Road to Ruin [LP] [VINYL]

1982 Multi-Platinum Smash Both Creatively Ambitious and Commercially SuccessfulIncludes 'Maneater, One on One,' and 'Family Man'Third and Final Set of Duo's 80s-Defining Series of Masterful AlbumsMastered from the Original Master Tapes Sound Cuts to the Heart of Tandem's Balanced, Melodic, Smooth SoundHall and Oates' biggest-selling album also stands as their most ambitious. Recorded in 1982, when the duo practically owned the pop market, H20 strikes a keen equilibrium between Polish, melody, muscle, and craft. The vocalists expand the emotional reach of their songwriting, and shepherd meticulous production and measured arrangements toward thrilling intersections of blue-eyed soul, edge new wave, soft rock, and dance. Staked to two giant singles, the double-platinum affair lingers as the group's last masterwork.Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed on 180g LP at RTI, Mobile Fidelity's reissue of H20 falls in line with the 's other Hall and Oates restorations. Fans that think they know the set backwards and forwards will even be stunned at how much sharper vocal harmonies sound, how much richer the dynamics have become, and how broad and deep the soundstage now spans. One listen, and you'll know why this record marks the tandem's creative pinnacle.Oh-oh, here she comes! Yes, you know the refrain. In their number-one smash and album-opening 'Maneater,' Hall and Oates distill all the trademark traits that made their music irresistible. Swinging verse structures; call-and-responses choruses; catchy, stick-in-your-head hooks; smooth synthesizer layers; doo-wop vocal fills; and here, even a reggae-nodding rhythm and cool saxophone lines to stir up the mood and atmosphere. The blend of seemingly disparate styles would seem disastrous in nearly any other artists' hands, yet here, it's euphoria. All of H20 follows suit.Simply look to the other Top Ten hit, 'One