The Essential Daryl Hall & John Oates

Performer: Hall & Oates
Producer: Daryl Hall; Arif Mardin; Christopher Bond; John Oates; Neil Kernon; Bob Clearmountain; T-Bone Wolk; Arthur Baker; Kenny Gioia; Sheppard Gioia; Arif Mardin; Christopher Bond; David Foster; Neil Kernon; Bob Clearmountain; T-Bone Wolk; Arthur Baker; Danny Kortchmar; Dave Tyson; Jon Bon Jovi; Dave Bellochio; Andy Sheppard; Kenny Gioia; Rob Santos (Compilation); Jeremy Holiday (Compilation)
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Hall & Oates: Daryl Hall, John Oates. Photographers: Eliot Lewis; David Gahr. Arrangers: Daryl Hall; Christopher Bond; John Oates. RCA/Arista/Legacy's 2005 release The Essential Daryl Hall & John Oates is a repackaging of BMG Heritage's excellent 2004 compilation Ultimate Daryl Hall + John Oates. Spanning two discs and 38 tracks, the set contains all 18 songs from 2001's The Very Best of Daryl Hall & John Oates, which was a single-disc, 18-track collection that contained all of the duo's big hits from the '70s and '80s (three tracks were in alternate single mixes on that collection; they're presented in their original album mixes here), along with "She's Gone" (absent on The Very Best) and two other Atlantic tracks from the early '70s, selections from their Arista recordings of the late '80s and early '90s, as well as cuts from 1997's Marigold Sky and 2003's excellent comeback single, "Do It for Love." While there are still plenty of great album tracks, particularly from the Atlantic years, that would have been welcome additions, that's something only the hardcore fans who already have all the albums will quibble about. For the less dedicated listener, all that matters is that there are no major hits missing on The Essential Daryl Hall & John Oates (there are a couple of low-charting singles from the late '70s that have been left behind, but their absence isn't notable) and that the remastered sound is very good, making this an ideal compilation for fans looking for a thorough, career-spanning collection of hits. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The pre-eminent white soul duo of the 1970s and '80s, Daryl Hall and John Oates ruled pop radio for years with their hook-ridden hits. The pair eventually moved beyond their initial inspirations--primarily Motown groups like the Temptations and Philly soul artists like Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes--and incorporated pop, rock and disco into a sound that managed to be both commercial and soulful.

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