Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall & John Oates

In this world where box sets from bands that shouldn't have even seen a 7" are as prevalent as bad haircuts in Williamsburg, it's comforting to know that there is a Hall & Oates box set to be had. I have loved Hall and Oates since I was in late single digits and by the time I got my own tape recorder, there were many H&O tracks taped off the radio or TV that were in heavy rotation and they have been a perennial ever since, so when Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall & John Oates came down the promo pike, I was there with bells on.

Listening to the four discs in succession on a long bike ride, it was pretty staggering to be reminded how great a body of work Daryl Hall and John Oates have. I was aware that they are the best selling duo of all time, but a random laser drop through the tracks here drives the point home in spades. Regardless of decade, the songs were (and are) inimitably Hall & Oates. Some of them might have somewhat dated production (the early records and Big Bam Boom come quickest to mind) but there is always a hook and some pretty serious songcraft behind it. How many other artists can you name that have performed with The Temptations, had their songs covered by Lou Rawls before they were even big, charted 36 singles afterward and are doing their next record with Chromeo? Damn few, if any, I'd say. I'd say that last part might be a wee bit of a mis-step, but you can rest assured that there is no possible way that you can go wrong buying Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall & John Oates for yourself or any other Hall & Oates fan in your life. Buy it here and while you're enjoying, pour out a little liquor for T. Bone Wolk.

R