Artists Celebrate Hall and Oates, Kings of Blue-Eyed Soul

For discerning music fans, the new box set "Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall and John Oates" is the release of the season. (Live tracks, B-sides, and deep album cuts like "Gino the Manager"? You make our dreams come true, Hall and Oates.)

But "Yacht Rock" aficionados and fans of smooth music aren't the only ones with a taste for the dulcet tones of Daryl Hall and the mighty guitar licks of John Oates. (We love him even without the mustache.) Turns out Hall and Oates have a lot of famous fans. (Like Rachael Ray, who wants to get the duo into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.)

Take a look at the wide variety of artists who only have (private) eyes for Hall and Oates. Then keep it smooth with some of the duo's classic hit videos.

Kenny Gamble (Songwriter/legendary pioneer of the Philly soul sound): They're proud of Philadelphia and they're proud of their roots, and that makes them special. It's really a pleasure to hear them give the credit to the rhythm and blues artists they've been influenced by.

Carly Simon: Daryl has a voice like no other. He has it all. I was lucky enough to get to sing "Everytime You Go Away" [made famous by Paul Young, but originally performed by Hall and Oates] onstage with Daryl. We really connected on that song. I wish that could be put out as a record. It was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had.

Travis McCoy (Gym Class Heroes): Let's put aside the influence Hall & Oates has had on me, it's emblazoned on my hands for rest of my life for crying out loud. What's more important is the crater they've left on planet MUSIC in general. They have gone above and beyond the call of duty as far as influencing any artist who cares about the craft.

Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie): "Big Bam Boom" was the first record I ever bought with my own money. It's just a great record that's full of hits. The songwriting is incredibly spectacular.

Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones): It was always great fun working with Hall & Oates in the studio, and they were the best backing band at Live-Aid!

Pos (De La Soul): Before De La Soul were signed to a deal, Plug Two and I were working in a mall as custodians and we were cleaning up in the food court and we heard "I Can't Go for That" on the radio. I mentioned to him, "This would be great song to sample and make a song out of it." And he said, "What would we call it?" I said to him, "One of the key lines is 'say no go,' maybe we can make the song about saying no to drugs?" And that's what we did. "Say No Go" became De La Soul's first big hit.

Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy): If we were to represent '80s pop music by the ever present Linn drum synthesizer, then Hall and Oates are the ghost in the machine ... the soul that broke through and gave humanity to the disjointed era of the New Romantics.

Dave One (Chromeo): Hall & Oates are the biggest influence on our band. What makes us admire them the most is the way they combined musical risk-taking, sophisticated songwriting and innovative production techniques with an unwavering deference to soul music.

Rob Thomas: When I was growing up, we all wanted our voices to sound like Daryl's. I've seen him perform recently, and I STILL want my voice to sound like his.

It's "Indiana Jones" meets mustache in the classic video for "Adult Education."


We can go for this. Yes, can do.



If she'll only come out at night, that must mean she has a serious Vitamin D deficiency.


The best paranoid jam of the '80s, after "Somebody's Watching Me."


Why is G.E. Smith trying to murder Hall and Oates with his '80s guitar?