Let There Be Music

The early-summer breeze of ‘Dance with Me’ brought Orleans widespread recognition when it reached No. 6 in the US. John Hall had already made a solo album and worked with Kangaroo before the band formed in Woodstock in 1972. Larry Hoppen and Wells Kelly had also built solid careers in groups such as Boffalongo and Thunderfrog. Larry’s younger brother Lance completed the quartet.

Their 1973 debut, Orleans, was recorded at Muscle Shoals, carrying the atmosphere of Woodstock into a fine blend of the New Orleans R&B behind their name, funky rhythms and natural harmonies. After a second album released only in Europe and Japan, they moved to West Coast label Asylum. This 1975 record was produced by Chuck Plotkin.

‘Dance with Me’ was rerecorded from the second album. The arrangements and harmonies stayed much the same, but any slight muddiness in the instrumental break gave way to a dry, clear West Coast freshness. That freshness pervades the whole record, alongside the strength of John and his wife Johanna’s songs. Even the funky title track, reminiscent of the Doobie Brothers’ driving sound, and the soulful ‘Business as Usual’ and ‘Cold Spell’ have a supple, West Coast lightness.

From the crisp acoustic-guitar strumming of ‘Fresh Wind’ to the gentle ballad ‘Time Passes On’, Linda Ronstadt’s later cover ‘Give One Heart’ and the wistful ‘You’ve Given Me Something’, the album rewards the ear throughout. Together with its successor Walking and Dreaming, it captures the band at their peak.