About the Album:
The Hooters got their start in Philadelphia in the early ‘80s. They “mixed a wide range of musical styles from pop, ska, folk and new wave” ACF through five studio albums, before going on hiatus. Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian, the pair of singer/songwriters at the core of the group, continued to write and play for other musicians including Mick Jagger, Bon Jovi, Journey, Ricky Martin, LeAnn Rimes, the Scorpions, and Patty Smyth. They even helmed a few projects of their own, Hyman spearheaded 1998’s Largo project with a slew of guest musicians. Bazilian released a couple of solo albums and wrote Joan Osborne’s 1996 Grammy Record of the Year nominee “One of Us.”
14 years later, they return with Time Stand Still. “For a moment, it sounds like time has done just that as the opening track, I’m Alive, jolts listeners back to the group’s heyday in 1985 when they had a multi-platinum album, top 40 hits like ‘And We Danced’…and the world at their feet.” MG
Part of the reason for the seamless transition from then until now is the consistent lineup. Eric Bazilian, Rob Hyman, and David Uosikkinen were original members of the band. John Lilley joined in 1983 and Fran Smith Jr. in 1987. As Hyman says, “we took a long break and finally over various years and for various reasons, it became obvious that it’s time to make another record.” We had 10 or 12 years of stuff we were playing live, ideas we had accumulated – demos here and there.” ACF As Bazilian says, “‘When Rob and I got together in June of ‘06 to take stock of songs we had done separately and together, it was pretty obvious whatever creative blocks the two of us had we had gotten over…We have our – I wouldn’t even call them battles, we have our struggles. But it’s so clear now we have the same goal, the same vision.’” MG
Hyman commented on what it’s like to take so much time between albums. “It almost feels like another debut, after that much time away from really writing…You have all these years to make your debut album. So you have all this music stored up, then all of sudden you have to crank them out faster.” ACF
The reunion was sparked by a handful of tours in the new millennium and the VH1 Save the Music Foundation show in New York City. Groups from the ‘80s were asked to perform their own material and a song from the ‘80s they wished they’d written. As Hyman says, “Eric and I loved the invitation and we started scratching our heads trying to find a song we both liked and that we could do justice to…We landed on [Don Henley’s 1984] Boys of Summer…and we did a duo version at this gig. It was fantastic and over the years we started playing it live in the show. So when we went into the studio, enough people had been bugging us to record it and see what happened. And finding a different take on the song, a sadness, as a ballad worked for us.” ACF
It turned into an “excellent acoustic cover” ACF that was “more haunting than Henley could have ever conceived.” ACF As Hyman says, “It also get in with the themes of the record. Time Stand Still is…about being a band for 25 years and being alive literally and time standing still. And ‘Boys of Summer’ had a whole nostalgic feel to it.” ACF
That song and “their original Ordinary Lives showcases the softer side” ACF of the Hooters. Hyman describes it as “a simple song about books, music and experiences that feel your life, how art affects you and friendship affects you. Things that take you out of your ordinary world. There’s that line ‘extraordinary moments, ordinary lives.’ That one came together quickly, the good ones always seem to happen that way. Eric and I were playing acoustic guitars at his house one day, we were like ‘hey let’s record that.’ And the band enjoyed cutting it. That was really a live take. I don’t remember if it was a first take, it might have been. It felt so natural and easy in a way.” ACF
“Most of the album is in full-on rock mode” ACF marked by “uplifting, positive songs and excellent musicianship that showcases their skills as a tight unit.” ACF “Unlike some artists who think staying relevant means running from what makes you unique, the Hooters weren’t afraid to make use of what they do best. Within reason. ‘There are times when we’ll do something and say, ‘That sounds too much like us. It sounds like us in 1986,’ laughs Bazilian. ‘It has to sound like us, but not sound like something we've done already.’” MG
The Hooters previewed some of the songs during live shows in 2005 and 2006. WK One cut, Until You Dare, first surfaced on Eric Bazilian’s 2000 solo album The Optimist.
“Even though time has passed, their music has stood the test of time and this release…solidifies them as a band that hasn’t lost touch both musically and spiritually to what made The Hooters one of the most interesting and hard-to-peg acts of the last 20 years.” ACF
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