| Hall
& Oates, from their first hit in
1974 through their heyday in the '80s,
Daryl Hall and John Oates' smooth,
catchy take on Philly soul brought them
enormous commercial success -- including
six number one singles and six platinum
albums -- yet little critical success.
Hall & Oates' music was remarkably
well-constructed and produced; at their
best, their songs were filled with
strong hooks and melodies that adhered
to soul traditions without being a slave
to them by incorporating elements of new
wave and hard rock.
Daryl Hall began performing
professionally while he was a student at
Temple University. In 1966, he recorded
a single with Kenny Gamble and the
Romeos; the group featured Gamble, Leon
Huff, and Thom Bell, who would all
become the architects of Philly soul.
During this time, Hall frequently
appeared on sessions for Gamble and
Huff. In 1967, Hall met John Oates, a
fellow Temple University student. Oates
was leading his own soul band at the
time. The two students realized they had
similar tastes and began performing
together in an array of R&B and doo wop
groups. By 1968, the duo had parted
ways, as Oates transferred schools and
Hall formed the soft rock band Gulliver;
the group released one album on Elektra
in the late '60s before disbanding.
After Gulliver's breakup, Hall
concentrated on session work again,
appearing as a backup vocalist for the
Stylistics, the Delfonics, and the
Intruders, among others. Oates returned
to Philadelphia in 1969, and he and Hall
began writing folk-oriented songs and
performing together. Eventually they
came to the attention of Tommy Mottola,
who quickly became their manager,
securing the duo a contract with
Atlantic Records. On their first records
-- Whole Oates (1972), Abandoned
Luncheonette (1973), War Babies (1974)
-- the duo were establishing their
sound, working with producers like Arif
Mardin and Todd Rundgren and removing
much of their folk influences. At the
beginning of 1974, the duo relocated
from Philadelphia to New York. During
this period, they only managed one hit
-- the number 60 "She's Gone" in the
spring of 1974.
After they moved to RCA in 1975, the
duo landed on its successful mixture of
soul, pop, and rock, scoring a Top Ten
single with "Sara Smile." The success of
"Sara Smile" prompted the re-release of
"She's Gone," which rocketed into the
Top Ten as well. Released in the summer
of 1976, Bigger than the Both of Us was
only moderately successful upon its
release. The record took off in early
1977, when "Rich Girl" became the duo's
first number one single.
Although they had several minor hits
between 1977 and 1980, the albums Hall &
Oates released at the end of the decade
were not as successful as their mid-'70s
records. Nevertheless, they were more
adventurous, incorporating more rock
elements into their blue-eyed soul. The
combination would finally pay off in
late 1980, when the duo released the
self-produced Voices, the album that
marked the beginning of Hall & Oates'
greatest commercial and artistic
success. The first single from Voices, a
cover of the Righteous Brothers' "You've
Lost That Lovin' Feeling," reached
number 12, yet it was the second single,
"Kiss on My List" that confirmed their
commercial potential by becoming the
duo's second number one single; its
follow-up, "You Make My Dreams" hit
number five. They quickly released
Private Eyes in the summer of 1981; the
record featured two number one hits,
"Private Eyes" and "I Can't Go for That
(No Can Do)," as well as the Top Ten hit
"Did It in a Minute." "I Can't Go for
That (No Can Do)" also spent a week at
the top of the R&B charts -- a rare
accomplishment for a White act. H20
followed in 1982 and it proved more
successful than their two previous
albums, selling over two million copies
and launching their biggest hit single,
"Maneater," as well as the Top Ten hits
"One on One" and "Family Man." The
following year, the duo released a
greatest-hits compilation, Rock 'N Soul,
Pt. 1, that featured two new Top Ten
hits -- the number two "Say It Isn't So"
and "Adult Education."
In April of 1984, the Recording
Industry Association of America
announced that Hall & Oates had
surpassed the Everly Brothers as the
most successful duo in rock history,
earning a total of 19 gold and platinum
awards. Released in October of 1984, Big
Bam Boom expanded their number of gold
and platinum awards, selling over two
million copies and launching four Top 40
singles, including the number one "Out
of Touch." Following their
contract-fulfilling gold album Live at
the Apollo with David Ruffin & Eddie
Kendrick, Hall & Oates went on hiatus.
After the lukewarm reception for Daryl
Hall's 1986 solo album, Three Hearts in
the Happy Ending Machine, the duo
regrouped to release 1988's Ooh Yeah!,
their first record for Arista. The first
single, "Everything Your Heart Desires,"
went to number three and helped propel
the album to platinum status.
However, none of the album's other
singles broke the Top 20, indicating
that the era of chart dominance had
ended. Change of Season, released in
1990, confirmed that fact. Although the
record went gold, it only featured one
Top 40 hit -- the number 11 single, "So
Close." The duo hasn't released an album
since 1997 |
