🎵 AotW Roger Hodgson - HAI HAI (SP-5112)

[LPJim]

Roger Hodgson
HAI HAI
A&M SP-5112

All songs written by Roger Hodgson, except where noted.

1. "Right Place" 4:15
2. "My Magazine" 4:30
3. "London" 4:11
4. "You Make Me Love You" 5:09
5. "Hai Hai" 5:28
6. "Who's Afraid?" 4:57
7. "Desert Love" 5:26
8. "Land Ho" (Rick Davies, Roger Hodgson) 4:06
9. "House on the Corner" 5:30
10. "Puppet Dance" 5:16

• Roger Hodgson - Vocals, Synth Bass (1), Synclavier Drums (5), Keyboards (3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10), Piano (6), Synths (6, 10), Guitars (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10), 12-String Guitars (7), Bass (7), Backing Vocals (1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10)
• Omar Hakim - Drums (1)
• Joseph Pomfret - Drums (1, 4, 6, 7, [this is a pseudonym for Hodgson himself; Joseph is his second name and Pomfret his mother's surname]
• Robbie Buchanan - Synths (1), Synth Programming (4, 6, 10), Synth Bass (5), Rhodes (6), Keyboards (3, 4, 5, 9)
• Dan Huff - Guitars (1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
• Lenny Castro - Percussion (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
• Ken Allardyce - Harmonica (1, 5), Rhythm Guitar (3), Backing Vocals (3,
• Anni McCann - Backing Vocals (1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10)
• Jeff Porcaro - Drums (2, 3, 4, 6, 9)
• David Paich - Synth Bass (2), Hammond Organ (2), Synth Brass (2)
• Willie Hines - Backing Vocals (2)
• Brad Lang - Backing Vocals (2)
• Steve Porcaro - Synth Programming (2)
• Nathan East - Bass (3, 6)
• Larry Williams - Saxophone (3), Synth Programming (7)
• Mikail Graham - DX7 Seetar Solo (3)
• Claire Diament - Backing Vocals (3)
• Albhy Galuten - Synclavier Drums (5)
• Bruce Albertine - Synclavier Drums (5)
• Rhett Lawrence - Fairlight Programming (5, 8, 10), Synths (10)
• Eric Persing - Synth Programming (5, 6)
• Carlos Vega - Drums (7, 8 )
• Leland Sklar - Bass (8)
• Marc Russo - Saxophone (8)

Entered the Billboard Top 200 on October 13, 1987
Charted for 6 weeks and peaked at # 163
Available on CD

JB

 

[Mike Blakesley]

In a probably-unrelated development, the goofy sidekick rooster character in Disney's new movie "Moana" is named Hai Hai. Maybe one of the filmmakers was a Roger Hodgson fan!

I had never listened to this album before but am streaming it now ... I really like it!

 

[AM Matt]

The song "Land Ho" is NOT the remake of the late Jim Morrison & The Doors song from 1970 "Morrison Hotel". Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[jfiedler17]

I seem to remember this album getting pretty lackluster reviews but, personally, I absolutely love this album. Love it. There's no shortage of catchy songs here; nearly every last song here has a melody that sticks in your head for days on end, especially "You Made Me Love You," "Puppet Dance," "Right Place," "Land Ho," and the title cut. "Land Ho" is actually Hodgson's own version of an old Supertramp non-LP A-side that never got released here in the U.S.; the song was eventually recorded a second time and was slated for inclusion on Crisis? What Crisis? but, for whatever reason, it got scrapped, so the song makes its American debut here. The Supertramp version eventually found its way onto a U.S. album via the compilation package Retrospectacle in the '00s, and it's quite fantastic, although I do think the minor lyric changes Hodgson made to the song for his own version were for the better.

With some promotion, I do think it's very possible that Hodgson finally could have scored a Top 40 hit as a solo artist with something from this album (likely "You Made Me Love You") since there's a lot of stuff here that would have worked great on the radio (whereas most of the songs on his solo debut were too sprawling to really work without being edited down quite a bit), but unfortunately, he suffered a serious fall in his home either just prior to or just after the album's release and he wasn't able to go out to play any dates in support of the record.

 

[Rudy]

You'd think it would have charted a lot higher given all the talent they threw at this recording!

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I'll have to correct myself....Disney's goofy rooster is named "Hei Hei." So maybe he's a tribute that's trying not to be a copyright violation!

 

[LPJim]

Certainly based on quality this and the earlier solo LP should have been more commercially successful. It took a while for Supertramp to catch on as well. The first album (SP 4274) was initially only released in Europe & Canada in 1970 and not in the U.S. until 1978 (SP 4665 & SP/CD 3149). Even with its provocative cover art, the next album, INDELIBLY STAMPED (SP 4311) wasn't very successful in 1971 as the first U.S. release. CRIME OF THE CENTURY in 1974 was the breakthrough, and I remember tracks from it getting lots of airplay. The band was fortunate that A&M believed in them, as well some friends who were also benefactors in terms of financial support.

JB

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I still remember a two-page color ad in Billboard pushing Crime of the Century. I thought it was really unusual that A&M would go to that expense to plug an album by a relatively-unknown band, but they knew what they were doing!

 

[toeknee4bz]

Man, I oughta check this one out. The boys from Toto are all over it!

 

[toeknee4bz]

Ok, now that I examine the credits a bit more closely, they're mainly on track 2.

 

[Steven J. Gross]

Streaming it now on Amazon unlimited. Nice album, never heard of it before now, could pass as pure Supertramp!