Daryl Hall John Oates* – Rock 'N Soul Part 1

Hall & Oates were at the peak of their popularity in the early '80s, having recently ascended to mainstream chart glory with 1982’s “H20”. In 1983, the duo opted to release "Rock 'n Soul, Pt. 1: Greatest Hits", going as far back to their '70s singles "She's Gone," "Sara Smile" and "Rich Girl” and up to their ‘80s chart smashes "Kiss on My List," "You Make My Dreams," "Private Eyes," "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)," "Maneater," and "One on One". With Daryl Hall as the lead vocalist and John Oates providing the backing vocals and electric guitar, the duo's faultless harmonies are the real selling point of their punchier, overproduced '80s repertoire, adding a reflective and soothing quality that their earlier work was renowned for. It is for this reason that a singles collection works in their favour and is arguably where their merits are made all the more transparent.

One could determine that any album containing such a wealth of pop gems constitutes a flawless singles collection, but there are some critical errors that prevent it from reaching true greatness: a live version of "Wait for Me" in place of the infinitely superior original recording as well as the glaring omission of "Family Man". Apart from those blunders, Hall & Oates' imperial phase is covered as concisely and faithfully as possible herein, thankfully giving weight to Blue-Eyed Soul exemplaries bolstered by elements of rock and pop, the most ubiquitous of which are included. So as not to deter the emerging MTV audience unfamiliar with their softer Atlantic tenure, this partiality to the pre-"Big Bam Boom" 1980-1983 period is to be expected, even if it now means that it cannot be considered a complete overview and has been expectedly supplanted by overstuffed contemporary offerings that leave a lot to be desired in of momentum and replay value.

Rating: 4.5/5

FYI, this compilation has the single version of She's Gone (3:24) instead of the full-length one which appeared on Abandoned Luncheonette (5:15).

Picked this up for a few bucks at the thrift store and then fell in love with it. Some of the best music from the 80s is on this album. Should be in everyone's collection.

This album comes with a Hall and Oates calendar and an inner sleeve with pictures