Hall & Oates - Daryl Hall & John Oates

Released - August 1975

Genre - Pop

Producer - Daryl Hall; John Oates & Christopher Bond

Selected Personnel - Daryl Hall (Vocals/Synthesiser/Guitar); John Oates (Vocals/Synthesiser/Guitar); Jim Gordon (Drums); Christopher Bond (Synthesiser/Guitar/String & Horn Arrangements); Michael Baird (Drums); Scott Edwards (Bass); Ed Greene (Drums); Clarence McDonald (Keyboards); Tommy Mottola (Synthesiser); Leland Sklar (Bass)

Standout Track - Sara Smile

1974's War Babies will always be something of an anomaly in the discography of Daryl Hall and John Oates, for better or worse. Despite the fact that their early blue-eyed soul albums had gradually been building up a loyal fanbase, and that "She's Gone" was a relatively decent hit in 1974 (it would become a far bigger success when rereleased in '76), the duo made the commendable but unusual decision to change their tone and style, hiring prog rocker Todd Rundgren to produce War Babies, resulting in an album with elements of their classic pop and soul style, but swathed in art rock trappings that must have alienated a number of fans. Personally, I think it's a really great rock album, but it's fair to say that the space-age synths, lengthy guitar solos and distorted voices booming "Quasar! Quasar!" must have confused those who had enjoyed Abandoned Luncheonette. It's possible that, had they forged on with this new style they may eventually have built up a whole new fanbase (and Daryl Hall's solo work with Robert Fripp a few years later is further testament to that), but the lack of chart success for War Babies prompted the duo to go back to the formula they knew worked, implying that perhaps Rundgren may have pushed them outside of their comfort zone rather than reflecting what they really wanted to do on the album. While the prog rock version of Hall & Oates remains a sadly unfulfilled possibility, the sheer quality of the pop albums they released afterwards, and the enormous success they achieved with them, means they probably made a good call.

1975's Daryl Hall & John Oates, then, is something of a scorched earth policy to demonstrate to fans that they could still produce the catchy pop melodies and crisp, clear soul sound of their earlier stuff. Even the fact that it's self-titled seems to imply a kind of clean slate and back-to-basics approach. Most notably, this album restores John Oates to a position of prominence, having been relegated to little more than a session musician by Rundgren. Here, Oates writes or co-writes eight of the album's ten tracks, in contrast to Daryl Hall's seven writing credits, and his two solo compositions are two of the album's high points. This album also sees the beginning of a group of regular collaborators, rather than the shifting stable of session musicians who had appeared on the duo's earlier albums. Keyboardist Christopher Bond from Abandoned Luncheonette was recalled and bumped up to co-producer status, and other future regular band members such as bassist Leland Sklar, drummer Jim Gordon and synth player Tommy Mottola, made their first appearances. All this lends a tighter and more coherent feeling to proceedings than the looser and more unpredictable War Babies. That predictability and clarity may sound like negatives, but, as I've mentioned before, Hall and Oates, above all else, are just impeccably good pop songwriters, and when the tunes and arrangements are this good, their relatively "safe" nature or the crispness of the production helps rather than hinders as it might with different material.

The big hit was "Sara Smile," which became their first Top Ten hit, written as a tribute to Hall's girlfriend at the time, Sara Allen. It's a smoky, sultry soul ballad and easily the most irresistible pop tune they'd penned up until now, alongside "She's Gone." It forms part of the album's amazing trio of opening tracks along with Oates' two solo compositions, the poppy and upbeat "Camellia" with its glorious, soaring chorus, and the the jazzy, syncopated rhythms and bleeping synths of "Alone Too Long." Oates gives two of his best lead vocal performances here - it's generally impossible to deny the fact that Hall is simply a stronger vocalist, but these are two occasions where Oates proves that he's by no means short of vocal talent himself. "Out Of Me, Out Of You" is an annoying little pop song that just doesn't work for me, but then there's the wonderful "Nothing At All," which takes the sultry vibe of "Sara Smile" and dials it up to eleven, setting Oates' laid-back guitar licks against dense string arrangements and glimmering keyboards, while Hall gives a typically passionate, heartfelt vocal.

The album's second half features the buzzing, pop fun of "Gino (The Manager)" and another pair of classics in "Ennui On The Mountain" and Hall's one solo composition, "Grounds For Separation." The former is great fun, with a great sing-along melody and swaggering, rockabilly guitar riff, and the latter has one of the few moments on the album where the band get to rock out, with the wonderfully angry guitar solo the perfect accompaniment to the slightly muffled vocals and choppy, clanking chord sequence. While there are a couple of tracks on the second half that aren't classics, the only song on the whole record that I actively dislike is "Out Of Me, Out Of You," making it one of the most consistently enjoyable albums the duo ever recorded.

The general public responded positively, too - it became a big hit, driven by the major success of "Sara Smile," and marked the beginning of the duo's major mainstream success. That success would peak in the early 80s, and there would still be a few slightly leaner years to come before they were a genuine pop sensation, but the days of struggling to hone their sound and to find a truly receptive fanbase were over. From now on, Hall & Oates would become regular hitmakers, and the following year they would achieve their first Number One single and another album of consistently brilliant material.

Track Listing:

All songs written by Daryl Hall & John Oates except where noted.

1. Camellia (John Oates)

2. Sara Smile

3. Alone Too Long (John Oates)

4. Out Of Me, Out Of You

5. Nothing At All

6. Gino (The Manager)

7. (You Know) It Doesn't Matter Any More

8. Ennui On The Mountain

9. Grounds For Separation (Daryl Hall)

10. Soldering (Ewart Beckford & Alvin Ranglin)