# 70's/ Soft Rockers Underrated. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2016, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416 "2016-02-18T04:39:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/1 "2016-02-18T04:39:16Z")
I know they’re famous but still. My sister sent me cd of Hall and Oates doing a live show… THEY TORE IT UP!!! Seriously, Hall and Oates! :eek: I can’t believe how great they sounded. Any other famous but looked-down-on acts that surprised you once you actually listened to them? ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/2 "2016-02-18T04:46:22Z")
They’re on tour right now if you want to go see them. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/3 "2016-02-18T05:19:22Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > They’re on tour right now if you want to go see them. I don’t know, Man! Parking is a Bitch at that fuckin’ Roller-Rink. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/4 "2016-02-18T05:30:17Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > They’re on tour right now if you want to go see them. If you get Palladia (the TV station), Daryl (Hall) has a [show](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_from_Daryl's_House) on it. He brings a guest in each week to his [Daryl’s] house to play with his band. They do a combination of Hall & Oats’ songs as well as the guest’s songs. It’s a pretty good show, even if you’re not a H&O fan, I recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/5 "2016-02-18T05:36:00Z")
Palladia has been renamed MTV Live, in case anyone’s looking for it. Anyway, I saw Pablo Cruise in concert and really enjoyed it. I never cared much for their hits, so I guess the other stuff on their albums must have been better. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/6 "2016-02-18T05:40:41Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > They’re on tour right now if you want to go see them. If they hit SoCal, I just might. If that was a typical show, it would be worth it. I’m not familiar with Palladia or MTV Live but I’ll look it up. thx ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/7 "2016-02-18T05:46:33Z")
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: You have never seen _Hall & Oates_ and _Brooks & Dunn_ in the same place at the same time. We’re through the looking glass here, folks… ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/8 "2016-02-18T05:52:12Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Palladia has been renamed MTV Live, in case anyone’s looking for it. That’s probably a good name for it. When I first found it, I used to tell people ‘it’s like MTV used to be, in that it plays all music all day long’. But MTV2 was (is?) still doing that. I watch a lot of Palladia and about 60-70% of it is concerts. Mostly outdoor music festival type stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/9 "2016-02-18T11:29:43Z")
One of the best SNL performances I can remember was H&O doing their take on “Bring Back That Lovin’ Feeling”. It was stripped down, pure and, I must say, passionate. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/10 "2016-02-18T13:32:58Z")
Daryl Hall is a fucking amazing vocalist. He got started in Philly soul groups and earned his chops, and the H20 songs are extremely well crafted and hold up today, even if some sound a bit dated given the 80’s sounds used. As for Pablo Cruise, Seals & Crofts, England Dan and John Ford Coley, that Wildfire song, etc. - a big Meh. That song “Sometimes When We Touch” - Argh! I would prefer a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, thanks. Those songs are part of the soundtrack of my life, but I usually change the channel when they come on in my brain 😉 Some soft stuff was wonderful - **Windy** by the Association comes to mind. Some good Dan Fogelberg and John Denver. But hearing a few hairy guys singing strummy songs about trying to get a girl to hook up with them? Pass. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/11 "2016-02-18T13:46:47Z")
What, no love for “[Chevy Van](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiEIToOWr64)” then? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/12 "2016-02-18T13:56:49Z")
Hall & Oates are no joke. Both excellent musicians. I wanted to see them when their tour came to Nashville but I didn’t have the money. ETA: Other 70’s era soft rockers who are undeservedly mocked: Air Supply. Your first reaction is that they are the height of cheesy love songs, probably – but they were an influential and fairly innovative group with soaring vocal ability. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/13 "2016-02-18T14:16:06Z")
At the time I dismissed them as bubble gum rockers, but I’ve become a real fan of Mouth and MacNeal. Watching their videos (who the hell knew people made videos in 1972?) is just fun. Most of them are lip-sync but who the hell cares? Their stage presence and chemistry just worked magic. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/14 "2016-02-18T15:55:53Z")
The seventies had lots of duos in the Simon & Garfunkel mode. Seals & Crofts, Batdorf & Rodney, Crosby & Nash for a while, Brewer & Shipley. They were a Kansas City group that my college roommate turned me on to after he discovered them when he went to grad school at Kansas. They aimed more at FM than AM, “One Toke Over the Line” notwithstanding, so they were album-oriented and those albums were deep with fine music. Their live shows were supposed to be great fun. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/15 "2016-02-18T15:59:34Z")
I’ve found that most music is much better performed live (being there while it is performed, not a live album.) Even country music rocks live. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/16 "2016-02-18T16:11:17Z")
When it was announced that Hall and Oates would be performing at Red Rocks this summer, my two millennial sons were among the first to buy tickets. Say What??? I never saw that one coming, but apparently they have found an audience with the millenials. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/17 "2016-02-18T16:16:45Z")
Daryl Hall’s home concerts are on Youtube, and I highly recommend them. He’s a very good artist and has some great guests. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/18 "2016-02-18T16:16:48Z")
Hall and Oates are “looked down on”? Since when? Not in my house. I’ve always loved them. Blue-eyed soul up there with Van Morrison. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/19 "2016-02-18T17:01:34Z")
Based on their overwhelming representation in the stacks of used LPs at places like Half Price Books, I sense a lot of buyer remorse among the Seals & Crofts/Hall & Oates fan contingents. Either that, or they’re croaking at a record pace from brain rot, and their descendants are cleaning out their garages and basements. ---
**Author:** ![Periwinkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Periwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Periwinkle)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416/20 "2016-02-18T23:12:52Z")
The name that comes to mind for me is David Pack. I first learned his name when I heard the song “The Key to You”, by David Benoit. I wanted to know who the vocalist was, and when I found out and looked up David Pack, I found out he was the lead singer of Ambrosia, which of course had some big hits in the 70’s. I don’t think he’s underrated by people in the industry at all, looking at all the things he’s done, there’s just not public name recognition commensurate with his talent, as far as I know. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nIj2cBnVgf4/maxresdefault.jpg "DAVID BENOIT \*~\* THE KEY TO YOU ✿✿❤") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIj2cBnVgf4) Another one I think is really great is Larry Hoppen. He sang lead for a period of time for the group Orleans. If you remember “Still the One” and “Love takes Time”, that’s him. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/oX7w47mKVks/maxresdefault.jpg "ORLEANS Love Takes Time") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX7w47mKVks) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-soft-rockers-underrated/746416.md?page=2)