Still Dancing.3 Out Of 5 Stars
For a band that had exactly three top 40 singles, this Orleans best of is super comprehensive. The band spent time on three labels, ABC, Asylum and Infinity, all represented here. John Hall was the front-man for most of the period, but the band had a last hit without him called "Love Takes Time." Orleans still tours as a trio, with brothers Lance and Larry Hoppen and Hall performing as a trio. They're also still recording albums.
But their heyday was with Asylum, with the albums "Waking and Dreaming" and "Let There Be Music." The first song here, "Half Moon," was initially recorded by Janis Joplin, and the band sounds like a version of The Doobie Brothers. However, once the mellowed down the sound a bit, "Dance With Me" shot into the top ten. John Hall and his wife Johanna had a serious songwriter's groove, writing 13 of the 20 songs on the disc, and they all roll in that mellow California sounds that was popular for the time. Then the duo hit the geyser when "Still the One" hit number 5, got adopted as the ABC network's theme song, and for countless weddings everywhere.
John, however, was becoming more politically active and left the group soon after. None of his solo material is here, but the song "Cold Spell" is an indicator of where he's eventually go (and why he eventually ran for NY Federal Office). Members Wells Kelly, Lance and Larry (along with keyboardist Bob Leinbach, kept the harmonies intact and still managed to hit #11 with "Love Takes Time." Another ballad from that album, "Forever," is included here. The sound of the band fit pretty closely to the sound of the singles, which means the other seventeen songs are all cut from the same cloth. None have the fizz that "Still The One" still has, but if this was the sound of the seventies for you, you'll dig it.
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