Hall & Oates

Self-produced during the most prolific and successful period of their career, Hall & Oates' Private Eyes scored two Number 1 hits in 1981. Their blue-eyed soul is given a scruffy, new wavish update on album cuts like "Did it in a Minute" and "Friday Let Me Down," while drum machines and analog synths counter uptown saxophone on perfectly crafted, signature songs like "I Can't Go for That" and the title track. Thanks to its unblemished pop luster and the millennial music scene's fashionable retroism, Private Eyes is like a sonic wormhole connecting then to now.

Not that I expect you to feel sorry for them, but Daryl Hall and John Oates are victims of the
pretty-boy syndrome. Gratuitous prettiness arouses primal jealousies and unflattering
suspicions about intelligence, moral fiber and how some people gain undeserved breaks
because of high cheekbones. Not only are Hall and Oates pretty, but they make music that
matches their looks. No matter what stylistic phase they're going through (pop-f... More >