It’s been all over the news: Daryl Hall is suing John Oates. As per the Associated Press, Hall claims that “Oates and his team engaged in the ‘ultimate partnership betrayal’ by pushing to sell his share [of Whole Oats Enterprises LLP] while telling Hall’s associates that he wanted to maintain his ownership.” It’s hard to believe that one of music’s most beloved duos is at war; songs like “Maneater,” “Rich Girl” and “Out of Touch” are woven into the very fabric of music history, so to think that Hall & Oates is now just Hall and Oates comes as a shock to the system. Regardless, this is reality, so in honor of the rift that has come between this iconic duo, I’ve decided to review their aptly named 1976 album, Bigger Than Both Of Us.
“Back Together Again” starts the album out with a jazzy intro and a rare glimmer of John Oates at lead vocals. It sounds like something straight out of the ’60s, and although it’s a repetitive and relatively simple track, it’s catchy enough that it works. The song centers around both the reunion of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and “someone [mentally] getting it back together again.” “Back Together Again” is followed by “Rich Girl,” undeniably the most popular song from this record. Here, Daryl Hall’s voice is biting, and he snarkily calls out then-girlfriend Sara Allen’s ex-boyfriend. The reason the song refers to a girl? Apparently, according to Hall, “You can’t write ‘You’re a rich boy’ in a song, so I changed it to a girl.” “Rich Girl” is definitely a highlight of not just the album but Hall & Oates’s discography.
Oates takes over lead vocals again on “Crazy Eyes.” Admittedly, this is one of the less notable songs on Bigger Than Both Of Us — it may be repetitive like “Back Together Again,” but it isn’t able to achieve that same level of catchiness and just becomes an annoying earworm. If we’re talking songs about eyes by Hall & Oates, I much prefer “Private Eyes” (1981). Next is certified deep cut “Do What You Want, Be What You Are,” a slower track about being yourself, which includes a smooth guitar intro and an echo effect laid over the lovely harmonies of the chorus.
“Kerry” proves why Daryl Hall and John Oates work so well together: Oates’s guitar complements Hall’s voice so extraordinarily well, making for a captivating listening experience. “London, Luck & Love” is unimpressive in terms of the vocals and lyrics, but the fun instrumentals manage to make this song engaging. “Room To Breathe” demonstrates a greater grungy, rock influence than the previous songs on Bigger Than Both Of Us. Hall’s voice is absolute perfection during the chorus, where his frustration and angst really come through: “Just give me room to breathe / The choice to stay or leave / I don’t know what you need / Just give me room to breathe,” he sings.
The album slows back down with “You’ll Never Learn,” an Oates-led, pessimistic track about returning to unhealthy behaviors and never learning from your mistakes: “You’ll never learn / You who cheat / You who lie / Now don’t you hate you in the morning.” To finish off Bigger Than Both Of Us is “Falling,” which starts out slow and progressively picks up. Featuring some great guitar during the interlude and an electronic-sounding outro, “Falling” is an interesting track whose only pitfall is its unnecessary length.
Just one listen will tell you that Bigger Than Both Of Us truly is all over the place. That’s the magic of Hall & Oates, though — by deriving from soul, rock and roll and R&B to create their eclectic and idiosyncratic but poppy sound, the duo has not only distinguished themselves from their musical contemporaries but also shown how beautifully they work together. In a 1985 issue of Rolling Stone, Lynn Hirschberg wrote: “Hall doesn’t seem to really like Oates, and Oates seems removed, even distant, from the entire Hall and Oates organization. But they’re both professionals. They work well together, and they would never slag each other publicly. It would just be bad form.” Hirschberg may have been wrong about that last part, but one thing’s for sure: they’re at their best when they act as a unit.
Test Spins is a weekly throwback column reviewing and recommending classic and underrated albums from the past. It runs every Friday.
Sydney Levinton is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].