Mainstream Tuesday Strikes Back!

 

Daryl Hall & John Oates - Rock 'N Soul Part 1 [MFSL 1-447 USA 2015 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC]

Torn between Curiosity Killed The Cat and Hall & Oates for another Mainstream Tuesday post, I was swayed by the superior vocal ability of Daryl & John over the flat-capped British toff, Benedict Volpeliere-Pierrot. These two Americans dominated the mid-lower echelons of the top twenty on this side of the Atlantic in the early-mid eighties although their lengthy recorded repertoire suggests much greater longevity. We know that that they had greater success in the USA with their unique take on soulful AOR music and this compilation, originally released on RCA Records in 1983, documents their most successful years.

Love them or hate them, there is no shame if you sit in either camp - Hall & Oates were responsible for some great singles ...and all the important ones are included here. For me it will always be I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) , which is the reason I picked up this Mofi release. Despite the sleeve header and the promise of  GAIN 2™ Ultra Analog, we now know that this album was cut from digital and not quite as ultra analog as the label wanted us to believe.

So how does it sound? ...well I think the music sounds good (something I would never have said 40 years ago), with lots of punch at the bottom end and plenty of space in the mids for those soulful vocal melodies. The RTI pressing is however as noisy as hell, with some nasty crackle and rumble in the gaps between tracks, along with a little unhelpful sibilance. I remain baffled why so many Mofi pressings from the last few years are so bloody noisy, yet the same quality pressing plant at RTI get it spot on for analogue releases by Blue Note Tone Poet, Impex, Intervention and VMP among others. 

A1 Say It Isn't So

A2 Sara Smile

A3 She's Gone

A4 Rich Girl

A5 Kiss On My List

A6 You Make My Dreams

A7 Private Eyes

B1 Adult Education

B2 I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)

B3 Maneater

B4 One On One

B5 Wait For Me (Live Version)

Mo-faux