Daryl Hall & John Oates

Two lovers of Black music from Philadelphia, Hall and Oates debuted on the renowned soul label Atlantic. They made fine records with producers Arif Mardin and Todd Rundgren, yet major hits eluded them and they nearly changed direction. This was their first album after moving to RCA—and the move worked brilliantly.

Daryl sings the sentimental ballad ‘Sara Smile’, written about his girlfriend and songwriting partner Sara Allen, with a smouldering intensity. It climbed to No. 4 in the US; the album reached No. 17 and brought them their first gold disc.

Their search for a more sharply defined, contemporary sound while still holding soul music close became clearer after the move, leading to their 1977 No. 1 ‘Rich Girl’ and the great breakthrough of the 1980s. The success of ‘Sara Smile’ also brought an unusual second life to ‘She’s Gone’: a single that had stalled outside the Top 60 in 1974 was reissued two years later after they had changed labels and eventually reached No. 9.