Rocking Retro – Hall & Oates
Up until the 80’s, Daryl Hall and John Oates were basically a one-hit wonder, scoring with “Rich Girl” and then all but disappearing from the charts until their breakthrough years later, eventually surpassing the Everly Brothers as the most successful duo in pop music history. Â It wasn’t until they lost their Philly soul influences and incorporated the burgeoning New Wave sound that the group’s legendary chart run took off.
Critics always lambasted Hall & Oates for bastardizing Philly soul, and that is probably true, increasingly so as their career continued. Â But no one can deny the pop chops – the duo could write pop tunes like no other, many of which were Top Ten hits, and a few earned the top spot. Â Recently, I went through the never-ending Essential Hall & Oates collection – a three-disc affair of gold hits, album cuts, and forgotten gems. Â The shift is not immediate, but it’s clear – like most groups that made a successful transition from the 70’s to the 80’s, Daryl and John hung up their acoustic guitars and plugged in drum machines and synthesizers to keep up with the changing times. Â The results were mixed, and not all of their hits stand the test of time or age well, but there are a few that are bona fide classics.
Hall & Oates – I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)
Hall & Oates – You Make My Dreams Come True
Hall & Oates – Maneater
Hall & Oates – Out of Touch
Hall & Oates – Private Eyes
