10 Greatest Musical Duos Of ALL TIME

The band dynamic is one that's been well tested in the musical sphere. As much as a solo star might be something enticing to your average musician, you normally just find yourself in your own group having to share the fame along with 4 or 5 other people. With duos though...that can get a little bit tricky.

Since you don't have to worry about massive amounts of people crowding the creative area, you have much more free reign when having to play off of just one person. Then again, duos have been known to be even more toxic than full bands in some circumstances, with that same creative freedom leading to artists overstepping their bounds in one form or another. Although there have been some jaded feelings popping up every now and again, those normally end up garnering the same type of beauty that has become the soundtrack for the decades that would follow.

Along with some of the greatest single cuts ever, the album statements that these artists put out made us feel like we were taken behind the curtain of the creative process, almost as if we were reaching inside their head to get their own unique view on things. Even though there might still be tension to this day, it's almost worth it when you have hooks this amazing.

It's hard not to look back on the golden era of soul music and not detect just the slightest bit of cynicism. Though acts like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye were pumping out some of the most artistically diverse records of their time, the fact that Motown itself was known as a money machine rather than a proper label just made the whole concept feel manufactured. As Hitsville started to wane in the late '70s, we actually got a second wind from Philadelphia with two of the smoothest hitmakers of the time.

While it's easy to chalk Hall and Oates' music up to the random hits that your mom always used to jam out to, the actual melodies on most of these songs are untouchable, from the amazing sax line on Maneater to every single hook of Rich Girl. Being a mainly in house production, both Darryl Hall and John Oates each had their moment to shine on the records, from Hall's pretty boy falsetto to the grit coming out Oates' magnificent mustache.

Even though there is some weapons grade cheese in the mix, the run these two had from the late '70s onward is on par if not better than most of the stuff coming from Motown around the same time. Just shut up, drop the layers of critical analysis for a bit, and just listen to the songs.