| The duo's early work - including my personal favorite, 1973's radiant and
rootsy Abandoned Luncheonette - found them covering the musical waterfront. But in
retrospect the common denominator was always an infectious, crowd-pleasing brand of
soulfullness that filtered through everything they did. That special soul was there
whether they were making the mellow folk-rock of 1972's Whole Oats, the trippy hard rock
of 1974's War Babies, the modern and at times disco-ish textures of 1979's X-Static or the
shimmering pop-rock of 1980's breakthrough effort Voices. With that album, Hall & Oates finally became a full-blown superstar act
and they followed with a procession of platinum albums including 1981's Private Eyes,
1982's H20 and 1985's Live at the Apollo With David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks, the duo's
classy salute to their soul forefathers. On Behind The Music, Hall calls that brief union
with the two great Temptations singers the "most defining" moment in his musical
life. Oates, meanwhile, recalls realizing "I've completed my childhood fantasy. I've
done everything I've wanted to do. I've had all the success that any human being could
ever hope to have. What more is there?" Indeed, the duo found themselves literally at
the top of the pops for |
much
of the Eighties. "It was our time, you know," John Oates says on Behind The
Music. "Every dog has his day, you know. We had a couple days."
Of
course, Hall & Oates deserve to have many more days, as the three new studio tracks
available on The Daryl Hall and John Oates Collection prove beautifully. The most familiar
of the songs here is “Somebody Like You.” An earlier version of the song was a
highlight of Daryl’s Three Hearts In The Happy Ending Machine solo album. On Behind
The Music, Hall explains the beautiful song’s tragic backstory, making it all the
more meaningful and heartbreaking. “Heartbreak Time” is a lovely, sad soul gem
that like a lot of Hall & Oates’ best work sounds somehow vintage and modern all
at the same time. Finally there’s a new song that deserves to be Hall & Oates’
next big hit, “Do It For Love,” a convincing declaration of devotion and
dedication that speaks eloquently to the power of harmony. It’s that special harmony
that has helped sustain these two men through the bumps without which no life — and
no episode of Behind The Music — would be complete. As Hall said of the song on the
show, “It was all the things that we don’t want to do and do want to do in life
and music, in our art. I think it sums up everything John and I are all about.” |
Daryl Hall and John Oates
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