1982: H2O
Their next album H2O, a very polished, synth-heavy effort, became the duo's most successful album to date. H2O reached Number 3 on the album chart and spawned three Top 10 singles. "Maneater", the biggest hit of their career, reached Number 1 on December 18, 1982 and stayed there for four weeks. The ballad "One on One" and a cover of Mike Oldfield's "Family Man" reached Number 7 and Number 6 in March and June 1983, respectively.
| “ | We try and take chances. Our new single "Maneater" isn't something that sounds like anything else on the radio. The idea is to make things better. | ” |
Daryl Hall - NME - November 1982
According to John Oates, they recorded approximately twenty songs for the album, of which nine didn't make the final cut. He went on to say they usually would have five or six tracks left over per album.
"One On One," with its clever mixed-metaphorical references to romance and basketball, was used in NBA commercials of the period. The commercial featured numerous players, including Hall of Famer James Worthy performing a 360-degree slow-motion lay-up during the saxophone solo.
For the H2O album, Hall & Oates made some permanent changes to their current band. Drummer Mickey Curry, who had appeared on some Private Eyes tracks, including the title song, replaced Jerry Marotta full-time. Bassist Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, who had mimed John Siegler's bass line in the "Private Eyes" video, replaced Siegler full-time. These two joined the band's holdovers—lead guitar player G.E. Smith (according to G.E. Smith himself, "G.E." stands for "great entertainment"), and saxophonist Charlie "Mr. Casual" DeChant. De Chant and Wolk continued to perform with the duo until Wolk's death in early 2010, while Curry returned for the Do It for Love sessions.
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