hall and oates

Ah, the fickle finger of fortune, the prevaricating pointer of popularity...
Okay, i'm gilding the lilly. Yes, john oates and daryl hall's reputation went from 80s monolith to 90s nobodies. Perhaps never quite as great as their glory...but it's also fair to say that their fall from grace wasn't merit-based. Dedicated musicians who earned their gold records the hard way, with their first ten albums producing just three hits. They went from playing stadiums for a year in the middle of the 70s, back to doing the clubs, until their monster hits started rolling in 1980. They wrote their own songs, found a unique sound (the merging of, well, rock and soul), and gave us one of pop music's all-time pure voices.
The impetus for this best-of was mr. oates' new memoir, which reads like something a teenager would write for his grandmother. But i was inspired to listen to their whole canon, including many albums i'd not heard. Never brilliant, but often dandy - do you have any idea how hard it is to write just ONE tune that leaves people humming it the next day? By my count, they did so thirty times (plus a few more as solo artists). And their best albums, by my not-so-humble measure, may surprise you. Lift that stylus!
HALL AND OATES GREATEST ALBUMS
"Abandoned Luncheonette" (1973)
Blue-eyed folk? Produced by arif mardin and inspired by the decade of dylan, so smooth and sweet.
STANDOUT TRACKS: "When the Morning Comes", "Las Vegas Turnaround", "She's Gone"
"Livetime" (1978)
Their first live album, recorded at Hershey Park. It tanked. More loose and light-hearted than a stadium show.
"Sacred Songs" (1980, daryl hall solo)
Recorded in 1977 and deemed uncommercial by their label, it was only released after three years of pressure. Produced by robert fripp of King Crimson, it's sonically startling. And daryl has never sounded better.
"Voices" (1980)
In terms of their career, the big bam boom, and the first time they produced themselves.
STANDOUT TRACKS: "Kiss On My List", "You Make My Dreams", "Everytime You Go Away", "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", "Diddy Doo Wop"
"Rock n' Soul Part 1"
A shimmering constellation, topped by two tracks that still stand as best new songs on a hits album ever.
STANDOUT TRACKS: "Say It Isn't So", "Adult Education", "Wait For Me (live)"
"Change of Season" (1990)
With the spotlight firmly off them, they produced a gem.
STANDOUT TRACKS: "So Close", "Starting All Over Again", "Don't Hold Back Your Love"
"Our Kind of Soul" (2004)
Fourteen covers plus three originals, the duo capture their own sound perfectly. The only H&O album without a weak link?
STANDOUT TRACKS: "Let Love Take Control", "Soul Violins", "I Can Dream About You"
"Home for Christmas" (2006)
Greatest Maxmas album ever? So warm, so beautiful, and the greatest first vocal note on an album ever. This, THIS is their only album without a weak link!
STANDOUT TRACKS: "Overture/The First Noel", "Home for Christmas", "Everyday Will be Like a Holiday", "Children, Go Where I Send Thee", "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"
"Good Road to Follow" (2014, john oates solo)
Forty years after becoming a vocal superstar, mr. oates finds his voice. Startlingly fresh production over killer melodic precision.
STANDOUT TRACK: "Stone Cold Love"