An Excellent Overlooked Album
I love this album. The album is mostly lite rock on side one and hard rock on side 2. David Foster produced this, so it has to be good. I had to get this so I could here the 2 hits again, that they always leave off their greatest hits albums; IT'S A LAUGH and I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU, plus the awesome song MELODY FOR A MEMORY. There's some good guitar work on this album thanks to Rick Nielson of Cheap Trick and Steve Lukather of toto. Hall & Oates also had a great backing band at this time, which they picked up when Elton John temporarily retired, including Roger Pope, kenny Passarelli, and Caleb Quaye. A must have for the 70's music fan.
Essence of Philly
If you are an ex-Philadelphian in the diaspora, this is the album to play when you're homesick. Just the sound of H&O brings "home" right back full force. Like all their music, this album contains everything from pure-grade Philly soul to forays into rock and ballads. For me personally, though, it would be hard to improve on tracks 4 and 5. There you've got the whole thing in a nutshell: the rousing, infectious "I Don't Wanna Lose You" (a very underrated Philly soul classic, with a catchy melody and cool lyrics underscored by nifty string and horn riffs and bouncy beat that gets your feet tapping) followed up by the wistful ballad "Have I Been Away Too Long." I only have to hear the first few notes of the intro to track 5 and I'm in Philly in the fall--rich, mellow, and splendid. My only complaint about track 5 is that, as in most of their slow songs, H&O overdo the vocals. It's like they're afraid people will get bored if they're not performing vocal gymnastics every single second. I mean, yodeling is just out of place on a solemn song like this. I really wish H&O would record a new version without the vocal pyrotechnics--but even so, the beautiful moments in the song far outweigh that, and it's still one of my favorites.
In short, if you want the essence of Philly (not just the music--the Philly *experience*), you can't go wrong with Hall & Oates, and you definitely won't go wrong with this album.
It's a Classic. Try it, You might like It!
This is easily my favorite H&O cd. I have the 8-track, the vinyl,and CD. It contains some of their best compositions, ever. Even though there is only one "hit" on the disc, "It's a Laugh", this is really a masterpiece. Some people poke fun at John Oates, but he proves every bit of his worth in the duo with his contributions to "Along the Red Ledge". "Melody for a Memorory", "Alley Katz", "Serious Music" and "Pleasure Beach" are all strong tunes. At this point, I must add one other comment. I have read the various reviews of other Hall & Oates CD's on the site. More than one reviewer has called songs performed by John Oates on those CD's as "token" songs. First, not true! Secondly, on "Along the Red Ledge", Oates' songs are a major part of why the CD is a great one, not just a good one. John Oates is a excellent song writer, and this may prove it to those with open ears.
Some may turn up their nose when you see that David Foster produced this, but your missing out if you push this one aside. Production is an A+. How about musicianship? The line up includes, but not limited to, some of the best ever! Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, Robert Fripp, George Harrison, and Todd Rundgren!
Let's face it. Most people identify H & O with the radio hits. But there is a lot more substance to them. From "It's a Laugh" to "August Day' and everything between, there is not a clinker on the disc.
I love the radio hits as much as anyone else, but there are other great Hall & Oates tunes out there to be discoverd by the casual fan. Try this one, you might like it.
SURPRISING, AMAZING, EXPERIMENTAL- WOW !!
When you mention Daryl Hall & John Oates, most people snicker while memories of cheesy videos and slick soul-tinged 80's pop dance around in their heads. Too bad no remembers this gem of an album. It's an artistic triumph that reaches heights H&O never quite acheived again (although the two albums the proceeded it, 'X-Static' and 'Voices' came close). I was just a kid when 'Red Ledge' came out but even back then, I was blown away. Twenty-something years later have done nothing to diminish my enthusiasm. Songs such as "Don't Blame It On Love", which features Robert Fripp's ethereal Frippertronic guitar trills, a sick Caleb Quaye buzz-saw guitar solo, mad chord modulations and an unreal multi-layered vocal harmony break right in the middle of Quaye's solo, will leave you with your jaw on the floor- whether you like H&O or not!! "Serious Music", with more stellar harmonies, classical-styled harpsichord and another killer Quaye solo, is one of John Oates' finest songs. They band gets their soul shoes on for "The Last Time" (featuring a Spectoresque intro and George Harrison on acoustic guitar!!) and the Gamble & Huff-like rave of "I Don't Wanna Lose You". But these songs aren't the slicker pop-soul oriented efforts H&O produced in the '80's. These are tough, complex tunes with meaningful and sometimes poetic lyrics that reveal different meanings long after you've first heard them. RCA records probably thought that this would be the album that brought H&O into the big time, but instead, it was the worst selling album they'd had up to that point. Apparently, people who wanted "Sara Smile-part 2" couldn't grasp the experimental nature of this collection- and people who were fans of the music being made by the musicians H&O were hanging out with at the time (Fripp, Todd Rundgren, Rick Neilsen) didn't take H&O seriously enough to pay attention. It's too bad. Had this album been a hit, H&O may have experimented further, instead of moving in the slick direction they took after this grand commercial failure. Of course, things worked out pretty good for them in the end. And even on their most popular albums they always made room for a few tunes that pushed the envelope. But if you want to hear musicians at the height of their creative powers, this is an album that will shock fans and doubters alike.
A Career Highlight, Artistically Speaking
For a time in the 1970s, Hall and Oates were as successful as almost any pop outfit. For awhile it didn't seem to hurt them artistically. For awhile ...
Unfortunately, first their musical output and much later their commercial success began to sputter. Soon they became yesterday's news.
While they WERE on top of the world, Hall & Oates were a pop duet seldom daring to be the least bit unpredictable, preferring instead to be safe and mainstream, lest they be passed over as industry cash cows. For better or worse, this record bucked that trend in a major way. Thank God!
For this record Hall & Oates had the good sense to bring in some special guests that included Robert Fripp ("Don't Blame It On Love") and Todd Rundgren ("Have I Been Away Too Long"). But there are plenty more than a couple of highlights here. The playing and singing are inspired throughout, leaving the listener yearning for more at the conclusion of the record. Can you say that about any other Hall & Oates record? Perhaps not. (Note: their latest record, including the inspired cover of "Someday We'll Know," may be an exception.)
If you only buy one Hall & Oates record, you'd be well advised to make ALONG THE RED LEDGE that record. It is the musical highlight they have yet to duplicate, some 20-plus years later.
