Customer Reviews

Ellis Island

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The thing that separates this band from many out of the late 60s is the musicianship. It may take a couple listens to fully appreciate the album, and if you simply don't like late 60s acid pop psych you won't like this one. But if you have an open mind and an actual concept of song structure and musicianship, you'll enjoy it. There is a dated sound here and there, but all that is owed to the authenticity of the music in the time period it was written. So disregard the idiot review entitled "Ellis Island : uneven at best". Between the boring cliches and way off analysis, this person is obviously a pedestrian and needs to be ignored.

Track listing:
1. Southdown Road;
2. Cairo Hotel;
3. Can't Go On;
4. Another Man's Hair on My Razor;
5. Numbers;
6. Oh That She Might;
7. Yes I Know;
8. Ask Her Again; and
9. Julianna.

Ellis Island is lopsided. It starts off with a fantastic jam, but the gets into pop soul, faux country, and a little folk.

Nothing binds this except a dated, tinny sound--that treble that plagued even some of the best rock records up until around 1969. How bad this is here depends. It works better on the open jams than the more contained songs.

Still, the musicianship is good. The bassist, Brad Campbell, wound up in Janis Joplin's backup, Full Tilt Boogie, featured on Pearl

"Another Man's Hair in My Razor" almost makes this worth the price. Fondly remembered bargain-bin album. Canadians, as I recall.

This album runs a bit thin on material. There are successes, such as the psychedelic gem, 'Southdown Road'. Wailing guitars, tempo changes, dynamics, and the amazing pyro-drumming of Skip Prokop propel this hard charging rave-up. 'Numbers' also goes for the jugular, with a swirling organ offset by more temperate piano interludes (both courtesy of session guest Al Kooper), again propelled by the amazing drums of Skip Prokop. Songwriting seems a bit stretched after these highlights...although 'Another Mans Hair On My Razor' and 'Yes I Know' are adequate, 'Julianna' and "Oh, That She Might' are, respectively, bombastic fifties rockers, and uninspired pap, that would bring any halfway decent album to a lame, screeching halt.
I would wait for this album to become available as MP3 tracks and cherry-pick the best, rather than invest the serious money people are asking for this second-rate psychedelic time capsule.