Big Bam Boom
Big Bam Boom is the twelfth studio album by American duo Daryl Hall & John Oates, released by RCA Records on October 12, 1984. It marked the end of one of the most successful album runs by a duo of the 1980s. RCA issued a remastered version in July 2004 with four bonus tracks. The lead single "Out of Touch" was a #1 pop hit, and charted in several other areas (#24 Hot Black Singles, #8 on the Adult Contemporary charts and #1 on the dance charts, #48 in the UK). Another song taken from the album, the  Daryl Hall and Janna Allen-penned "Method of Modern Love" reached a high point of #5, and "Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid," reached #18. Musical styles on the album include pop, rock, and dance-rock, with R&B/soul influences. The album had even more of an electronic, urban feel to it compared to their previous albums, combining their song structure & vocalization with the latest technical advances in recording and playing. The album employed some of the most sophisticated equipment ever used in the recording industry at the time. "Big Bam Boom" peaked at No. 5 in the United States  and sold over three million copies worldwide. Background and recording. The making of "Big Bam Boom" represented a fresh new musical universe for Daryl Hall & John Oates. It was an experimental crucible of traditional recordings and state of the art, for the time, technologies. In 1984 analog, or tape, recording was at its zenith; the 24-track tape recorders enabled artists to record 48 tracks simultaneously on two-inch tape; digital recording was a new technology too. The duo opted to record on analog tape rather than the then-new digital multitrack machines. Due to their commercial success, the duo  was able to take advantage of the latest musical devices available then, specially the most advanced polyphonic synthesizers like Synclavier and the Fairlight. With all these innovations in recording techniques there were almost no limitations to become their recordings in a musical statement; the pop duo started to digitally sample everything they recorded. Bob Clearmountain, one of the producers, and, Mickey Curry, the drummer, recorded various drum sounds, manipulating delays and reverbs to create huge dramatic bottom end that is emblematic of this album and the 1980s in general. Thanks to the new polyphonic synthesizers, the duo experimented with new  sounds, for example, recording Boy Scout canteens, cardboard boxes, vocals, footsteps in gravel, etc., and combined them with the use of newer and more sophisticated drum machines. Promotion. In order to promote the album, the duo embarked the "Big Bam Boom Tour – Live Through '85"; they did most of the traveling in a private plane. MTV provided tour date and ticket outlet announcements and the channel's name appeared on all tickets and print advertising, and was tagged on all radio spots. The duo performed a show at The Forum in Inglewood, California, on December 17, 1984, with a satellite -delivered live broadcast of the concert; it was aired the next day. The radio broadcast was remastered and released on CD, via music download and streaming in 2015 under the title: "The LA Forum – 17 Dec 1984". Critical reception. In a review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called "Big Bam Boom" "a sprawling and diffuse album" and "a bigger, noisier record than its predecessors, with its rhythms smacking around in an echo chamber and each track built on layers of synthesizers and studio effects". In Erlewine's opinion, it was a disappointment coming after a trio of albums that had  very few flaws. Erlewine also criticized the production on the album saying that "it obscures the dark undercurrent to many of the tunes, several of which seem to foreshadow the duo's long hiatus following this record". Charts and certifications. The album debuted at number 33 on the "Billboard" 200 the week of October 27, 1984 as the highest debut of the week. After five weeks it peaked at number five on the chart on December 1, 1984. The album remained on the chart for 51 weeks and was ranked as the 17th most successful album of 1985 on the  Billboard 200. Additionally, it reached number 25 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart the week of January 12, 1985. By December 1984, the album had sold one million copies in the US, and was certified Platinum on December 3, 1984. Eventually, it sold an additional one million copies, and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA on April 1, 1985. In the United Kingdom the album debuted and peaked at number 28 on October 28, 1984 and was present on the chart for 13 weeks. It was certified Silver by the BPI on February 1, 1985 for shipments  of 60,000.