Islands (The Band album)
| Islands | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1977 | |||
| Recorded | December 1972 – January 1977 | |||
| Studio | Shangri-la Studios; Village Recorders, Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 35:15 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | The Band | |||
| The Band chronology | ||||
| ||||
Islands is the seventh studio album by Canadian-American rock group the Band. It was released on March 15, 1977, through Capitol Records, and was self-produced. The album, which was compiled primarily of previously unreleased older material, was released to fulfill the band's contract with Capitol so that the live concert album The Last Waltz (1978) could be released through Warner Bros. Records. Though the band intended to keep releasing studio albums following their retirement from touring, they would soon break up later in 1977, making Islands the last album to feature the band's original lineup.[a][1]
Upon release, Islands received mixed reviews and was a commercial slump for the band. While the band's cover of "Georgia on My Mind" was released the previous year in tandem with the presidential campaign of Jimmy Carter, no singles were released to promote the album. The record itself stalled at number 64 in the US and failed to chart in Canada. Both contemporary and retrospective reviews consider the album to be inferior to the band's previous work, though certain tracks have been singled out for praise. The album has been reissued multiple times, including with bonus material in 2000.
Background
[edit]In 1975, the Band would release their sixth studio album, Northern Lights – Southern Cross. The album would receive positive reviews from critics, with some declaring it among the group's best work, but was a commercial disappointment, falling outside the top 20 in the US. Troubles arose while touring behind the album, including a major powerboat accident suffered by pianist and vocalist Richard Manuel, as well as a general loss of enthusiasm for touring.[2] Additionally, Manuel's failing health and drug addictions caused his vocal abilities to suffer, and the general quality of the band's performances became inconsistent.[2] These issues culminated in Robbie Robertson's decision to cease the band's touring schedule, culminating in a finale concert entitled The Last Waltz, which would take place on Thanksgiving 1976. Mo Ostin, president of Warner Bros. Records and friend of Robertson's, helped to finance the film in exchange for the rights to release the corresponding live album on his label. Because of this, the group needed to compile one more album's worth of new material to complete their current contract with Capitol before The Last Waltz could be released.[3]
Writing and recording
[edit]With the exception of the album's title track, which dated back to earlier sessions at Bearsville Studios in New York, all of the material on Islands originated from various recording sessions at the band's own Shangri-La studio in Malibu, California in the year and a half period following the release of Northern Lights – Southern Cross.[3] The band did not undertake these sessions with the intention of completing an album; rather, the group would enter Shangri-La simply out of a desire to record with no larger plans.[3] After realizing their need to submit one last album to Capitol, the group began work on completing the older material; the band would alternate between this project and rehearsals for The Last Waltz at Shangri-La.[4] The title track, the oldest on the album, began life as a guitar riff composed by bassist Rick Danko years ealier which caught the attention of Robertson. Originally titled "Dr. Medicine Song", the piece would continue to be developed through Danko and Robertson working with a drum machine, while keyboardist Garth Hudson would also make contributions to the track.[3] By late 1976, Robertson had planned to write lyrics for the track, but these plans were later abandoned and it would ultimately remain an instrumental.[3]
"Right as Rain" would later be described by Robertson as possessing a sense of "sophistication" due to the use of major seventh chords and a "light" and "sweet" tone; he also compared the track to the work of Stevie Wonder. The song also showcases Hudson's keyboard work as well as a soprano saxophone solo.[3]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+[6] |
| MusicHound Rock | woof![7] |
| Q | [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [8] |
John Bauldie in Q called the album "a ragbag of old outtakes and otherwise unplaceable new numbers."[1]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Right as Rain" | Robbie Robertson | Richard Manuel | 3:52 |
| 2. | "Street Walker" |
| Danko | 3:16 |
| 3. | "Let the Night Fall" | Robertson | Manuel | 3:11 |
| 4. | "Ain't That a Lot of Love" |
| Levon Helm | 3:09 |
| 5. | "Christmas Must Be Tonight" | Robertson | Danko | 3:38 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Islands" |
| instrumental | 3:54 |
| 2. | "The Saga of Pepote Rouge" | Robertson | Danko | 4:14 |
| 3. | "Georgia on My Mind" | Manuel | 3:09 | |
| 4. | "Knockin' Lost John" | Robertson | Robertson | 3:50 |
| 5. | "Livin' in a Dream" | Robertson | Helm | 2:52 |
- Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–10 on CD reissues.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Twilight" (single version) | Robertson | 3:17 |
| 12. | "Georgia on My Mind" (alternate take) |
| 3:51 |
Personnel
[edit]- The Band
- Rick Danko – bass guitar, vocals
- Levon Helm – drums, vocals
- Garth Hudson – organ, synthesizers, saxophones, accordion, piccolo on "Islands"
- Richard Manuel – piano, electric piano, vocals
- Robbie Robertson – guitars, lead vocal on "Knockin' Lost John"
- Additional musicians
- Jim Gordon – flute on "Islands"
- Tom Malone – trombone on "Islands"
- John Simon – alto saxophone on "Islands"
- Larry Packer – violin on "Islands"
- Production
- Ed Anderson – engineering
- Neil Brody – engineering
- Rob Fraboni – engineering
- Nat Jeffrey – engineering
Notes
[edit]- ^ Robbie Robertson would not rejoin the band for their 1983 reunion, and Richard Manuel would die in 1986, seven years before the release of their next studio album Jericho (1993).
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Bauldie, John (March 5, 1991). "Review of Islands re-issue". Q. Vol. 84. p. 10.
- ^ a b Hoskyns 1993, p. 329-330
- ^ a b c d e f Bowman, Rob (2000). Islands (liner notes). Capitol Records.
- ^ Hoskyns 1993, p. 334
- ^ Islands at AllMusic
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 0-89919-026-X. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
- ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 72. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York, NY: Fireside. p. 42. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
