Catching Up with John Oates

OK, trivia buffs: who is the most succesful duo in pop music history? Wham? Tears for Fears? Sam & Dave? Seals & Crofts? Simon & Garfunkel? All would be good guesses – but all would be wrong. The charts don’t lie, and according to the charts, the most successful duo by a wide margin is Daryl Hall and John Oates.

Hall & Oates met some 40 years ago when both were students at Philadelphia’s Temple University. Sharing a love for music (Philly soul in particular), they teamed up and began writing songs and playing gigs. Their first album, 1972’s Whole Oats, failed to make waves. But the following year’s Abandoned Luncheonette was a bit more successful and is something of an early high point, combining soul and folk music into something warm and original. The ballad “She’s Gone” was the album’s centerpiece and belatedly provided Hall & Oates with a big hit.

Three albums later, they released Bigger Than Both of Us. That 1976 album spun off three chart hits. “Rich Girl” was the biggest – their first #1, in fact – but the other two sound even better to these ears. Hall’s “Do What You Want, Be What You Are” is a sublime soul ballad while Oates’ “Back Together Again” is just as soulful but more upbeat. “Back Together Again” was the first hit on which Oates took the lead vocal, though Hall’s falsetto backup certainly added an urban eerieness to the mood.

Three more albums later, Hall & Oates came up with X-Static, which brought dance music more prominently into the equation (this was the duo’s eighth studio effort, for those keeping track). Highlights of X-Static, which appeared at the tail end of the 1970s, included the scorching “Portable Radio,” on which they traded vocals, and Hall’s “Wait for Me,” a midtempo ballad and moderate hit.

Still prolific as hell, Hall & Oates rang in the ‘80s with the disc Voices. It’s rare that the ninth album of an artist’s career takes them to a whole new level of popularity – but that’s exactly what happened in this case. Voices was a non-stop hit parade, spawning four popular singles as well as the ballad “Everytime You Go Away,” which later became a smash for Paul Young.

When most people think of Voices, they remember “Kiss on My List,” “You Make My Dreams” or the duo’s cover of The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” – all of which were enormous hits. But the album’s first single and opening track was actually a John Oates tune. “How Does it Feel to Be Back,” with his gruff vocal and a chiming guitar solo worthy of The Byrds or The Beatles, was a great song that sounded like nothing else on Voices.

For the next five years or so, Hall & Oates were pretty much unstoppable. 1980 through 1985 saw their popularity peak, as they were constantly on the radio and MTV. The hits during this period included “Private Eyes,” “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do),” “Your Imagination,” “Maneater,” “One on One,” “Out of Touch,” “Possession Obsession” and countless others.

Over the past two decades and change, the duo has continued to release albums and tour, though more sporadically. Even so, they still score the occasional smash (such as 2002’s “Do it for Love”). And just last month, they released Live at the Troubadour, a career-spanning CD avd DVD recorded at the famous L.A. venue.

Throughout Hall & Oates’ career, there has sometimes been a misperception that Daryl Hall was the George Michael of the pair – the guy who does nearly everything while Oates, like Michael’s Wham-mate Andrew Ridgely, had considerably less talent. As a longtime Hall & Oates fan, I’ve always known that this is far from true. Still, early on in our interview, Oates bristled a bit and corrected me when I suggested that his partner had written most of their hits. More accurately, Hall has sung lead on the majority of their hits. But Hall & Oates is a true partnership, and Oates has been responsible for some of their best songs over the years, even if many have been “deep cuts.” It also seems that, as with many duos, Daryl Hall is simply more comfortable being in the spotlight than Oates is.

That said, 2008 has been a significant year for Oates. In September, he released 1,000 Miles of Life, his second solo album and the follow-up to 2002’s phenomenal Phunk Shui. The new disc is a little less funky and a little more reflective than his debut. It is also a real team effort. Even though 1,000 Miles of Life is technically a John Oates solo album, he collaborated on it heavily with keyboardist and co-producer Jed Lieber, as well as with a dream team of guest musicians including Steve Cropper, Bela Fleck and The Blind Boys of Alabama.

1,000 Miles of Life is also a very family-oriented album. It’s clear that his wife Aimee and son Tanner are of the utmost importance to Oates – nowhere moreso than in the closing track, “Circle of Three.”  “This is a very personal record for me and without a doubt, the highlight of my recording career,” he says. “I needed to make a musical statement that someday I could look back on and realize, at that moment in time, I did exactly what I wanted to do… I realized that I had no more time in my life for rehearsals.”

I recently caught up with John Oates and have included excerpts from our conversation below.


Let me start by asking you about the new album.  I spoke to you after you released Phunk Shui.  This album seems a little more mellow and family oriented, particularly the song “Circle of Three.”  I was curious to know what family means to you these days -- specifically about becoming a Dad.

My family has changed my life.  Changed the way I look at myself, my world and my music.  This album is spiritually oriented and by that I don't mean religious.  There's a lot of heavy and emotional stuff that allowed me to write these songs.  A lot of good friends and personal mentors passed away.  I just thought it was time to make a musical statement that is uncompromising and pure and representative of what type of person I am today.  Family is a component of that.  They've grounded me.  Taught me about perspective.  When you're in the music business, it's easy to get self possessed.

How old is your son?

Twelve.

One of the songs on 1,000 Miles of Life that isn’t about family is “Ghost Town,” which is about post-Katrina New Orleans. That song jumped out at me when I first heard the album. Have you spent time in New Orleans over the years?

I've spent a lot of time there.  I am a big fan of New Orleans, its music and its culture.  It's one of the most unique places in the world.  The song came about after a visit [there after] Katrina.  What impressed me was that the downtown French quarter was business as usual, but it was a facade.  I went to a neighborhood fair that was outside of the quarter.  I was invited by a professor of Tulane.  When I saw the wreckage on the streets…things weren't in good shape.  I was embarrassed that an American city can be left in such neglect and disrepair two years after.  I thought it was just wrong, and was effected by it.  As a songwriter that's what you do.  I started thinking about profound loss.  [That’s] a universal theme that pervades the whole album.  I started thinking about the image of people losing their love and losing their faith.  How it was wrapped up in the same emotion. 

In the production of [“Ghost Town”], I got used to the style of the old 60's and 70's mini-cinematic production.  A funeral band, and the song would evolve into a funeral march leading into the distance.  I tried to craft an aural mini movie. [I also got] John Popper to play harmonica and Bela Fleck to play the banjo.  Those guys really jumped on board and understood what I was trying to do.  Create a beautiful, eerie and mournful approach to that song.

I recently heard someone say that the defining moment of George Bush's presidency wouldn't be the war in Iraq, but turning a blind eye to New Orleans.

Certainly one of ‘em.  Iraq is a pretty big one though.

Were you born in New York City?

I was born in New York City.  When I was four years old, my family moved to Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, and then we moved back to the city.  I’ve lived in Colorado longer than an anywhere in my life now, though.   Transplanted Easterner and official Coloradan.

You recently played a gig at your old high school [in Pennsylvania].  Both your parents and your wife and son, as well as the students, were in the audience.

That's true. [I was asked if I wanted] to go back to the high school and talk to the kids.  I'm the most famous one who came from there.  It was fun.  I talked about success and hard work and the future.

Some of my favorite [Hall & Oates] songs are the ones you wrote.  I felt like you could have been in the spotlight more.

The lead singer is the one who gets more of the attention.  It's just an assumption people come to make -- like [with] the Rolling Stones, they think Mick jagger.  Daryl's voice became the voice of Hall and Oates songs.  He's one of the best singers I know.  I stood on the stage with him for twenty years, so I know.  [But] when you hear an album I sang, you realize I'm not a bad singer either

Do you ever wish you sung lead on more of the hits?

I wrote “Maneater” and I wanted to sing that.  There was a moment when we had a discussion about it.  A lot of pressure came from the record company.  Daryl's voice was associated with the radio.  I had to make a decision.  Do I want to do what's right for the partnership or for my ego? That's the type of thing you have to do.  You have to compromise.  I was wise enough to make that decision.  It wasn't an easy decision to make.

Getting back to partnerships, you’ve worked closely on both your solo albums with Jed Lieber. Tell me about working with him.

He and I are very good friends.  He's a very underestimated talent.  I have affinity for the underdog.  He's the son of [songwriter] Jerry Leiber [who is] a very tough act to follow.  He's a confident musician, great songwriter, amazing keyboard player.  We understand each other.  He's a good guy to lean on. 

Let me ask you about some of my favorite Hall & Oates songs that you wrote. “How Does it Feel to Be Back.” People are surprised it's a Hall and Oates song.  What inspired it?

My roots as a guitar player. I started with blues… That twangy guitar feel, that's more me and compare that to my new album and you can see the link.  That's me left to my own devices.  [It’s] about a friend in the late ‘70s. she was a model and our paths were always crossing, and then I came up with the idea how we're only going to spend one night together and our paths always keep crossing, never really staying in one place.

“Change of Season.” You've redone that one for the new album.

[People sometimes ask me] Are there any songs you would like to redo?  And I always say unequivocally no  I feel making records is a moment in time.  You capture the synergy of the musicians, producers [and] studios at the moment.  I don't see any point in going back and recutting it.  However, I thought the Hall and Oates version [of “Change of Season” was more of] a pop song.  That's why I re-did the song.  Because the [new] record has to do with loss.  It’s soulful, somber, keeping with what the song is about.

I loved “Back Together Again.”  Was that about Frankie Valli?

Yes, about Frankie Valli.  It wasn't literally [about him].  We were coming back from somewhere, first class, and realized Frankie Valli was right next to me.  We talked.  I was in my prime and he wasn't.  To hear his enthusiasm and still having passion to sing and perform was great.  And I kinda took the feeling from that conversation and put it into that song.  It's not like about getting back together [romantically].  More just about keping it together personally.

What are your plans for 2009?

I've got a lot of plans.  I'm going to promote this album.  This is a word-of-mouth type of record.  I [plan to] play some Americana festivals.  I have a really cool project.  Its called “The Story Behind the Songs.”  It's a three- part series [that will take place] out in Colorado in February and March, a round-robin type of thing.  I've got Patty Griffin on the first show.  Jimmy Wayne, who's number one on the country charts, on the third show. People are excited about it.  I got the idea from doing these circles around the country.  I grew up when the general public liked that kind of thing.

words by Dave Steinfeld