Along the Red Ledge
1978 studio album by Hall & Oates
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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. No. 20, Canada No. 23). The follow-up single was "I Don't Wanna Lose You" (U.S. No. 42).
| Along the Red Ledge | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 21, 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | Pop, rock | |||
| Length | 36:49 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | David Foster | |||
| Hall & Oates chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B[2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
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.
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
| 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 |
| 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 – guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals (2, 8, 9)
- David Kent – 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 – guitars
- Todd Rundgren – guitars
- Dick Wagner – guitars
- George Harrison – guitar (3)
- Rick Nielsen – guitar (6)
- Robert Fripp – guitar (7)
- Steve Lukather – guitar (9)
- Les Thompson – harmonica (10)
- Steve Forman – percussion
- Gene Page – string arrangements (4)
Production
- David Foster – producer, arrangements
- Daryl Hall – arrangements
- John Oates – arrangements
- Humberto Gatica – engineer
- Tom Knox – engineer
- Ed Sprigg – engineer, mixing
- Chris Desmond – assistant engineer
- Mark Linett – assistant engineer
- Jon Smith – assistant engineer
- Patrick Von Wiegandt – assistant engineer
- Pat Martin – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY)
- Glen Davis – studio assistant
- Dick Smith – art direction
- Sara Allen – cover design
- Eric Kroll – cover photography
- Barbara Gray – band photography
- Tommy Mottola for Champion Entertainment Organization, Inc. – management, direction