Rock-pop duos
Hall & Oates and Tears for Fears have united and are coming here.
This summer, rock-pop duos Hall & Oates and Tears for Fears have teamed up for a nationwide tour. And members of both bands have one word for each other: timeless.
“Their music is timeless,” said Tears for Fears’ Curt Smith of his stage companions. “They still sound great today.”
Daryl Hall, calling from his home in Upstate New York, was equally complimentary of his British tour mates. “I think their music has a certain timeless quality to it that I appreciate in a musician,” said the veteran singer/ songwriter. “I hear [Tears for Fears’ 1985 hit] ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ now, and it sounds like it could be a new band.”
The two groups will perform together through July. They hit Orlando’s Amway Center Friday. (Tickets are $32-$149, available at ticketmaster.com.)
Hall, 70, and longtime music partner John Oates launched their career in 1972. Hailing from Philadelphia, the two had hits with such songs as “Rich Girl” and “Sara Smile.”
“I thought it was an incredibly authentic Philly soul sound,” said Smith on hearing Hall & Oates for the first time. Smith’s own debut with partner Roland Orzabal would come with 1983’s album “The Hurting.”
The 1980s had a profound effect on the sound of pop acts, such as Hall & Oates.
“It was very interesting times,” said Hall. “There were a lot of styles. … One thing that was cohesive about it all was the arrangement and production styles. And that had to do with all these new instruments that popped up,” referring to the sequencers and synthesizers that came to dominate the music of the decade.
“As a producer, I said let’s go with all these things,” said Hall. “My ears were open.” The more electronic production led to smashes, such as “Maneater” and “You Make My Dreams.”
The technological revolution also changed the course for Smith and Orzabal, who were in a fivepiece group before forming Tears for Fears. “We really hated being in a band,” said Smith, 55. Electronic instruments allowed them to shed their band mates and control all the writing and production themselves. “The joy for us and why we slipped nicely and neatly into it was because we didn’t need a band anymore. We became a duo because of technology.”
Live performances have been key for both bands. Tears for Fears, who has a new album due out this year, started writing while on tour over the past few years.
“Playing live has influenced what’s gone into this album,” said Smith.
For Hall, getting on stage is what keeps him in the business.
“My whole day revolves around that stage time,” he said. “That’s when the magic happens. It’s why I do what I do.”