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Writer's pictureSteven Pluto

Under the Radar: Hall and Oates - Change of Season (1990)

Updated: Nov 30, 2022


Hall and Oates are one of the most successful recording duos in music history. They became a staple on radio stations all over the globe with their numerous hit singles (Private Eyes, Adult Education, I Can’t Go For That, Sara, Method of Modern Love). But by the end of the 80s, the duo had become burnt out, unsatisfied and bored by simply being a hit making machine for their record label.




It seems the final straw for the duo was the over-produced Oh Yeah album. Daryl Hall and John Oates wanted simply to make music for music sake except the album was seen as a very cold and overly slick record that left a sour taste to their long term fan base.


Daryl Hall and John Oates then decided they wanted to make a no nonsense organic sounding record. The end result was the underrated, Change of Season.


Hall and Oates' Change of Season was a stripped down acoustic record that was very reminiscent of their MTV Unplugged session and album. The MTV Unplugged show and record featured some of music's biggest groups performing their biggest hits with acoustic instruments. The only difference with Hall & Oates' portrayal was that Change of Season featured mostly original material. I thought it was a bold move for the duo. To basically stop using studio wizardry and go for an organic approach in creating music.



For me, Change of Season had numerous highlights; like the lead single, So Close; the title track and the mid tempo, Don’t Hold Your Love.


Change of Season is a solid album and is not a perfect record ,but it is an interesting snap shot of this duo's attempt at trying to find new inspiration in creating music.


If you were never really a fan of Hall and Oates, you owe it to yourself to listen to Change of Season none the less.

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