I was in the mood to listen to some of the dozens of GREATEST HITS CDs on my shelves. I picked two of the most successful groups of the 1980s: Hall & Oates and Huey Lewis and The News.
Hall & Oates sold 40 million records during the 1980s. However: “Despite generating what would amount to nearly $100 million across the decade, the duo famously saw much of their wealth disappear during this time due to high-flying lifestyles, lavish spending, and costly management and legal structures.” (Wikipedia)
During the Eighties, Hall & Oates had FIVE Number One hits:
“Rich Girl” (1977) – Their first single to top the chart.
“Kiss on My List” (1981) – A major pop-rock smash from the Voices album.
“Private Eyes” (1981) – The title-track chart-topper from 1981.
“I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” (1982) – A crossover R&B and pop phenomenon.
“Maneater” (1982) – Their longest-running number-one hit, staying at the top for four weeks.
“Out of Touch” (1984) – Their final career chart-topper, released from the album Big Bam Boom.
Huey Lewis and The News were also making money during the Eighties with their touring and album sales. Their number-one singles were:
- “The Power of Love” (1985)
- “Stuck with You” (1986)
- “Jacob’s Ladder” (1987)
Additionally, the band achieved 12 top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 during the 1980s and early 90s, with their album Sports (1983) reaching number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Are you a fan of Hall & Oates and/or Huey Lewis and The News? GRADE: B+ (for both)
TRACK LIST:
| Sara Smile | 3:07 | ||
| Rich Girl | 2:24 | ||
| Back Together Again | 3:25 | ||
| Don’t Change (45 Version) | 3:31 | ||
| I Don’t Wanna Lose You (45 Version) | 3:38 | ||
| Kiss On My List (45 Version) | 3:48 | ||
| Private Eyes | 3:36 | ||
| I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) (45 Version) | 3:56 | ||
| Your Imagination (45 Version) | 3:32 | ||
| One On One (45 Version) | 3:55 | ||
| Family Man | 3:26 | ||
| Adult Education (45 Version) | 3:58 | ||
| Out Of Touch (Video Mix) | 4:29 | ||
| Everything Your Heart Desires (45 Version) | 4:21 |
TRACK LIST:
| The Heart Of Rock & Roll | 5:05 | ||
| Heart And Soul | 4:12 | ||
| Doing It All For My Baby | 3:38 | ||
| Do You Believe In Love | 3:29 | ||
| Trouble In Paradise | 4:33 | ||
| The Power Of Love | 3:55 | ||
| If This Is It | 3:53 | ||
| Bad Is Bad | 3:47 | ||
| Workin’ For A Livin’ | 2:40 | ||
| It’s Alright | 3:04 | ||
| Stuck With You | 4:27 | ||
| I Want A New Drug | 4:45 | ||
| 100 Years From Now | 3:47 | ||
| So Little Kindness | 4:15 | ||
| ‘Til The Day After | 3:28 | ||
| When The Time Has Come | 4:27 |
Not a huge fan of Huey Lewis—although I won’t change the station if one of his songs comes on—but I love Hall & Oates. Probably my favorite song here is “Out of Touch”, with “I Don’t Wanna Lose You” a close second, but my favorite H&O song is “Back Together Again” which, unfortunately, did not make the greatest hits cut.
I would strongly recommend listening to Simply Red’s “Sunrise” which neatly blends “I Can’t Go for That” with an original SR song.