Infected

Folks, I’ve been infected. The bug has bit, the virus attacked, I’m positively ill.

With what, you ask? Might I have the dreaded H1N1?

Thankfully, no. This infection is much more fun than that. This infection is courtesy of two Philadelphia natives. Their names: Daryl Hall and John Oates.

These guys are underrated. Sure, they’re on the more extreme end of the cheese spectrum, and they look remarkably goofy, but their music is just damn catchy—infectious, if you will. (A-ha!) They have at least four great songs, and for a band that did most of its work during the pop music dark age of the 70s and early 80s, that’s pretty impressive. And while they may have been repopularized to some extent through being sampled by Girl Talk and others, I think their songs deserve some attention for their own, standalone merits.

Take “You Make My Dreams,” for example, off of their 1980 effort Voices (thanks Nate!). The song gets off to a great start, with bouncy octaves played by a funky-sounding synth. And then, enter Daryl Hall on lead vocals. Money. There isn’t a lot of subtlety to his performance, but he nails every note, no matter how high, with gusto. In general, the song’s pretty bare—there’s little of that cheesy, layered, smooth sound that marred much of the music of this period. But, for kicks, they throw in some cheesy vocal “ooh” interjections that are used sparingly enough so as not to grate the ears. It’s a well-crafted, infectious track:

Hall & Oates – You Make My Dreams (YSI) (filesavr)

Hall & Oates were part of a movement called Philadelphia soul, which originated with groups like the O’Jays and the Delfonics in the early 70s. Indeed, you can hear connections to the classic soul in the music of Hall & Oates, particularly in the unrestrained ebullience of their voices. And it’s hard to go wrong with soul music, so give it a listen. Here are two other classic Hall & Oates tracks, enjoy:

Hall & Oates – Maneater (YSI) (filesavr)
Hall & Oates – Rich Girl (YSI) (filesavr)