David Ruffin, brother of Jimmy Ruffin, was one of the lead singers of The Temptations in the 60s until striking out on a solo career at the end of the decade. He wasted no time getting back on the chart with "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)," which soared to #9 in 1969. Ruffin would visit the Top 10 once more in 1976 when "Walk Away From Love" matched his previous entry at #9. Other than that, Ruffin had a lackluster chart career. He enjoyed a bit of a comeback in 1985 when he participated in the "A Nite At The Apollo Live!" medley led by Hall & Oates, which went to #20. "It Takes All Kinds Of People To Make A World" is a forgotten gem from his 1975 album, "Who I Am." Sadly, Ruffin passed away in 1991 at the age of 50 from a drug overdose.
New Radicals is the brainchild of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Gregg Alexander from Michigan. He released only a single record under this moniker, 1998's rallying cry against corporate America, "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too." The lead single, the infectious and sunny "You Get What You Give" brought the group a lot of attention and airplay, yet reached only #36 on the charts. "Someday We'll Know" is another great tune from this one-off record, later covered by Hall & Oates. Shortly before its release, Alexander decided he disliked touring and promotion, and focused on writing tunes for other artists.
Icehouse is Australian slang for an insane asylum, but also the name of a little known 80s band led by Iva Davies. Their big hit in the US was 1988's "Electric Blue," which went all the way to #7 (little known fact: this song was co-written with John Oates). A song more appropriate for the band's name, "Crazy," also fared well, reaching #14 before "Electric Blue" was released. Both of those singles came from the band's landmark album, "Man of Colours," which I believe to be the band's masterpiece. Barely a bad track on the record. The third single was "My Obsession," and to me it had hit written all over it. However, it stalled at #88 and killed momentum for this talented band. Too bad because I think "Nothing Too Serious" had chart potential, too. Their follow-up record, "Great Southern Land," was a compilation with a couple new songs including "Touch The Fire," which deserved better. It became the band's last top 100 appearance, only reaching #84.
It took a long time to listen to the extensive discography of Daryl Hall and John Oates, who first teamed up in 1967 at Temple University in Philadelphia. The dynamic duo went on to become the most successful music duo in the rock era, surpassing the Everly Brothers. The two were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, were the 4th biggest act in the 80s, and the 46th most successful in modern chart history. After making a big splash in the mid-70s, with hits like "Sara Smile" (#4), "She's Gone" (#7), and "Rich Girl" (their first #1), it seemed the blue eyed soul of Hall & Oates was universally loved. However, the rise of disco kept Hall & Oates out of the top 10 for years, despite their cranking out nearly an album a year. Things changed in a big way in 1980 when the boys covered "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" and it went to #12. They followed this up with one of the greatest chart runs of all time, racking up 5 additional #1 hits. They scored a dozen top 10 hits from 1981 to 1984. Finishing the decade on a high note with "So Close," which landed at #11 in 1990, the duo haven't graced the top 40 since. "You Must Be Good For Something" is one of the terrific songs that fell through the cracks during their lean years in the late 70s. The tune comes from their 1977 effort, "Beauty On A Back Street."
Few people realize that Daryl Hall has released five solo records outside of his longtime partnership with John Oates. Born Daryl Hohl in Philadelphia, Hall has scored only one top 10 hit outside of Hall & Oates. "Dreamland" went to #5 in 1986, still hot off the heels of the duo's staggering success. The subsequent singles, "Foolish Pride" and "Someone Like You," reached #33 and #57, respectively. All of these charting hits came from his second solo effort, "Three Hearts In The Happy Ending Machine," which got to #29 on the Top 200. He saw a final chart appearance in 1993 when "I'm In A Philly Mood" hit #82. "Let It Out" is another upbeat offering from his most successful solo work, "Three Hearts."
