' is the second album by the [[United States|American]] [[pop music]] duo [[Hall & Oates]], released in 1973, which combines folk, [[Philadelphia soul|Philly soul]], and acoustic soul. It is the most commercially successful of their first three albums of the duo's [[Atlantic Records]] period. Twenty-nine years after its release, the album was certified platinum (over one million copies sold) by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]]. Critically acclaimed, ''Rolling Stone'' and ''Allmusic'' both gave it a 5/5.


{{Quote|text=We opened for amazing people—[[Cheech & Chong]], [[David Bowie]], [[Stevie Wonder]]. So we had all these experiences for the first time behind a record we were really proud of, and people were digging. Everything was all good.|sign=|source=[[John Oates]] excerpt from an interview for Ultimate Classic Rock.<ref name=":1" />}}
==Notable songs==
The most well-known track from the album is "[[She's Gone (Hall & Oates song)|She's Gone]]". Daryl Hall, according to some reports,{{fact|date=April 2013}} has called it the best song he and John Oates wrote together. Both performers were undergoing romantic problems at the time the song was written; a 1985 article in ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' said the song was about Hall's divorce from wife Bryna Lublin.


After "[[She's Gone (Hall & Oates song)|She's Gone]]" was re-released in 1976 and became a hit, the album peaked at No. 33 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], but by that time the duo had left [[Atlantic Records]] and moved to [[RCA Records]], where they would become one of the biggest acts of the 1980s.
While "She's Gone" did not become a hit when first released as a single, the song gained momentum from two later covers, one by [[Lou Rawls]], and one by [[Tavares (band)|Tavares]]. After the latter cover topped the ''Billboard'' R&B chart in 1974, the original was re-released and became a Top 10 pop hit in 1976, reaching #7, while the album reached #33. This song was included in Hall & Oates's 1983 greatest hits compilation, "Rock and Soul," as well as in numerous other compilations.


On December 13, 2002, it was certified platinum by the [[RIAA]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=RIAA Album Awards |url=http://www.hallandoates.de/Charts_RIAA_Album_Awards.htm |website=www.hallandoates.de |access-date=February 28, 2017}}</ref>
The promotional video produced for "She's Gone" opens with shots of the "abandoned luncheonette" in which Hall & Oates sit in recliners, Hall wearing a robe and women's platform sandals, Oates wearing a sleeveless tuxedo shirt and pants, and singing the song while a woman in a long dress and a man dressed in a shiny red devil's costume repeatedly walk past the pair. Towards the end of the video, Oates rises, dons a jacket with long cuffs, and proceeds to perform his guitar solo with his hands completely covered by the sleeves of his jacket, which makes it appear as if he has fish fins for hands.


== Notable songs ==
Another song from the album, "Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)," although written by Oates, draws its inspiration from Hall's then-girlfriend and future songwriting collaborator Sara Allen,{{fact|date=April 2013}} much as the later "Sara Smile" would.
The most well-known track from the album is "[[She's Gone (Hall & Oates song)|She's Gone]]". While the song did not become a hit when first released as a single (it peaked at only No. 60 on the U.S ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Hot 100), it gained momentum from two later covers, one by [[Lou Rawls]] and one by [[Tavares (band)|Tavares]]. After the latter cover topped the ''Billboard'' R&B chart in 1974, the original was re-released and became a top 10 pop hit in 1976, reaching No. 7 in the U.S., while the album reached No. 33 on the ''Billboard'' Top LPs & Tape chart. It is one of Hall & Oates' favorite songs.


{{Quote|text=...experiencing the city, and being exposed to a whole new level of musicianship through the goodwill and artistic choices of Arif Mardin and Atlantic Records. We felt like we were where we needed to be. We had high hopes. That space was one of the most amazing, exciting, and inspiring that I've ever experienced in my life, we'd walk out the door and see [[Bette Midler]], [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Bob Dylan]], [[Doug Sahm]], [[Led Zeppelin]]. They'd just walk in—it was crazy. Now I think back on it, and I just wish I'd taken pictures. It was a very exciting time because we were at the epicentre of what was going on in New York recording at the moment.|sign=|source=[[John Oates]] excerpt from an interview for Ultimate Classic Rock.<ref name=":1" />}}
==Album cover==
The diner on the album cover was formerly the Rosedale Diner, located in [[Pottstown, Pennsylvania]]. When it went out of business, its structure was dumped in a small wooded area located along [[Pennsylvania Route 724|Route 724]] in [[Kenilworth, PA]],<ref>[http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=kenilworth,+pa&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=38.365962,76.640625&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1 Map of Kenilworth, North Coventry, PA]</ref> at the entrance of Towpath Park in East Coventry Township, where the photo on the linked page was taken.<ref>[http://home.comcast.net/~david.kearney/gallery.htm Hall & Oates photographs, including the abandoned luncheonette]</ref> Stripped by souvenir-hunters, the structure remained in place until about 1983, when Ridge Fire Company, along with the owner, burned what was left to clear the land.


"When the Morning Comes" was the second single released from the album. ''[[Record World]]'' said of it that the duo is "about to enjoy the first zenith of a long-shining career. [[Moog synthesizer|Moog]] majesty and a [[hook (music)|hook]] chorus guarantees them a most beautiful 'Morning' hit to come."<ref name=rw>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=May 25, 1974|accessdate=2023-03-16|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/74/RW-1974-05-25.pdf}}</ref>
==Track listing==
;Side One
#"When the Morning Comes" (Daryl Hall)&nbsp;– 3:12
#"Had I Known You Better Then" (John Oates)&nbsp;– 3:22
#"Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)" (Oates)&nbsp;– 2:57
#"[[She's Gone (song)|She's Gone]]" (Hall, Oates)&nbsp;– 5:15
#"I'm Just a Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like a Man)" (Oates)&nbsp;– 3:20
;Side Two
#<li value=6>"Abandoned Luncheonette" (Hall)&nbsp;– 3:55
#<li>"Lady Rain" (Hall, Oates)&nbsp;– 4:26
#<li>"Laughing Boy" (Hall)&nbsp;– 3:20
#<li>"Everytime I Look At You" (Hall)&nbsp;– 7:04


Another song from the album, "Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)", although written by Oates, draws its inspiration from Hall's then-girlfriend and future songwriting collaborator [[Sara Allen]], much as the later "Sara Smile" would.
==Personnel==
* [[Daryl Hall]]&nbsp;– Mandolin, piano, electric piano, keyboards, vocals
* [[John Oates]]&nbsp;– Acoustic guitar, wah-wah guitar, electric guitar, vocals
* Christopher Bond&nbsp;– Mellotron, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, Howling guitar
* [[Hugh McCracken]]&nbsp;– electric guitar
* Steve "Fontz" Gelfand&nbsp;– Bass
* [[Bernard Purdie]]&nbsp;– Drums
* [[Ralph MacDonald]]&nbsp;– Percussion
* [[Joe Farrell]]&nbsp;– Oboe, tenor saxophone
* [[Jerry Ricks]]&nbsp;– Acoustic guitar
* [[Rick Marotta]]&nbsp;– Drums, percussion
* Steven "Sticks Douglas" Moore&nbsp;– Drums, percussion (Vocals)
* Gordon Edwards&nbsp;– Bass
* Pancho Morales&nbsp;– Conga
* [[Pat Rebillot]]&nbsp;– Organ
* [[Richard Tee]]&nbsp;– Piano
* Gloria Agostini&nbsp;– Harp
* John Blair&nbsp;– [[Vitar violins|Vitar]] electric violin
* [[Marvin Stamm]]- Flugelhorn
* Larry Packer&nbsp;– Fiddle
* Marc Horowitz&nbsp;– Banjo
* [[Arif Mardin]]&nbsp;– Bass (Vocal), Horn & String Arrangements,
* Daryl Hall, John Oates, Franklin Hohl, Kathy Mae Hohl, Ronald & Donald Wanner, Christian Bond, Sandy Allen, Greg Fulginiti, and [[Arif Mardin]]&nbsp;– Humanity Chorus on "Abandoned Luncheonette"


==Production==
== Album cover ==
The diner on the album cover was formerly the Rosedale Diner, located in [[Pottstown, Pennsylvania]]. When it went out of business, its structure was dumped in a small wooded area located along [[Pennsylvania Route 724|Route 724]] in [[Kenilworth, Pennsylvania]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=kenilworth,+pa&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=38.365962,76.640625&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1|title=kenilworth, pa - Google Maps|access-date=16 April 2015}}</ref> at the entrance of Towpath Park in East Coventry Township, where the photo on the linked page was taken.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} Stripped by souvenir-hunters, the structure remained in place until about 1983, when Ridge Fire Company, along with the owner, burned what was left to clear the land.
*Produced By Arif Mardin; production assistant: Christopher Bond

*Recording & Engineering: Alan Ade, Jimmy Douglass, Lewis Hahn, Joel Kerr, [[Gene Paul]]
The images were shot by a young [[Fine-art photography|fine art photographer]] named Barbara Wilson. She had originally met Oates in the late '60s while they were both in college, and over the years became friendly with Hall as well.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Epting |first=Chris |date=February 27, 2017 |title=Music and magic by the side of the road – how a young photographer captured Daryl Hall and John Oates' Abandoned Luncheonette |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/music-and-magic-by-the-side-of-the-road-how-a-young_b_58b4a053e4b02f3f81e44b5a |website=HuffPost |language=en-US |access-date=November 19, 2023}}</ref>
*Mixing: Christopher Bond, Jimmy Douglass

*Mastered By Stephen Innocenzi
On a warm summer day, once the album was finished, Wilson, her husband, Hall and Oates drove from [[New York City]] to the rural spot on the road about {{convert|40|mi}} outside of Philadelphia. The group arranged permission to take photos of the old restaurant but they thought that the session was incomplete without getting inside. And so they snuck in and Wilson started shooting. The interior was used as the back cover. The group left after an altercation with the owner of the property.<ref name=":0" />

Wilson shot the black-and-white [[135 film|35mm]] images on an old [[Nikon]] [[Single-lens reflex camera|SLR]] and then began a silkscreen process to create the surreal color imagery, using a different stencil for each hue and then hand-coloring the final piece. Atlantic Records bought the idea with one change, to re-do the [[neon light|neon tubing letters]], which had all been done by hand. It was the only album cover Wilson ever did.<ref name=":0" /> She had also spent a day in the Atlantic studios while the album was being recorded and managed to capture a series of intimate images of the two musicians.<ref name=":0" />

== Track listing ==
{{Track listing
| headline = Side one
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| title1 = When the Morning Comes
| writer1 = [[Daryl Hall]]
| extra1 = Hall
| length1 = 3:12

| title2 = Had I Known You Better Then
| writer2 = [[John Oates]]
| extra2 = Oates
| length2 = 3:22

| title3 = Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)
| writer3 = Oates
| extra3 = {{hlist|Hall|Oates}}
| length3 = 2:58

| title4 = [[She's Gone (Hall & Oates song)|She’s Gone]]
| writer4 = {{hlist|Hall|Oates}}
| extra4 = {{hlist|Hall|Oates}}
| length4 = 5:12

| title5 = I'm Just a Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like a Man)
| writer5 = Oates
| extra5 = Oates
| length5 = 3:20
| total_length =
}}

{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| title6 = Abandoned Luncheonette
| writer6 = Hall
| extra6 = Hall
| length6 = 3:55

| title7 = Lady Rain
| writer7 = {{hlist|Hall|Oates}}
| extra7 = {{hlist|Hall|Oates}}
| length7 = 4:26

| title8 = Laughing Boy
| writer8 = Hall
| extra8 = Hall
| length8 = 3:30

| title9 = Everytime I Look At You
| writer9 = Hall
| length9 = 7:02
| extra9 = Hall
| total_length =
}}

== Personnel ==
* [[Daryl Hall]] – lead vocals <small>(1, 3, 4, 6–9)</small>, backing vocals <small>(all tracks)</small>, [[mandolin]] <small>(1, 7)</small>, electric piano <small>(2–5)</small>, acoustic piano <small>(6, 8)</small>, keyboards <small>(9)</small>
* [[John Oates]] – acoustic guitar <small>(1–3, 5, 7, 9)</small>, backing vocals <small>(all but 8)</small>, lead vocals <small>(2–5, 7)</small>, electric guitar <small>(4, 9)</small>

;with
* Chris Bond – [[Mellotron]] <small>(1, 4, 9)</small>, electric guitar <small>(2, 4, 5, 9)</small>, acoustic guitar <small>(3)</small>, synthesizer <small>(4, 9)</small>, backing vocals <small>(6)</small>
* [[Pat Rebillot]] – [[Electric organ|organ]] <small>(3)</small>
* [[Richard Tee]] – acoustic piano <small>(6)</small>
* [[Hugh McCracken]] – electric guitar <small>(1, 7)</small>
* Jerry Ricks – acoustic guitar <small>(2, 5)</small>
* Mark Horowitz – [[banjo]] <small>(9)</small>
* Steve Gelfand – bass <small>(1, 2, 4, 7, 9)</small>
* Gordon Edwards – bass <small>(3, 5, 6)</small>
* [[Bernard Purdie]] – drums <small>(1, 3–7, 9)</small>
* [[Rick Marotta]] – drums <small>(2)</small>, percussion <small>(2)</small>
* [[Ralph MacDonald]] – percussion <small>(1, 4, 7)</small>
* Pancho Morales – [[congas]] <small>(3)</small>
* [[Joe Farrell]] – [[oboe]] <small>(1)</small>, [[saxophone]] <small>(3, 4, 6)</small>
* [[Marvin Stamm]] – [[flugelhorn]] <small>(8)</small>
* Gloria Agostini – [[harp]] <small>(6)</small>
* John Blair – [[electric violin]] <small>(7)</small>
* Larry Packer – [[fiddle]] <small>(9)</small>

'''Production'''
* Arif Mardin – Producer
* Christopher Bond – Production Assistant
* Recording and Engineering – Alan Ade, [[Jimmy Douglass]], Lewis Hahn, Joel Kerr and [[Gene Paul]].
* Christopher Bond – Mixing
* Jimmy Douglass – Mixing
* Stephen Innocenzi – Mastering
* B. Wilson – Album Design and Photography
* Coordinator – [[Tommy Mottola]]

== Charts ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1974)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|US [[Billboard 200|Top LPs & Tape]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')<ref>{{Cite magazine|url= https://www.billboard.com/artist/daryl-hall-john-oates/chart-history/tlp/ |title=Daryl Hall & John Oates Chart History (''Billboard'' 200) |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=November 19, 1976 |access-date=March 12, 2020}}</ref>
|align="center"|33
|-
|}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.discogs.com/release/12068483-Daryl-Hall-John-Oates-Abandoned-Luncheonette ''Abandoned Luncheonette''] at discogs.com
*{{YouTube|V1hkCoZcmB4|When the Morning Comes}}


{{Hall & Oates}}
{{Hall & Oates}}

{{Authority control}}


[[Category:1973 albums]]
[[Category:1973 albums]]
Line 88: Line 193:
[[Category:Atlantic Records albums]]
[[Category:Atlantic Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Arif Mardin]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Arif Mardin]]
[[Category:Folk rock albums by American artists]]

Latest revision as of 23:14, 8 September 2024

Abandoned Luncheonette
Studio album by
Daryl Hall & John Oates
ReleasedNovember 1973
Recorded1973
StudioAtlantic Recording Studios (New York City, NY)
Advantage Sound Studios (New York City, NY)
Genre
Length36:54
LabelAtlantic
ProducerArif Mardin
Daryl Hall & John Oates chronology
Whole Oats
(1972) 		Abandoned Luncheonette
(1973) 		War Babies
(1974)
Singles from Abandoned Luncheonette
  1. "She's Gone"
    Released: November 1973[2]
  2. "When the Morning Comes"
    Released: May 1974[3]

Abandoned Luncheonette is the second studio album by the American pop rock duo Daryl Hall & John Oates, released in November 1973 by Atlantic Records. It combines folk and acoustic rock. It is the most commercially successful of their Atlantic Records period; the album reached #33 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart and featured one of their first major hits, "She's Gone", which found success after a 1976 reissue. Twenty-nine years after its release, the album was certified platinum (over one million copies sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Background

[edit]

After their first album, Whole Oats, failed to make an impact, the duo moved from Philadelphia to New York and started recording Abandoned Luncheonette, which became the first album they recorded as New Yorkers.[4] Their producer was still Arif Mardin, but they wanted to get away from the commercial standards to establish the parameters of their musical identity, and Mardin helped in that regard. Mardin liked the American musical influence that Hall & Oates had been brought up on, and knew just how to bring all their ideas to life, adding much of his own vision.

Recording that album was where we learned how songs become records. Our producer, the legendary Arif Mardin carefully crafted each song, every bit of nuance, bringing in the perfect players for the right moments. And it all worked together as one beautiful musical tapestry.

— John Oates in an interview with Chris Epting.[5]

When Hall and Oates began producing their own records in the early 1980s, they thought back to the things they had learned from watching Mardin.[5]

Hall was particularly satisfied with the first side of the album, calling it the "magic" side with every note "just right". The second side was markedly different due to the influence of guitarist Chris Bond, who had ambitions of becoming a producer. "In those days, [Bond] was obsessed with The Beatles", said Hall. "Whenever you hear something that sounds Beatles-esque […] you can trace that back to Chris Bond." However, Bond's ideas were not consistent with Hall's ideas of what the album should be. As Hall describes it, he was not yet a Beatles fan when they were making the album, "so side two, if I could change anything, I’d just get rid of all that crap and let the songs be the songs."[6]

Unlike later albums, Abandoned Luncheonette contains a relatively even songwriting split. Both partners contribute a handful of their own songs, while still making room for a few co-writes.[4] Synthesizers were used to obtain the sound the duo wanted on the album.[4]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
CreemB−[7]

Initially, the album was not very successful in the United States, though it received significant airplay on a local Minneapolis–St. Paul FM radio station, KQRS, resulting in its becoming a hit in that area.[citation needed] The album soon became popular on the college circuit.

We opened for amazing people—Cheech & Chong, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder. So we had all these experiences for the first time behind a record we were really proud of, and people were digging. Everything was all good.

— John Oates excerpt from an interview for Ultimate Classic Rock.[4]

After "She's Gone" was re-released in 1976 and became a hit, the album peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard 200, but by that time the duo had left Atlantic Records and moved to RCA Records, where they would become one of the biggest acts of the 1980s.

On December 13, 2002, it was certified platinum by the RIAA.[8]

Notable songs

[edit]

The most well-known track from the album is "She's Gone". While the song did not become a hit when first released as a single (it peaked at only No. 60 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100), it gained momentum from two later covers, one by Lou Rawls and one by Tavares. After the latter cover topped the Billboard R&B chart in 1974, the original was re-released and became a top 10 pop hit in 1976, reaching No. 7 in the U.S., while the album reached No. 33 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. It is one of Hall & Oates' favorite songs.

...experiencing the city, and being exposed to a whole new level of musicianship through the goodwill and artistic choices of Arif Mardin and Atlantic Records. We felt like we were where we needed to be. We had high hopes. That space was one of the most amazing, exciting, and inspiring that I've ever experienced in my life, we'd walk out the door and see Bette Midler, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Doug Sahm, Led Zeppelin. They'd just walk in—it was crazy. Now I think back on it, and I just wish I'd taken pictures. It was a very exciting time because we were at the epicentre of what was going on in New York recording at the moment.

— John Oates excerpt from an interview for Ultimate Classic Rock.[4]

"When the Morning Comes" was the second single released from the album. Record World said of it that the duo is "about to enjoy the first zenith of a long-shining career. Moog majesty and a hook chorus guarantees them a most beautiful 'Morning' hit to come."[9]

Another song from the album, "Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)", although written by Oates, draws its inspiration from Hall's then-girlfriend and future songwriting collaborator Sara Allen, much as the later "Sara Smile" would.

Album cover

[edit]

The diner on the album cover was formerly the Rosedale Diner, located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. When it went out of business, its structure was dumped in a small wooded area located along Route 724 in Kenilworth, Pennsylvania,[10] at the entrance of Towpath Park in East Coventry Township, where the photo on the linked page was taken.[citation needed] Stripped by souvenir-hunters, the structure remained in place until about 1983, when Ridge Fire Company, along with the owner, burned what was left to clear the land.

The images were shot by a young fine art photographer named Barbara Wilson. She had originally met Oates in the late '60s while they were both in college, and over the years became friendly with Hall as well.[5]

On a warm summer day, once the album was finished, Wilson, her husband, Hall and Oates drove from New York City to the rural spot on the road about 40 miles (64 km) outside of Philadelphia. The group arranged permission to take photos of the old restaurant but they thought that the session was incomplete without getting inside. And so they snuck in and Wilson started shooting. The interior was used as the back cover. The group left after an altercation with the owner of the property.[5]

Wilson shot the black-and-white 35mm images on an old Nikon SLR and then began a silkscreen process to create the surreal color imagery, using a different stencil for each hue and then hand-coloring the final piece. Atlantic Records bought the idea with one change, to re-do the neon tubing letters, which had all been done by hand. It was the only album cover Wilson ever did.[5] She had also spent a day in the Atlantic studios while the album was being recorded and managed to capture a series of intimate images of the two musicians.[5]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."When the Morning Comes"Daryl HallHall3:12
2."Had I Known You Better Then"John OatesOates3:22
3."Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)"Oates
  • Hall
  • Oates
2:58
4."She’s Gone"
  • Hall
  • Oates
  • Hall
  • Oates
5:12
5."I'm Just a Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like a Man)"OatesOates3:20
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Abandoned Luncheonette"HallHall3:55
7."Lady Rain"
  • Hall
  • Oates
  • Hall
  • Oates
4:26
8."Laughing Boy"HallHall3:30
9."Everytime I Look At You"HallHall7:02

Personnel

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  • Daryl Hall – lead vocals (1, 3, 4, 6–9), backing vocals (all tracks), mandolin (1, 7), electric piano (2–5), acoustic piano (6, 8), keyboards (9)
  • John Oates – acoustic guitar (1–3, 5, 7, 9), backing vocals (all but 8), lead vocals (2–5, 7), electric guitar (4, 9)
with

Production

  • Arif Mardin – Producer
  • Christopher Bond – Production Assistant
  • Recording and Engineering – Alan Ade, Jimmy Douglass, Lewis Hahn, Joel Kerr and Gene Paul.
  • Christopher Bond – Mixing
  • Jimmy Douglass – Mixing
  • Stephen Innocenzi – Mastering
  • B. Wilson – Album Design and Photography
  • Coordinator – Tommy Mottola

Charts

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Chart (1974) Peak
position
US Top LPs & Tape (Billboard)[11] 33

References

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  1. ^ a b c Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Abandoned Luncheonette". AllMusic. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "She's Gone / I'm Just A Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like A Man - Daryl Hall And John Oates". 45cat. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  3. ^ "Daryl Hall And John Oates - When The Morning Comes". 45cat.
  4. ^ a b c d e Giles, Jeff (November 3, 2015). "How Hall and Oates Found Themselves on 'Abandoned Luncheonette'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Epting, Chris (February 27, 2017). "Music and magic by the side of the road – how a young photographer captured Daryl Hall and John Oates' Abandoned Luncheonette". HuffPost. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  6. ^ Morsch, Mike (February 14, 2013). "Hall & Oates: 40 Years of 'Abandoned Luncheonette'". American Songwriter. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  7. ^ Christgau, Robert (October 1974). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  8. ^ "RIAA Album Awards". www.hallandoates.de. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  9. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. May 25, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  10. ^ "kenilworth, pa - Google Maps". Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  11. ^ "Daryl Hall & John Oates Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. November 19, 1976. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
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