C'mon, c'mon, paws on the line

Alley Katz, Alley Katz come out and play

Yowlin' and howlin' a social ballet

Out in the alley it's strictly low brow

Alley Katz, Alley Katz make me meow, meow, meow

They follow this parody with a more serious punk tune, "Don't Blame It on Love," using some fine guitar and percussion work to drive the song along. Caleb Quaye's strong lead guitar dominates both these cuts, which comically oppose John Oates' "Serious Music," a conventional rocker that ponders the durability of pop music. The song uses some creative instrumental bridges playing off a "Rhapsody in Blue" theme.

Finally, John Oates follows up with an intriguing tune called "Pleasure Beach." Starting with a quiet, slow synthesizer backing Oates' soft, relaxed voice, the song shifts into the screams of a beach crowd mixed with a driving electric guitar riff that carries a vocal part adorned with a Beach Boys, teeny bopper harmony line. It's innocent, fun rock and one of the album's best offerings.

But Along the Red Ledge, for all its innovative passages and solid instrumental work, is a puzzling piece of music. It has almost everything, from a harmless love song called "August Day," written by Sara Allen (the subject of "Sara Smile" and a constant Hall and Oates companion and contributor), to a poor attempt at a Phil Spector rocker, called "The Last Time." There's a great orchestral work in "I Don't Wanna Lose You," a fine tune which may do well as a pop single; but the range and uneveness of the album as a whole make it almost impossible to label the work as a success or failure.

The problem is that there's no real Hall and Oates sound. Not many groups can switch from a country, acoustic sound on an album like Past Times Behind to the futuristic, electronic rock of Bigger than the Both of Us. And perhaps that constant state of flux explains why Hall and Oates have never attracted a massive, fanatic following. They have some characteristic sounds; they can play formula pop or experimental rock, but not everyone likes their use of different styles of music. And Along the Red Ledge, in the end, becomes a Hall and Oates sampler, offering a little something for everyone.