ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 18, 1985
By Steve Newton
The blue-eyed Philly soul of Hall & Oates gets a Motown-y treatment on the duo’s first live album, recorded last May during a benefit concert for the United Negro College Fund. Former Temptations David Ruffin and Eddie Kendrick join in for four blasts from their past, a medley that includes “Get Ready”, “My Girl”, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”, and “The Way You Do the Things Yo Do”.
There’s also live renditions of such Hall & Oates hits as “One On One” and, from last year’s Big Bam Boom LP, “Possession Obsession”. One track in particular that stands out is Daryl Hall’s “Everytime You Go Away”, which was a huge hit this year for British popster Paul Young. It was originally recorded five years ago on Hall & Oates’ Voices album.
As well as the regular Hall & Oates band, there are three keyboardists and a six-piece horn section taking part on Live at the Apollo, and producer Bob Clearmountain effectively captures that full sound. As a live offering of some of their biggest hits, and a tribute to their idols Kendrick and Ruffin, this new record comes across quite well.