I’m not sure when it became ironic to dig Hall & Oates, but it bothers me deeply. Sure, I get that we’re all supposed to be so friggin’ cool by now that it’s impossible to love something without wrapping air quotes around it. But the blue-eyed soul duo’s awesomeness is so indisputable, it should be immune to winking snark. After all, these are the guys who wrote “Sara Smile”, “Maneater”, and one of the most perfect break-up tunes of all time, “She’s Gone”. There’s nothing guilty about the pleasure these songs bring the first, second, or hundredth time you hear them. And if you’ve never seen them performed live, do yourself a favor and check out the band’s current “Do What You Want, Be Who You Are” tour.
Still not convinced? Here’s five reasons you should see Hall & Oates live…
1. Because they’ll be wearing clothes a whole lot cooler than these:
2. Because Oates is…gasp!…going mustache-less these days.
3. Because there’s nothing comparable to the sound of a few thousand people trying to reproduce the hand-clap that comes 44 seconds into this song…
4. Because they’ll also be playing this…
5. Because when we recently saw them play the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Connecticut, Hall never once uttered the line, “Here’s one you may not know from our new album”.
i gained a newfound appreciation of hall & oates from the bird and the bee’s album, “interpreting the masters volume 1: a tribute to daryl hall & john oates.” check it out, it’s absolutely fantastic!
The Bird and the Bee’s album IS good, but nothing beats the originals. I’ve loved Hall & Oates for 20 plus years…guess I’ve been cool all these years without knowing it! Daryl’s voice is incredible.
Geez, should have said 30 years…dang, I’m old.
Same with me Angie. I saw Hall & Oates back in 80′s in concert and they were fantastic. I’d love to see them again.
I’m being completely serious, who are these people you speak of who dont like H+O? Everyone I’ve ever met thinks they are the jam. “I cant go for that” is one of the catchiest, funkiest songs ever. The bass hook, the keyboard, that little guitar riff, its pop perfection. Anyone who tries to be too cool for school and claim that H+O arent the Sh_t can take a one way ticket to the D-bag hall of fame.
“Now IIIIIIIIIIII, oh IIIIIIIII, must agree with youuuuuuuu, Mr. Hutchy, ooooo-hoo-ooooo….” ‘I can’t go for that’ is such a freakin awesome song, for all the reasons you stated…
I’m not ashamed to say it, I LOVE their version of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.” And I was singing right along with “Kiss on my LIst” just the other day and having a blast. Long live Hall and Oates!
I know it’s cool to slam or mock H&O but I love them. They produced some amazing pop music and their harmonies are among the best in pop music history. Nothing wrong with music being nothing more than fun and catchy.
I’m 20 and I love Hall & Oates. Not ironically, not with a wink and a nudge, but with a genuine passion. Pop geniuses.
i tend to not like people as much once they diss hall & oates
You Lost that Lovin’ Feeling was always one of the best covers despite the fact that their bridge copied a bit of Hang On Sloopy by The McCoys. I have seen Hall and Oates live and eventhough Daryl cannot sing the high notes like he used to, they are STILL amazing. AND Jimmy Fallon still keeps Johns mustache alive with his Extreme Mustache fighting sketch.
Shame on Jan Werner for not putting them into the RRHOF yet.
That sequence was my favorite part of 500 Days, especially the Han Solo wink. That song was also used well on an SNL bit with Hall and Oates making their cases for Obama v McCain in the run up to the last election.
Hall & Oates was my first concert ever when I was 15!! I had third row seats and made my way up to the stage and Oates touched my hand!!!
They were my first concert, too! I was a freshman in high school. They were the openning act for ELO.
Chris, I was at that show too, quite the gray-haired crowd, no? hehe. Not playing “one on one” kinda made us sad though
Hall and Oates are bad ass and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool. Private eyes is perfection.
I have been a serious Hall & Oates fan since about 1982 and I am NOT ashamed of it. I Can’t Go For That is a song that was way ahead of its time. It was a jam then and it is a jam now. These guys are not slouches live either. I love them and am damned proud to say it.
I saw Hall & Oates about 3 years ago and it was one of the best concerts I had seen in along time. They still sounded great, and the songs were so much fun to sing alot too…brought back alot of great memories!
Hall and Oates may have had a hard time assembling a fully-realized album, a serious liability in an era of album-oriented sales. Now that iTunes has ushered in a singles-oriented sales era, Hall and Oates look like geniuses. The fact is they’ve got more amazing singles that appeal to more types of listeners than practically anyone else in their genre. Bottom line, Hall and Oates rule.
Actually you should really check out Private Eyes, the album. 9 songs, 30 minutes, great songs start to finish. Abandoned Lunchenette and Voices are also solid as well.
But yeah, they were definitely a singles band first and foremost. Amazing how many classic songs they wrote in a roughly 10-year period.
Saw them last year and they were wonderful. Go see them if you get a chance.
Saw them last time they came to Montreal, and it was seriously one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. They really can’t be beat live! And c’mon, if we’re being really honest everyone knows the lyrics but heart to at least three H&O songs. At least!