1. Intro (0'49)

2. The Woman Comes And Goes (4'05)

3. Don't Blame It On Love (4'44)

4. Rich Girl (3'16)

5. Do What You Want, Be What You Are (6'47)

6. It's A Laugh (4'32)

7. Sweet Soul Music (4'16)

8. Introducing The Band (4'20)

9. Serious Music (5'35)

10. Wait For Me (4'52)

11. Sara Smile (5'22)

12. She's Gone (5'56)

13. Pleasure Beach (4'28)

14. Be Bop / Drop (7'25)

15. Intravino (3'51)

16. Room To Breathe (4'27)

Sat., Nov. 3, 1979, Los Angeles Times

With A Little Help

Hall and Oates at the Roxy
BY DENNIS HUNT
Times Staff Writer

Don't believe everything you see on the Roxy marquee this weekend. It reads "Hall and Oates - Sold Out" The Thursday - Sunday engagement was indeed sold out long ago but the star of the show wasn't really Daryl Hall and John Oates, which is probably news to them.

What the opening night audience saw was the G.E. Smith show. Undoubtedly, few people knew about Smith before the performance, but certainly many were chattering ecstatically about him afterward. He's an obscure guitarist in the Hall and Oates band, who may not be obscure much longer.

Smith simply stole the show from Hall and Oates without doing it intentionally. He just commanded more attention than they did. Besides being a brilliant guitarist, he bas a keen sense of drama and showmanship. His innocent upstaging was inspired by his intense feeling for his music. He seemed able to completely lose himself in those fiery rock pieces. This was obvious by his rapturous expressions and all those fluid but zany movements, some of which were parodies of the leaps, bounces and leg-scissors commonplace among late '50s and early '60s rock 'n' roll musicians.

Without Smith, that band - also including drummer Jerry Marotta, bassist John Siegler and sax player Charlie DeChant - would have been just good rather than superb. Smith's style is violent. He's one of those savage strummers who appear to be trying to reduce the guitar to ruins. His remarkable fervor seemed to inspire the other band members. He was the guiding, driving force that consistently propelled the unit to excellence.

One reason Smith was such a compelling figure was his appearance. The others were dressed funky-casual while he looked as if he had stepped out of another era. With his crew cut, skinny tie, thin-lapels, slightly baggy gray suit, Smith was a comic replica of musicians in those early rock 'n' roll bands.

Focusing on Smith isn't an attempt to belittle Hall and Oates, who put on their usual fine show. This duo, however has slipped in the past two years because it hasn't had any hit singles. Its new RCA album, "X-Static," features an apparent hit but whoever selects its singles hasn't noticed it yet. The song is "Intravino," an amusing and ferociously rocking tale about a wino.

Hall was the primary lead singer while Oates played guitar and sang some harmony and lead vocals. They are rock musicians who came to rock from rhythm and blues. Their rock - "Rich Girl" and "Sara Smile" are good examples - is potent but their R&B is better. The highlight of the show was their tumultuous version of Arthur Conley's '60s R&B hit "Sweet Soul Music."