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"The vocal cords of Daryl Hall are prodigious! I have never worked with a better singer than him..." This is stated by the "Crimsonian" Robert Fripp, especially recalling his late seventies collaborations with this authentic ace of blue-eyed soul and the leading figure of the duo in question.
All true: if there is someone to name who is excellent at singing, the first can rightfully be Daryl Hall. His complete control over his vocal production allows him a mobility of intonation and an infinite wealth of nuances. Of course, one must appreciate his style full of flourishes and decidedly based on rhythm & blues, as a direct consequence of the masters, strictly black, from whom he learned everything possible as a young man, although he is as blond as a German from Hamburg (his surname is Hohl, unsurprisingly) but raised in one of America's most "black" metropolises—Philadelphia, the hometown of greats like the Temptations and Smokey Robinson.
His partner John Oates, a native of the same places and with the same youthful idols, does not simply watch: lacking the boundless natural talent of his partner, he compensates with more rational and developed abilities, such as the capacity for arrangement, production, and artistic organization. His voice, though educated and competent, is a hundred times less histrionic and interesting than that of his friend, but it finds its effectiveness in harmony or in response to it, and also serves as a sporadic but pleasant alternative when every now and then (no more than a couple of songs per album) he takes the spotlight.
In short, a very well-diversified artistic duo (even physically: one tall and blond and the other short and dark-haired…), still active although in a discontinuous and relaxed manner, having amassed forty years of collaboration, around twenty albums, and about sixty million records sold.
The duo's golden period coincides with the eighties, and this album from 1982 is thus one of the most prominent in their repertoire. Given the era, the pop/rhythm & blues genre dear to the two musicians is somewhat adulterated, without fortunately compromising in terms of charm and quality, by some electronic drums here and there and other similarly synthetic sounds. However, everything is well mixed with traditional instruments, and in any case, the excellent songwriting, Daryl's mobile and virtuous soul voice, the abundant saxophone interventions (often preferred as the solo instrument over the electric guitar), and the typical response and counterpoint choirs to the singer keep everything in its right place: we are in the top tier of American commercial music, mainly "black" in derivation but with the right corollary of other influences (naturally rock, then the usual Beatles, electronics...).
The album is inaugurated by the well-known "Maneater", which was number one worldwide at one time and over the years has become an absolute evergreen, ultimately their most famous song. This ode to a man-eating woman is characterized by a pressing and tense rhythm, unmistakable, crossed by a splendid, dynamic vocal line that soars irresistibly above the chords, eventually accompanied by an equally compelling saxophone.
Another highlight is "One on One", the most "synthetic" track on the album (all electronic drums, keyboards, and strictly "fake" sounding basses) but what a melody! It can never tire the listener, even if Daryl hams it up more than ever and without restraint, entering and exiting falsetto and trilling the ends of phrases beyond all limits: an irresistible pop gem.
I really love the closing track "Go Solo", more squared and traditionally rock in arrangement, sung by Hall with such verve and conviction as to suggest that the spirited send-off to someone contained in the lyrics refers to an open wound in his personal (romantic or artistic... the text doesn't make it clear) story.
"Crime Pays" and "Family Man" are both episodes filled with rhythm, perfect at that time for discos. It's curious how the latter is a cover of a track released a few months earlier by Mike Oldfield (album "Five Miles Out"), a musician with a background definitely distant from the duo's. A certain progressive air remains glued to the piece, with its circular and insistent flow typical of the British artist's works, despite the soul-funky dressing crafted by the two Americans.
The only one of the ten tracks sung by John Oates can be judged as charming but also silly, according to taste: it's titled "Italian Girls" and obviously celebrates the proverbial Italian female allure, with phrases like "Yes, I've seen Rome, the monuments, the ruins, and the museums; I've drunk the red wine... but where are the Italian girls? I've seen Loren on television, there must be more like her..." and other pleasantries of the sort, complete with unlikely Italian phrases ("Faccia bella cara mia", "La donna italiana belissima"), all set to frankly insignificant music... well, a filler.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Maneater (04:32)
She'll only come out at night
The lean and hungry type
Nothing is new, I've seen her here before
Watching and waiting
She's sitting with you but her eyes are on the door
So many have paid to see
What you think you're getting for free
The woman is wild, a she-cat tamed by the purr of a Jaguar
Money's the matter
If you're in it for love you ain't gonna get too far
Oh here she comes
Watch out boy she'll chew you up
Oh here she comes
She's a maneater
Oh here she comes
Watch out boy she'll chew you up
Oh here she comes
She's a maneater
I wouldn't if I were you
I know what she can do
She's deadly man, and she could really rip your world apart
Mind over matter
The beauty is there but a beast is in the heart
Oh here she comes
Watch out boy she'll chew you up
Oh here she comes
She's a maneater
02 Crime Pays (04:31)
Music: Hall
Lyrics: Hall/Oates/S. Allen
I know you know all the pros and cons
They help you get to everything you want
Greasing policemen bending all the rules
Make them an offer that they can't refuse
One crime baby I can't forgive
The kind that hurts where I live
I'm a nice guy I try to wait and see
If you'll get caught or go free
You stole my heart and left me blue
It look like crime pays for you
You do it and you get away
It seem like crime pays
Crime pays
Beat the heat but you couldn't pay me off
You're staying cool no matter what it costs
You get caught you'll never do the time
I have to say you've got a way with one crime baby I can't forgive
The kind that hurts where I live
It's all too clear but I still don't see
Why all the guilty go free
You stole my heart and left me blue
It look like crime pays for you
You do it and you get away
It seems like crime pays
Crime pays
It seems like crime pays
Crime pays
Catch a thief and let her go
You won't get back the love she stole
Shake her down but she don't mind
'Cause she commit the perfect crime OK, OK
You know I know you're a pro and con artiste
Oh baby you're a false alarm
Why do I try to play it by the rules
I was the victim but I'm not a fool
You stole my heart and left me blue
It looks like crime pays for you
You do it and you get away
It seems like crime pays
03 Art of Heartbreak (03:44)
Music: J. Allen
Lyrics: Hall/S. Allen/J. Allen
Try to ignore the twisted side
We kiss and we hiss at the same time
Don't you know some things just don't blow away
You've been this way before, but the cuts just seem to hurt me more
Could be a reason for the difference...
You've been practicing
The art of heartbreak
Practing
The art of heartbreak
Anticipating what she's aching for
I'm being edgy leave her wanting more
Anyone might think we'd rather be alone
Yeah, she's been cut before by sharp things I've been saying so long
I can't believe the way she takes it
I've been practicing
The art of heartbreak
Practicing
The art of heartbreak
Why do we make it hard, been hitting back and forth for so long
What are we aiming at, there's no score in love
I bet a million bucks she knows but won't let up on me, so
I've just decided to stop
Practicing the art of heartbreak
Practicing
The art of heartbreak
We've been practicing
04 One on One (04:16)
I'm tired of playing on the team
It seems I don't get time out anymore
What a change if we set the pace face to face
No one even trying to score
Oh oh I can feel the magic of your touch
And when you move in close a little bit means so much
Ooh yeah, you've got to understand baby
Time out is what I'm here for
One on one I wanna play that game tonight
One on one I know I wanna play that
One on one I wanna play that game tonight
One on one so slow
You can't tell me you don't miss me girl
I think I might know you too well
Wonder what you'd say if you knew that I was coming tonight
Want to? I want you can't you tell
One on one I wanna play that game tonight
One on one I know I wanna play that
One on one I wanna play that game tonight
One on one so slow
That's all you need to know now
'Cause if it's really right there's nothing else
One on one I want to play that game tonight...
05 Open All Night (04:33)
Music: Hall
Lyrics: Hall/S. Allen
I know how you spent your time
Too many people know you weren't alone
Your after hours followed you home
Oh I heard, he said
She was open all night
While I was away
She was open all night
Don't ask me to tell you who told me
She was open all night
While I was away
You were open all night
Don't ask me to tell you who said
Gotta lotta friends I don't need
They say "you'd rather hear it first from me"
Maybe I don't wanna hear it at all
It's too far to fall so don't say
She was open all night
Don't ask me to tell you who told me
No I don't want to tell you
06 Family Man (03:26)
K. Cross/R. Fenn/M. Frye/M. Oldfield
M. Pert/M. Reilly
She had sulky smile
She took her standard pose as she presented herself
She had sultry eyes, she made it perfectly plain that she was his
For a price
But he said "Leave me alone, I'm a family man
And my bark is much worse than my bite"
He said "Leave me alone, I'm a family man
But if you push me too far I just might"
She wore hurt surprise as she rechecked her make-up to protect herself
Dropped her price and pride she made it totally clear that she was his
For a night
She gave him her look, it would have worked on any other man around
He looked her up and down, she knew he couldn't decide if he should
Hold his ground
She turned, tossed her head unlike her opening move, her final exit line
He waited much too long but by the time he got his courage up she was gone
Then he screamed "Leave me alone, I'm a family man
And my bark is much worse than my bite"
He said "Leave me alone, I'm a family man
But if you push me too far, I just might"
08 Guessing Games (03:16)
Music: hall/j. allen
Lyrics: hall
When i met you i should've been warned
Ooh i could see you change from day to day
But you kept me guessing
Playing for fun
What'll you do what would you say
Strange moods and jealous anger
A kind of passion that i can't explain
You're high strung, that's attraction
But your act is driving me away
(guessing games) i don't wanna play those
Guessing game
(don't wanna)
Please don't make me play'em no
(guessing games)
I don't wanna play those
(guessing games)
Games
You gotta give me something to hold
That cute routine you got is wearing thin
So baby can you do it for yourself and for me
I don't wanna lose you, i want us to win
Strange moods jealous anger
That kind of passion that you can't explain
You're high strung that's a fact
But don't you let it drive me away
(guessing games) 'cause i don't wanna play those
Guessing game
(don't wanna)
Please don't make me play'em no
Guessing games
I don't wanna play those
Games
09 Delayed Reaction (03:58)
Music: Hall
Lyrics: Hall/Oates/S. Allen
You strike a low blow
You fight a dirty fight
Right to the heart you're putting me away
Time was movin' slow
But I was in control
There were so many things I should've said
But couldn't think of one word
(Delayed reaction) oh yeah
At first I was ashamed
Then I was inflamed
I wanted to hurt you
Say that (delayed reaction) oh no
At first I was alright
And then I had to fight
I wanted to hurt you
I wanted to hurt you so
It was a backlash
No I couldn't let it pass
I was so mad I couldn't keep it down
I made it real tough
Ooh I had to blow you off
I couldn't stand it having you around
I couldn't stand the sound, no
(Delayed reaction) oh yeah
At first I was ashamed
And then I was inflamed
I wanted to hurt you
Say that (delayed reaction) oh no
At first I was alright
And then I had to fight with you
I wanted to hurt you
I wanted to hurt you so
But if the rage is right
Then you better be wrong
'Cause if I force a fight well then I'm twice a fool
Ooh, I could've listened more
Was that what you were waiting for?
I can't imagine why
I can't imagine why
I can't imagine why you'd wanna let it go
I didn't wanna blow but
(Delayed reaction) oh yeah
At first I was ashamed
And then I was inflamed
I wanted to hurt you
Say that delayed reaction oh no
At first I was alright
And then I had to fight with you
I wanted to hurt you so
(Delayed reaction) oh yeah
Ooh I had to fight, fight, fight you
(Delayed reaction oh no)
Just had to let the love blow to fight a dirty fight
9Delayed reaction oh yeah)
What good is saying I lost my head I didn't mean it girl
(Delayed reaction) oh no
Ooh baby, ooh baby
I can't imagine why you want to let it go
(Delayed reaction)
Ooh, yeah the boys are fine and I'm twice the fool
(Delayed reaction) oh no
I can't imagine why, I can't imagine why
10 At Tension (06:16)
Music and Lyrics: Oates
I'd like to join the army
Don't want to join the war
I'd take my place in line hell (hell)
Never go AWOL
We keep on marching forward
Never will retreat
Don't let the enemy inside you
That's the beginning of defeat
All good soliders stand (to arms)
All good soliers try (so hard)
To follow orders never asking why
I'm standing at tension
(At tension)
I'm standing at (tension)
I'm standing at tension
(At tension)
I'm standing at (tension)
So ill at ease with you
Afraid to make a move
Yeah
Now a shakey finger on the trigger
Ready aim to please
Now how can such a little bullet
Drop big solier to his knees
But there's no warning only waiting
When a Strangelove drops the bomb
All this fighting it can hurt you
But its the little wounds that do the harm
All good soliders stand (to arms)
One good solider tries (so hard)
He follows orders never questioning why
Never questioning why
I'm standing at tension
(At tension)
I'm standing at (tension)
I'm standing at tension
(At tension)
Standing at (tension)
So ill at ease with you
Afraid to make a move yeah
All good soldiers stand (to arms)
All good soliders try (so hard)
To follow orders never asking why
They never asking why
I'm standing at tension
(At tension)
I'm standing at (tension)
I'm standing at tension
(At tension)
Standing at (tension)
So ill at ease with you
Afraid to make a move
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