DARYL HALL and John Oates are a curious combination. They possess a wealth of musical talents, both having shown over the course of their careers that they can write exceptional music. Neither one displays exceptional virtuousity with instruments--Hall plays an adequate keyboard and Oates strums a less-than-spectacular guitar. However, vocally the two complement each other nicely. Hall's wide-ranging, piercing voice contrasts well with Oates' smooth, sensual tenor.

Yet the prolific pair have never enjoyed the market success of many major artists. Aside from a few hit singles like "Sara Smile," "Rich Girl" or "She's Gone," most of their songs have never made it to Top Ten status. And even a hit like "She's Gone," which rocketed up the charts two years ago, was on the market for more than two years before it gained mass recognition.

To many listeners, Daryl Hall's voice sounds harsh, and the Hall and Oates combination comes across as grating. Perhaps an appreciation of their music is an aquired taste. Unfortunately, pop music radio and listeners, en masse, have never seemed to have a great affinity for the Hall and Oates sound; and the music on their latest release, Along the Red Ledge, shows just why a Hall-and-Oates-mania will never sweep the country.

The album's lead song, "It's a Laugh," provides the newest offering for their "at-large" following. With a strong saxaphone line from the latest of the group's sax players, Charlie DeChant, "It's a Laugh" combines breezy lyrics with a light pop tune that has already appealed to "top pop" listeners.

But such a cut contrasts dramatically with a tune like "Have I Been Away Too Long." The song is a showcase for Daryl Hall's free-wheeling, bluesy vocal style. He scales to ear-shattering highs and teams with John Oates for swirling harmonies that sharpen the tonal disparity between their voices. It's a fine song reminiscent of many earlier Daryl Hall tunes, but it probably will be disliked by many listeners because of its loose sound.

John Oates, who often writes slow and soft tunes, turns out a nice cut on Along the Red Ledge, with "Melody for a Memory." The pair make good use of string orchestration to provide a backdrop for Oates' mellow voice, echoed by a Hall falsetto. But this is typical Hall and Oates stuff, basically no different from the music on albums like Bigger than Both of Us or the less-successful Beauty on a Back Street. What distinguishes Along the Red Ledge as a worthwhile contribution to current pop music is the work that comes alive on the second side.

WITH A STRONG one-two combination, Hall and Oates team-up for a pair of punk-rock-influenced cuts. The first one, "Alley Katz," mocks the violent, socially rebellious lyrics of punk, reducing everything to a feline existence:

Felix is a puss in boots

He really likes to scratch and bite

Sylvester is a natural

The Kitty is a catamite

He will dirty up your pedigree

He will guarantee a good time

He's got some catnip that'll

Set you free

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.