Take Five: Pre-megastardom Gems from Hall and Oates

Daryl Hall and John Oates were among the biggest musical acts of the 1980s. With their trademark mix of soul, r&b and pop, the duo soared to the heights of the charts with 1980’s Platinum-selling Voices, and sustained their momentum through that decade. Each of their successive ‘80s albums – Private Eyes (1981), H₂O (1982), 1984’s Big Bam Boom and Ooh Yeah! from 1988 – all sold Platinum or better, and in that period Hall & Oates placed a staggering 21 singles on the U.S. Top 40.

That landmark run overshadows the fact that Hall and Oates weren’t exactly an overnight sensation. Voices, the album that kicked off that string of mega-successful records, was the duo’s ninth studio album. The records they made throughout the 1970s were solid sellers, and most of those albums had at least a modestly commercially successful single. From a critical standpoint, H&O were making quality music for years before they went supernova. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of their fourth and self-titled album, here are five must-hear Hall and Oates cuts from their first decade.

“She’s Gone” from Abandoned Luncheonette (1973)
While their 1972 debut Whole Oates didn’t chart anywhere in the world, the duo’s second release, 1973’s Abandoned Luncheonette proved a success with critics and listeners alike. Working with some the music industry’s best session players, Hall and Oates served up a solid set of songs, with the soulful and melancholy “She’s Gone” as the album’s single. On its original release, the song didn’t crack the Top 40, but “She’s Gone” is considered by many (including its writers) as one of Hall and Oates’ best-ever tracks.

“Can’t Stop the Music (He Played it Much Too Long)” from War Babies (1974)
Rather than building on the commercial momentum of Abandoned Luncheonette, for their third LP Hall and Oates instead made a deeply idiosyncratic album. Produced by old friend Todd Rundgren, the experimental War Babies is the duo’s oddest record, filled with unusual arrangements and surreal lyrical imagery. Yet among hardcore fans, it’s often cited as a favorite. Penned by John Oates, the album’s non-charting single is representative of the off-kilter yet compelling character of War Babies.

“Sara Smile” from Daryl Hall & John Oates (1976)
The commercial misstep of War Babies resulted in Hall and Oates being dropped by Atlantic, their record label. Picked up by RCA, the duo moved back toward their Philly soul style for their fourth album. The third of three singles released from Daryl Hall & John Oates, the slinky smooth “Sara Smile” was an exemplar of their trademark sound, and won the duo their first-ever Top 40 single.

“Rich Girl” from Bigger Than Both of Us (1977)
The 1970s saw a number of expletives find their way into hit singles: Pink Floyd slipped bullshit into “Money,” and Hall and Oates’ funky “Rich Girl” used the word bitch as a rhyming device (and a pointed comment on the song’s subject). The single climbed to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, the first of six Hall and Oates tunes to claim that achievement.

“It’s a Laugh” from Along the Red Ledge (1978)
Hall and Oates followed up Bigger Than Both of Us with a (somewhat premature) best-of release, 1977’s No Goodbyes. A few months later, Beauty on a Back Street was released. Though it earned some positive reviews, it didn’t sell. A live album followed, 1978’s Livetime, and in August ‘78 the duo released Along the Red Ledge. Featuring a superstar collection of guest guitarists (Todd Rundgren, George Harrison, Dick Wagner, Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, King Crimson’s Robert Fripp), the album opened with its single, Hall’s bitter “It’s a Laugh.” The single stalled at No. 20, but Hall and Oates had the last laugh: within two years they would be well on their way to household name status.