Voices | ||||
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Studio album by Hall & Oates | ||||
Released | July 29, 1980 | |||
Recorded | November 1979 – April 1980 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 43:55 | |||
Label | RCA Records | |||
Producer | Daryl Hall, John Oates | |||
Hall & Oates chronology | ||||
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Voices is the ninth studio album by Hall & Oates, released in 1980. It spent 100 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 17.
The album slowly became a massive hit, spinning off four singles into the top 40 of the American pop charts: "How Does It Feel to Be Back" (number 30 in summer, 1980), "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" (number 12 in fall, 1980), "Kiss on My List" (number 1 for three weeks in spring, 1981), and "You Make My Dreams" (number 5 in summer, 1981). "Everytime You Go Away" was not released as a single but was covered by Paul Young in 1985, when it went to number 1 on the Hot 100 on 27 July 1985. Singers Elisa Chan and Danny Summer covered this song in Cantonese in 1985 and 1986.
Voices was the first album that Hall & Oates produced by themselves, working in conjunction with renowned engineer Neil Kernon.
The original LP album cover was in black and white and had several variations with the duo in different poses and the half circle, sound-like waves were embossed and raised; a marketing technique commonly used in late-1970s record sleeve packaging. It was subsequently replaced in 1981 with a color photograph of the duo, excluding the original pose of Hall "escaping" from his white trench coat-like jacket. The album was re-released in 2004 as a remastered version with a slightly different cover photo but no additional tracks. The Japanese re-release version had two extra tracks: a remixed version of "Kiss on My List" that had previously appeared on the album 12 Inch Collection 2 and a remix of "Everytime You Go Away" that was also available on the album The Ballads Collection – RCA 100th Anniversary Series.
Side one
Side two
Bonus tracks on Japanese reissue
The album debuted at number 75 on the Billboard 200 the week of August 16, 1980 as the highest debut of the week. After ten months since its debut on the chart, it reached and peaked at number 17 on June 13, 1981, making it their highest charting album since 1975 when Daryl Hall & John Oates peaked at number 17 too. It remained on the chart for one hundred weeks, more than any other album by the duo. It was certified gold by the RIAA on May 6, 1981 for shipments of 500,000 units, it reached platinum status on January 22, 1982 denoting shipments of one million.