The Island of Real
| The Island of Real | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Genre | Soul, rock, jazz[1] | |||
| Length | 51:24 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Felix Cavaliere | |||
| The Rascals chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Island of Real is the ninth and final studio album by rock band The Rascals, released in 1972. It peaked at number 180 on the Billboard 200 chart. The group's final four singles — “Lucky Day,” “Brother Tree,” “Hummin’ Song” and “Jungle Walk” — failed to make the Top 100 and the Rascals disbanded.[2]
The album was reissued in 1999 by Sundazed Records with two previously unreleased bonus tracks[3] and also reissued along with Peaceful World on the BGO label in 2008.[4]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
Allmusic |   [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B−[5] |
Writing for
In his review for the reissue of Peaceful World/The Island of Real, critic Thom Jurek wrote of the album "This is a less overtly ambitious offering, but its sunny optimism, warm vibes, and reliance on the emerging urban spiritual soul coming from Los Angeles, the rhythmic toughness of Chicago, and stretched vocal harmonies from Philadelphia make it a quiet stunner. Some of Cavaliere's best songs are here..."[4]
Track listing
All songs by Felix Cavaliere unless otherwise noted.
- "Lucky Day" – 3:09
- "Saga of New York" – 4:03
- "Be on the Real Side" (Robert Popwell) – 3:37
- "Jungle Walk" (Buzz Feiten) – 3:05
- "Brother Tree" – 3:38
- "Island of Real" – 4:57
- "Hummin' Song" – 3:58
- "Echoes" – 3:10
- "Buttercup" – 5:06
- "Time Will Tell" – 4:07
- "Lament" –6:10
- 1999 reissue bonus tracks:
- "Prove It" – 3:13
- "Love Is a Woman" – 3:11
Personnel
- ARP synthesizer
- Dino Danelli – drums, percussion
- Howard "Buzz" Feiten – guitar, ARP synthesizer
- Annie Sutton – vocals, background vocals
- Robert Popwell – bass
- Hubert Laws – flute
- Louis Colin – harp
- Kwasi "Rocky" Dzidzornu – conga
- Joe Farrell – flute, saxophone
- Ralph MacDonald – conga
- Jack Scarangella – conga
- Daniel Ben Zebulon – conga
- Steve Madaio – trumpet
- David Sanborn – saxophone, horn
- Jon Smith – saxophone, horn
- Manny Stamm – flugelhorn
- Woodstock Horns – horns
- Molly Holt – background vocals
- Arthur Jenkins - arrangements on "Echoes" and "Buttercup"
References
- ^ Anon. (April 22, 1972). "Album Reviews". Billboard. p. 58. Retrieved March 2, 2019 – via Google Books.
..."incorporating jazz into their now famous soul/rock style.
- ^ Cohen, Elliot Stephen. "Felix Cavaliere traces the tumultuous history of The Rascals > Review". Goldmine. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
- ^ Allmusic. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
- ^ Allmusic. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 26, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
External links
- The Island of Real at Discogs (list of releases)