CoronaVinyl Day 368 (H): Power by John Hall

For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.

Today's CoronaVinyl category is "H," and I'm dipping into the seemingly never-ending well of vinyl I got from my neighbor.  The last haul included on John Hall solo record and two John Hall Band records.  Today I went with his third solo studio album, 1979's Power.

Now you might be saying, "Wait, John Hall?  Is that the former lead singer and guitarist of Orleans or the Congressman from New York?"  The answer is "yes" to both.  Hall is a renaissance man.  He had been a session musician and, along with his wife Johanna, a songwriter for other artists, including Janis Joplin.  In 1972, he co-founded Orleans, and would remain in the band until 1977.  He played guitar in the band, shared lead vocal duties with keyboardist Larry Hoppen, and he and Johanna wrote the vast majority of the band's songs during that time, including their two biggest hits, 1975's "Dance With Me" (#6) and 1976's "Still The One" (#5).

After leaving the band, he went solo and also became an active voice in the anti-nuclear movement.  Power definitely had an anti-nuclear and activist tilt.  The title track became an anthem for environmentalism and against nuclear power.

Overall, the album is a mostly combination of AOR, soft rock, and pop rock.  It's not bad.  Hall would go on to form the John Hall Band and released a couple albums with them until reuniting with Orleans in 1985.  He stayed active in both music and activism, and in 2006, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as the representative from New York's 19th congressional district.  He won reelection in 2008, but then was defeated in 2010.

He has continued to make music, both with Orleans and solo, and released a solo album last year and an album with Orleans last year.

The Spotify version of Power has a bonus track called "Plutonium is Forever," in case you weren't clear where he was coming from.

Favorite Song on Side 1:  "So"
The last song on Side 1 has a funk rock, new wave feel.

Favorite Song on Side 2:  "Arms/Half Moon"
"Arms" is a funky rock instrumental, before it breaks into "Half Moon," an uptempo southern rock song.