Orleans - Before The Dance (1978)

From their earliest days as a favorite at colleges and clubs in the Northeast US … to studio and live collaborations with industry greats Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Little Feat and others … to Top 10 success with bona-fide classics such as “Still the One”, “Dance With Me” and “Love Takes Time” … now celebrating their 40th year of creating musical history together, Orleans has continually demonstrated “depth”.  "Depth": A word used to describe sports teams who are multi-dimensional, movies that must be seen many times, art that continues to reveal hidden meaning. In the throwaway world of Rock & Roll bands, how often do you see real depth? For the past 4 decades, Orleans has defied industry pundits and career counselors by doing many different things well. Orleans has been performing live nearly every year since 1972, always with at least half the original members. They do it the old-fashioned way  they sing and play their own stuff. Their oldest fans are bewildered and amazed at the fact that they still sound as good as (or even better than) ever … especially their vocals! Younger fans are simply impressed. Everyone agrees - these guys “still have it”. Formed in Woodstock, NY in 1972 by John Hall, brothers Lance and Larry Hoppen and Wells Kelly, Orleans went about perfecting its recipe of eclectic material, including R&B seasoned with Cajun and second-line roots. Alan Toussaint, Neville Brothers and Meters tunes were among the mix (hence the choice of name). But the quartet's music evolved and refined in a more mainstream direction as they developed their unique pop/rock sound, which led Rolling Stone magazine to christen them "the best unrecorded band in the country." A round of showcase performances in NYC gave rise to a recording contract with ABC Dunhill Records and the release of the eponymously titled first album in 1973. Later signing with Asylum Records, they produced chart-topping hits including “Dance With Me”, “Let There Be Music”, “Love Takes Time”, “Reach” and, of course, their American standard, “Still the One”. Adding to each other’s strengths, John was the most prolific songwriter while Larry supplied the lead voice for the radio hits. Just three of Orleans’ classics have a certified combined airplay total of over seven million ... and counting! After Orleans established national radio popularity, Hall left in 1977 to pursue a solo career, as “Still the One” played ceaselessly as the ABC TV network theme song. With Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Graham Nash, he co-founded Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) in 1979 and co-produced the Madison Square Garden concerts and Warner Brothers triple album “No Nukes”.

 

01  "Let's Have A Good Time"  - 5:17  

02  "Dance With Me"  - 3:15  

03  "Wake Up"  - 2:45  

04  "Let There Be Music"  - 4:15  

05  "The Last Song"  - 3:45  

06  "Sweet Johanna"  - 5:08  

07  "Sunset"  - 3:50  

08  "Money"  - 2:57  

09  "The Breakdown"  - 8:15 

Release:  1978

Label:  ABC Records

Genre:  Pop, Rock

Length:  39:45

Producer:  Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, & Orleans

Engineer:  Adam Taylor, Nick Jameson, Zach Wiesner

Mastered By:  Bob Ludwig

Mixed By:  Nick Jameson

Personnel

John Hall - Guitars, Vocals

Larry Hoppen - Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards

Lance Hoppen - Bass, Vocals

Wells Kelly - Drums, Percussion, Vocals