[.ca] Daryl Hall & John Oates

Philly Soul:
Hall & Oates are the most successful duo of all time on the charts. This is in large part due to their 80's output which has some good songs like "I Can't Go For That" & "One On One", but has alot of cheesy stuff like "Maneater", "Method Of Modern Love" and others. Their 70's music is a different story. They released some of the best blue-eyed soul music ever recorded and this self-titled album is a great example. Most people are familiar with the big hit "Sara Smile", which is a great song, but the album has alot to offer in addition to that. "Out Of Me, Out Of You", "Gino (The Manager)", "Camellia" and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" all have a definite Philly Soul sound and they easily could have been recorded by any of the Philadelphia International artists. The duo started to get a more poppier sound after this release, but this one is a real burner and worth a listen.

First RCA album for Daryl Hall & John Oates:
Featuring the Top 5 hit "Sara Smile", this highly enjoyable rock album has plenty of sonic ammo to satisfy every kind of listener. "Sara Smile" Song-of-The Year" honors from NATRA. Make sure you pick-up the Buddah Records-label version of this album. It contains two previously unreleased tracks in "Ice" and "What's Important To Me". Fine mid-70's rock.

Almost As Good As Abandoned Lunchoenette:
If you want to hear good songs from Hall & Oates that aren't on the radio that often, this album is a good choice. If you want to hear their classic radio hits, this album only has one, Sara Smile. Most of the other songs on this album were not radio hits. "Alone Too Long," and "Camelia" were released as singles but never really reached the popularity level of that "Sara Smile," although they probably should have. My main gripe with the album is "Nothing At All," sounds a lot like the second part of "Out of Me, Out of You." Other than that most of the songs are well written ballads with a touch of early R & B. "Camelia" is classic Hall & Oates style & sounds a lot like the classic Atlantic material from Abandoned Luncheonette and Whole Oates. The rest of the album shows very clearly an evolution away from the accoustic style they began with in their first three albums as they moved closer to the three albums (Voices, Private Eyes, & H20) which gave them their largest group of #1 hits.

• Camellia
• Sara Smile
• Alone Too Long
• Out of Me, Out of You
• Nothing at All
• Gino (The Manager)
• It Doesn't Matter Anymore
• Ennui on the Mountain
• Grounds for Separation
• Soldering
• What's Important to Me \o#\c\o*\c\oDemo Version\c
• Ice \o#\c\o*\c\oDemo Version\c