Nothing to do with Scott or the Antarctic...

June 25^th – Funny how some bands have a multitude of hits, a fan base in the millions and yet, after their time centre-stage, float off into oblivion never to be heard of again.

OK, let’s see how rock-savvy you are. I’m gonna give five clues and by the fifth you should have got the name of the band but I doubt, unless you’re something of a geek and need help in the form of chipmunk therapy, that you’ll get it before that. Here we go:

1) A duo active from the mid 70’s to the mid 80’s

2) Six number one hits, 34 charted singles, 7 platinum and 6 gold discs

3) Most popularly known by just the use of their second names

4) One name is where the school’s morning prayers and notices took

     place

5) The other name is found on the front of a Scottish breakfast cereal

So, how’d you get on? At what point in the above list did you say;

“I know!”?

Did you scratch your head and say;

“I’ve never heard of a band called ‘Assembly and Porridge’?”

Or did you think;

“I’ve got better things to do than waste time on this shit”?

OK, the band name was Hall and Oates.

There. I bet you’re so glad you stuck with it. I suppose the real test is to see if you can recall anything they recorded? I mean, when was the last time you heard one of their songs played on the radio? I have to be honest and say that I really struggled with either; it was only after about twenty minutes that I came up with Maneater and that was only because it was around at the time my life was falling apart for various reasons; not, I hasten to add, that the song’s title is in any way descriptive of anyone I knew, it was just that the song’s tone and attitude struck a chord with my mood and level of cheerfulness with the world; and that was the only reason I could recall anything at all by them. So I read up on them and was surprised to see just what they’d achieved and who rated them.

Surpassing the Everly Brothers as most successful rock/pop duo, being inducted into the songwriter’s hall of fame (they penned Every Time You Go Away – Paul Young’s No. 1 hit and Physical – Olivia-Newton John’s No. 1 hit) and being placed at No. 15 in the 100 greatest acts of all time by Billboard Magazine? I‘d say that’s not bad for a duo that barely anyone can recall.

It was on this day in 1970 that Hall and Oates recorded together for the first time under the snappy name, Whole Oats… I doubt I would have remembered that name either; it seems some bands, no matter how successful they are during their hot period, are destined for worldwide obscurity…