Guessing Games

Guessing Games sounds like a hall of mirrors where Daryl Hall's voice stretches like rubber, playing with the echo of his own register. The song moves in circles, but it's not just any loop: the bass and guitar intertwine in a pattern that seems to repeat, though never quite the same. There's something in that sway that hooks you from the first measures, as if the song were made for the listener to try to decipher its structure while listening.

The recording was born at a time when Hall and John Oates were still fine-tuning their sound, blending the soul of the sixties with the rock that was beginning to dominate the radios. They met in Philadelphia in 1968, when Hall was studying music and Oates journalism, and although their paths crossed at university, each had gone through other experiences before joining forces. Hall had played in bands like the Temptones and Gulliver, while Oates had traveled across Europe as a backing musician. When they finally formed the duo, their formula —soul with rock touches— caught the attention of Tommy Motolla, who signed them to his label and helped them refine that style that would make them famous.