Sunday morning coming down

Daryl Hall and John Oates are about to hit the road on tour with Tears for Fears (about whom I know nothing). The tour is making an early stop in St. Paul at the Xcel Center on May 11. I’ve had a late in life conversion to the gospel according to Hall & Oates since picking up on Hall’s Live from Daryl’s House series. Just for the fun of it, I thought I might anticipate their tour this week and maybe next with a few of the many videos that are posted on YouTube. The videos below all feature Hall.

Hall, incidentally, sounds better than ever. His voice has acquired character with age. In the video below Daryl sings “Neither One of Us” accompanied by acoustic instruments. The song was one of several hits written by Jim Weatherly for Gladys Knight.

Hall & Oates came out of the Philadelphia music scene; they grew up saturated in Philly soul. Hall brought the Philly soul thing full circle with the O’Jays on an episode of his show last year (whole show here). It was pure bliss. In the video below they perform “Used Ta Be My Girl,” the hit originally written and produced by Messrs. Gamble and Huff. If you’re feeling like me this morning, this may help you rev your engines.

In the video below they revisit “Back Stabbers” (written by Gamble and others, produced by Gamble and Huff).

I took Hall & Oates for granted when they were reeling off their hits in the ’70s and ’80s. Thanks to KQRS back when it was a free form FM station, the Twin Cities were early adopters of Abandoned Luncheonette and “She’s Gone.” At the time I didn’t understand, but I can hear that these guys come by their appreciation of soul honestly while adding their own thing to the mix.

John Oates is out with the new memoir Change of Seasons, written with Chris Epting. It’s a small world; Chris is a Power Line reader. Chris assures me that Tears for Fears is opening for Hall & Oates on the tour, not the other way around. With Chris’s assurance I have made the hefty investment in two good tickets for the show when it comes to town.

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