From their first hit in 1974 through their heyday in the '80s, Daryl Hall and John Oates' smooth, catchy take on Philly soul brought them enormous commercial success -- including six number one singles and six platinum albums -- yet little critical success. Hall & Oates' music was remarkably well constructed and produced; at their best, their songs were filled with strong hooks and melodies that adhered to soul traditions without being a slave to them by incorporating elements of new wave and hard rock.

RCA/BMG released their first CD-era comprehensive Hall & Oates collection, The Very Best of Daryl Hall & John Oates, in 2001. It was a single-disc, 18-track collection that contained all of the duo's big hits from the '70s and '80s apart from "She's Gone," which they recorded for Atlantic in the first half of the '70s. Even though that was a major omission, the collection was the best place to get the bulk of the hits until BMG Heritage released Ultimate Daryl Hall + John Oates three years later. Spanning two discs and 38 tracks, the set contains all 18 songs from The Very Best of Daryl Hall & John Oates (three tracks were in alternate single mixes on that collection; they're presented in their original album mixes here), along with "She's Gone" and two other Atlantic tracks, selections from their Arista recordings of the late '80s and early '90s, as well as cuts from 1997's Marigold Sky and 2003's excellent comeback single, "Do It for Love." While there are still plenty of great album tracks, particularly from the Atlantic years, that would have been welcome additions, that's something only the hardcore fans that already have all the albums will quibble about. For the less dedicated listener, all that matters is that there are no major hits missing on Ultimate Daryl Hall + John Oates (there are a couple of low-charting singles from the late '70s that have been left behind, but their absence isn't notable) and that the remastered sound is very good, making this an ideal compilation for fans looking for a thorough, career-spanning collection of hits.

They are the most successful pop music duo of all time. Daryl Hall and John Oates have long since surpassed Simon and Garfunkel and the Everly Brothers in the annals of pop pairings, having scored no less than 22 Billboard Top 20 singles, including six number ones, six platinum albums (sales of more than one million copies) plus another six gold LPs (sales of more than 500,000 units). Spanning the years 1966-2009, DO WHAT YOU WANT, BE WHAT YOU ARE: THE MUSIC OF DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES, the definitive Hall & Oates anthology, collects 74 sublime tracks, culled from seven different labels on its four discs. The set showcases 16 previously unreleased cuts including a host of wonderful live performances, as well as never before heard studio tracks and remixes. This set is enhanced with an eloquent introductory essay penned by pop critic Roy Trakin, plus invaluable track-by-track annotation and commentary regarding each track by Daryl Hall and John Oates, drawn from extensive interviews by Ken Sharp.