Yet during the '80s, Hall & Oates migrated toward an aesthetic that valued beats over harmonies. And while herky-jerky MTV hits, like "Private Eyes" and "Out Of Touch" kept the act atop the charts for much of that largely forgettable decade, these songs rarely played to the partnership's obvious strengths. An exception to this rule was "One on One", which was a wonderful vocal masterpiece. It was the sort of smooch-y soul song that many of Hall & Oates' musical heroes would have gladly recorded back in the day, had they had the chance. Another song that helped span Hall & Oates' past with its future was "Maneater". Just listen to the drum pattern for a minute, and you'll realize it's the same one utilized on countless Motown hits. However, the act also tried to fashion itself into a sort of New Wave act, with quirky tracks like "Family Man". The ultra modern rock shoes simply didn't fit as well as soul scandals.

It's fun now to listen back to '80s music and notice how obviously that decade's aural clich�s left their mark on various recordings. Listening to "Everything Your Heart Desires", which came from the late '80s, one can easily picture Janet Jackson's voice deftly substituted for Daryl Hall's, simply because the production has Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis written all over it. Everything is so clean and clipped. Keyboards are everywhere. And the drums pound and echo all the way through. There's even a section where Hall does spoken word part. Another template for this song is The Human League's "Human", which also replicates many of the same elements. Was everybody copying everybody else all the time? It sure seems like it.

For Hall & Oates collectors, this overview also includes many previously unreleased tracks � much of them live. Disc one, for example, closes with four live recordings of the act's early soul days, with funky tunes like "Beanie G. And The Rose Tattoo". And while they aren't newly released tracks, the medley of "The Way You Do The Things You Do" and "My Girl", with the help of original Temptations (David Ruffin and Eddie Kendrick), finds the guys going full circle musically.

Many skeptics look at Hall & Oates and view them derogatorily as little more than hit machines. But this song set reveals a couple of singer/songwriters that evolved from soul-loving Philadelphians, to smart and clever recording artists. And anyone who is quick to criticize those that write hit songs have obviously never tried to pen a hit song; it's not as easy as it looks. These four CDs may not change your opinion of Hall & Oates, if you happen to have a low view of them, but it's nearly impossible to walk away from devouring it without newfound respect.