Along the Red Ledge

Along the Red Ledge
Studio album by Hall & Oates
Released	August 21, 1978
Recorded	1978
Studio	Davlen, North Hollywood Sunset Sound, Hollywood Hit Factory, New York City
Genre	Pop, rock
Length	36:49
Label	RCA Victor
Producer	David Foster
Hall & Oates chronology
Livetime (1978) Along the Red Ledge (1978) X-Static (1979)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	B[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[3]

Along the Red Ledge is the seventh studio album by American pop music duo Hall & Oates. The album was released on August 21, 1978, by RCA Records. The biggest hit from the album was "It's a Laugh" (U.S. #20, Canada #23). The follow-up single was "I Don't Wanna Lose You" (U.S. #42).

The album foreshadowed what was to come in a few years for the duo, as they shed their previous producer Christopher Bond and went with a more polished sound with David Foster. Along the Red Ledge was the first studio album on which Hall & Oates used their road band (previously they had relied heavily on session musicians), a trend they would carry through their heyday of the early 1980s.

Former Beatle George Harrison played guitar on the track "The Last Time". Other contributors to the album include Rick Nielsen of the band Cheap Trick and rock musician Todd Rundgren.[4] Robert Fripp of King Crimson played on the track "Don't Blame It on Love".

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"It's a Laugh"	Daryl Hall	3:50
2.	"Melody for a Memory"	John Oates	4:54
3.	"The Last Time"	Hall	2:53
4.	"I Don't Wanna Lose You"	Hall, Oates	3:49
5.	"Have I Been Away Too Long"	Hall	4:24

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Alley Katz"	Hall, Oates	3:05
7.	"Don't Blame It on Love"	Hall, Oates	3:58
8.	"Serious Music"	George Bitzer, Oates	4:10
9.	"Pleasure Beach"	Oates	3:13
10.	"August Day"	Sara Allen, Hall	3:06

Personnel

The Band

• Daryl Hall – lead vocals (1–7, 10), backing vocals, keyboards, percussion
• John Oates – rhythm guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals (2, 8, 9)
• David Kent – keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals
• Caleb Quaye – lead guitars
• Kenny Passarelli – bass
• Roger Pope – drums
• Charles DeChant – saxophone

Additional musicians

• George Bitzer – keyboards
• David Foster – keyboards
• Steve Porcaro – keyboards
• Jay Graydon – guitar
• Steve Lukather – guitar
• Rick Nielsen – guitar
• Todd Rundgren – guitar
• Dick Wagner – guitar
• George Harrison – guitar (3)
• Robert Fripp – guitar (7)
• Les Thompson – harmonica (10)
• Steve Forman – percussion
• Gene Page – string arrangements (4)

Production

• Produced by David Foster
• Arrangements by Daryl Hall, John Oates and David Foster.
• Engineers – Humberto Gatica, Tom Knox and Ed Sprigg.
• Assistant Engineers – Chris Desmond, Mark Linett, Jon Smith and Patrick Von Wiegandt.
• Recorded at Davlen Sound Studios (North Hollywood, CA), Sunset Sound (Los Angeles, CA) and The Hit Factory (New York, NY).
• Mixed by Ed Sprigg at The Hit Factory (New York, NY).
• Mastered by Pat Martin at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
• Studio Assistants – Glen Lee and Alan Davis
• Art Direction – Dick Smith
• Cover Design – Sara Allen
• Cover Photography – Eric Kroll
• Group Photography – Barbara Gray

References

1. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Along the Red Ledge – Daryl Hall & John Oates". AllMusic. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: H". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
3. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 302.
4. Arganbright, Frank (September 17, 1978). "Listening on records". Journal & Courier. p. D3.