By Louis Rogers, August 19, 2015
A brunette and a blonde walk into a ballroom in 1967. Shortly thereafter gunfire erupts and the two strangers both run to the same service elevator. Call it chance, fate, or divine intervention, but so goes the meet-cute story for the legendary band we know today as Hall & Oates. From that moment on musical harmony would never be the same.
Since the 1970s, the Philadelphia super duo has had an impressive slew of hits including six #1s on the Billboard Top 100 and seven platinum albums. Daryl Hall and John Oates will be bringing their musical stylings to Berkeley's Greek Theater on Saturday, August 29th and in their honor (and for your pleasure), we've power-ranked their top ten album covers of all time. Now while I think about how to be nice to people in elevators, scope our round up and enter to win a pair of tickets to their show.
10. Whole Oats, 1972
Because nothing says, "This is our debut album!" quite like a muffled pun of your band's name. "Whole oats? Hole oats? Holland oats? I'm not sure I follow... is this a band or a Quaker Oats competitor?"
9. Abandoned Luncheonette, 1973
"We wanted to capture the vibe of a run-down diner that was once moonlighting as a double wide trailer but now houses a cabal of feral children in rural Appalachia. I think we accomplished that with this album cover."
8. War Babies, 1974
The fact that Hall & Oates have been making music since Richard "Dick" Nixon was President is incredibly impressive. Almost as impressive and amazing sounding as a Wonder Bread BLT with a side of Ritz crackers and some baby formula.
7. X-Static, 1979
The depth of blue on this album cover is a Pantone lover's wet dream but most important is the presence of a boom box. For all you youths out there, a boom box was a portable machine used to project music in the park, or basketball court, or even one's stoop. There were no Otterbox cases for the boom box kids, only plastic bags.
6. Voices, 1980
For the album that brought the band their greatest hit, "You Make My Dreams Come True," it certainly feels like some weird inception business happening on this cover. Quasi Twilight Zone, partly paranoid, but mostly stoned. Not gonna say I'm not into it though.
5. Private Eyes, 1981
Snowballing off their Voices album the band kept with their creepy psychotherapy vibe and went all pointillistic Rorschach on us. "At the same time I see nothing and everything. I am nowhere and everywhere. Ok actually just put "I Can't Go For That" on again while I spark this J."
4. Bigger Than Both of Us, 1976
Spaceship lighting meets futuristic dressing room with what I think is a computer (??). She may be a rich girl but she has some poor ass decor taste. And again with the Ritz crackers! This time served with red wine and what I can only hope is mayonnaise. Sounds like it's time for a Hall & Oates cookbook...
3. Ooh Yeah!, 1988
Oh HELL to the yeah! Nevermind the fact that this album cover looks like it was created using Microsoft Paint, the take away is easily the amazing late 80s hair - John's got curls for the girls while Daryl looks on jealously sans mustache attempting to channel his best Bowie.
2. H2O, 1982
Sex sells. Masculine, sweaty, early 80's homoerotic sex sells. Mind you, this is the album that brought the world "Maneater." And that's all I have to say about that.
1. Daryl Hall & John Oates, 1975
Get out the way Kim K, Hall & Oates got their contour game strong! Just look at those cheekbones. The band's eponymous album easily lands the #1 spot on our countdown. From the skull necklace and feathers to the perfectly coiffed hair and eyebrows, everything about this cover is everything. 1975 never looked so good.
Enter to win a pair of tickets to Hall & Oates at the Greek on Saturday, August 29th:
