Eight albums in, Daryl Hall & John Oates were still refining their sound, and 1979’s X-Static shows the duo effortlessly collapsing the distance between synth-pop, soul, and disco. Producer David Foster provided radio-ready polish, and Hall & Oates recorded for the first time with their road band, including lead guitarist G.E. Smith (who'd stick around for years) and John Siegler, whose bubbly bass lines percolate in should-be hits like "Portable Radio"—an upbeat song literally about a portable radio—and the goofy/sinister "Running from Paradise."
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