Hall and Oates, Las Vegas Sun, Aug. 23, 1996

Hall and Oates enjoying a different lifestyle, success Lisa Sciortino Fri, Aug 23, 1996 (11:59 a.m.) Hall and Oates? Are they still together? Well, that depends on who you ask. According to John Oates, half of the soulful pop duo that enjoyed countless hits during the '70s and '80s ("She's Gone," "Private Eyes," "Out of Touch"), the answer is yes. "We have an ongoing working relationship," he said. His counterpart, Daryl Hall, on the other hand, is ambivalent: "I answer that with a yes and a no." That's because over their 30-year career, the pair have taken regular breaks between Hall and Oates projects to focus on solo efforts. On the heels of the successful "Big Bam Boom" album in the mid-'80s, they went their separate ways, and Hall recorded his own album, "Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine," which spawned one notable hit, "Dreamtime." Meanwhile, Oates kept busy with movie soundtracks, penning a tune for the Demi Moore flick "About Last Night." They regrouped later to record the "Ooh Yeah" album, followed by a acoustic-tinged offering, "Change of Season," in the early '90s. Then it was time for another break. Hall recorded another album, the R&B influenced "Soul Alone," while Oates did "oddball stuff." He composed the soundtrack for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue video and wrote a screenplay for a "contemporary western" movie. "It's always good to shake things up," Hall said in a phone interview from Los Angeles, where they were gearing up for a show at the House of Blues. "I think one of the reasons we've been together as long as we have is we've never gotten complacent." "When the time feels right, we come back together and we work together. There's been no master plan," Oates added. Although the duo is still technically on a creative hiatus, they will perform tonight through Monday at Bally's. Touring is something they rarely tire of. They usually hit the road during the winter and summer months to play gigs around the globe. They recently performed during the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games in Atlanta. Along for a retro ride Meanwhile, Hall and Oates, both 47, are basking in pop culture's retro movement that's put their music back in the limelight. "There seems to be an interest in an era that we're known for," Hall said. "What we do is sort of timeless and hopefully classic. That's as much as I can hope for." "I think we've had a lot more influence (on music) than people have given us credit for," Oates said, adding that, in their early days, their blue-eyed soul sound played a part in the "breaking down of color barriers, especially on radio." Some of the Philadelphia-based duo's earliest play was on black radio. "What happened during the '70s and early '80s is we began to cross over. I think we were one of the first bands to do that," he said. Though Oates has never been especially comfortable with the "blue-eyed soul" label ("I think it's kind of artificial," he said), Hall doesn't mind, "as long as it's not used in a derogatory way." "I think that I've been unique in that the black community believes I'm real." Proof of that, he said, rests in the various R&B and rap projects Hall and Oates songs have been used in. Covers of "She's Gone" have been recorded by Lou Rawls and Taveres, and Hall recently recorded an altered version of "Sara Smile," titled "Ghetto Smile," with rapper B. Legit. "I like doing things like that," he said. 'Older and wiser' But one thing Hall and Oates agree on is the shift in focus their music career together has taken over the years. Neither one wants to revisit the rock 'n' roll lifestyle they once shared. "The constant touring and constant recording ... is not in the forefront of our lives," Oates said. "I don't think that's what we're all about anymore. "We've come a long way. We're a lot older and wiser and more experienced and we enjoy the personal freedom creatively ... that we've grown into." "I think every artist has his or her point where it comes together and you make your mark on the world," Hall added. Two decades ago, "We were fresh and new, and now we're established people. "Will we ever have that kind of pop success (again)? Probably not. But it isn't something we're thinking about." For now, Hall is thinking about the "pure soul record" that he recently finished recording, while Oates adjusts to his new role as father (his son was born earlier this year) and tends to his small farm in Colorado. Collectively, they're thinking about heading back into the studio this fall to record their next album. "That would be fun," Oates said. "We haven't done it in a while."