Hall & Oates

In the ’70s and ’80s, Daryl Hall and John Oates put together a string of hits that established them as the most successful duo in Pop music history, surpassing the Everly Brothers in the process. The blue-eyed soul men rose to prominence with the now-classic mid-’70s hits “She’s Gone,” “Sara Smile,” and “Rich Girl” (the latter was their first #1 hit), and would go on to score monster singles and platinum albums, starting with 1980’s self-produced Voices: “Kiss On My List” nailed that signature formula of easy rockin’ melody and flawlessly smooth soul that would also guarantee the success of “Private Eyes” and “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do).”

If you know Hall & Oates only from their hits, Next Steps will be both a pleasure and a revelation.

The first half of the ’80s was Hall & Oates’ golden period, and tracks like “Dance On Your Knees” and “All American Girl,” from 1984’s Big Bam Boom, exemplify to perfection the crisp sound of the decade’s dance pop, with Hall cutting an elegant figure center-stage. On the former track, you can hear the influence of hip-hop pioneer Arthur Baker: check out those chopped ’n’ stuttered backing vocals. Flip back in time to 1972 and you’ll find, in a track like “I’m Sorry,” an exquisite blend of funky soul and R&B, while the title track from ’73’s Abandoned Luncheonette reveals Daryl Hall’s lyric skills: “Hair black and wavy, Brilliantine slick, a pot-cleaning dandy, he was young and randy.”

Look behind the bangs and the ’tache and you’ll find our Hall & Oates Deep Cuts.

Hall & Oates wasn’t solely about R&B. At one time or another, the duo tested a wide range of musical frequencies, from delicate acoustic folk — “Southeast City Window” from 1972 debut Whole Oats — to the breezy, free-wheeling acoustic pop of “London, Luck & Love,” and the sparky rock of “Don’t Blame It On Love” from 1978’s Along the Red Ledge, featuring guitar work by King Crimson’s Robert Fripp. Eventually, trial and error gave way to their real strength: solid rhythmic beds beneath killer hooks and dazzling vocal melodies, the kind of lightning in a bottle captured on “Family Man” — we’ve included the excellent remastered 2004 Rock Mix here.

With Daryl’s falsetto and John’s smooth baritone in the spotlight, Hall & Oates dominated the blue-eyed soul airwaves for well over a decade. It would come as no surprise to find out that, back in the mid-’60s, Hall had worked with Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell, who would make their names as the architects of Philly soul. The duo’s biggest hits, including the chart-topping “Maneater” and “Private Eyes,” made indelible commercial impressions, staying on lips (and lists) long after they were cut. And their deeper, less familiar tracks — variously incorporating elements of folk, new wave, and rock — bestow on the Philadelphia pair a sense of deep-rooted legitimacy. Fact is, if Daryl and John weren’t artistically invincible, they were pretty damn close.