Hall and Oates - Rock 'n Soul Part 1 - RCA

Review by Jennifer Perkins

My boyfriend often says one of the biggest mistakes he ever made was buying me Hall and Oates Greatest Hits, or Rock 'n Soul Part I. I say it was a blessing since it is probably my very favorite greatest hits collection of all time.

Hall and Oates make great pop music for a multitude of reasons. For on these guys have excellent voices. You may scoff at the memories of the bad videos, but everyone else was doing it too. Not many bands have the versatility to go from a rock feel to an R&B one in the blink of an eye. Duos are far and few between and I think like Marvin Gaye to Tammi Terrell, Daryl Hall and John Oates are harmony making soul mates. Taking hints from shoo-wop bands of the 50’s and 60’s its no wonder Hall and Oates had 6 Billboard number one hits in the 80’s.

The sad part is Hall and Oates are greatly under appreciated and often over looked. If you listen to the 80’s radio stations, or even those that play soft rock you rarely hear Hall and Oates. Maybe the fact that their music is fairly difficult to categorize is why they are now having a hard time being placed in retro rotation.

Songs you do hear occasionally are “Sara Smile” which although is a great song, is not very typical of the duos stylings. This song almost ended a friendship between a grade school buddy and I. I was so bitter her name was Sara, their were no songs about Jennifer (I was really pissed when the Jefferson starship song about a Sara came out). You also hear “Man Eater” occasionally on the radio. This is not one of their better songs and unfortunately it is one that has left a jokey taste for Hall and Oates in a lot of people’s mouths.

What is Hall and Oates best? Well for one the surly “Rich Girl”. Like “Sara Smile” this is a more guitar driven song than what Hall and Oates are typically remembered for. Another goody is “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)”, I’m a sucker for a synthesizer, and the intro to this song is perfect. Others like “You Make My Dreams” and “Private Eyes” are enough to make you dance around in a blazer with shoulder pads.

As for my boyfriend, bitching about me listening to this CD, seems like I remember someone’s solo project called Our Own Somewhere where they covered a little ditty called “Kiss is on my List”. Don’t try to deny the power that is Hall and Oates, it is a mighty force.

Read where Our Own Somewhere got their name from here.