Not long ago I heard something I didn’t think was possible — a song by Daryl Hall and John Oates I didn’t know. And I don’t mean some 21st-century recording (I’m sure I’ve missed some of those) but a tune from their early years on Atlantic Records.
After the duo’s third LP, “War Babies,” flopped in 1974, they left Atlantic Records for RCA. The move started to pay off in 1976, when both “Sara Smile” and “Rich Girl” reached the Top 10, Rich Girl at No. 1. The company never promoted the band much before that, but it tried to cash in by releasing a greatest hits album from the vaults, “No Goodbyes,” in 1977.
Atlantic juiced the collection by dusting off a few previously unreleased cuts, including “It’s Uncanny.” Released as a the LP’s single, the feather-light blue-eyed soul confection snuck into the Hot 100, but peaked at No. 80.
