Orleans is one of those “your favorite band’s, band” kinda, well, band. Their eclectic blend of pop, yacht rock, blues, and Dixieland jazz led to some pretty massive hits in the 1970’s, the most prominent being “Still The One” which is featured on this record and at one point was actual the damn theme song for the entirety of the ABC television network (yes, you read that sentence correctly).
If there’s one thing I appreciate most about the 70’s it is that quality musicianship was featured in Top 40 radio and seemed to be what the public craved. There’s obviously a bit of survivor bias at play here (i.e. most of the music from the 70’s that’s still played today has been naturally selected through the passage of time), but there’s no debate that the recording techniques and lack of modern digital technology required bands in the 1970’s to be tighter, more cohesive, and better put together at playing together all at once than their contemporaries.
Alas, I digress. Waking And Dreaming is a fantastic album reflective of the 70’s aesthetic– production that’s warm as a blanket, soaring vocal harmonies, extended guitar solos, and rhythm sections that just absolutely groove. The title track is a great example of that emphasis on groove– when the drums kick in at 1:45 you just know it’s business time. Similarly “Reach” has a great outro section that is a great callback to The Isley Brothers’ infamous “Shout” from 1959.
And then you have my favorite section of the record, not necessarily because it’s the best three songs, but because it is actually quite ludicrous when listening to the album front-to-back. The section starts at track six with the aforementioned “Still The One” which abruptly transitions into “The Bum”, a Texas Roadhouse blues influenced song that blends a little barbershop quartet influence into the mix for good measure. You then head into the soppy 70’s song “Golden State” (which is actually quite lovely tbh), hit a little reggaetone on “The Path”, and finish up with an upbeat disco-esque bopper “Spring Fever” with a gratuitous amount of saxophone throughout (this song is basically is the basis for everything Fitz and The Tantrums has ever put out).
Peak 70’s rock, in all of the best ways. I’m here for it.
Standout Songs: “Still The One”, “Spring Fever”, “Waking and Dreaming”
