Customer Reviews

Island of Real

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

 

 

The Rascals second and final album at Columbia.Two of the original Rascals ;Gene Cornish and Eddie Brigati left in 1970 so it was decided by Felix Cavaliere and Dino Danelli that the new line-up of the band would take an incredibly brave (if unommercial) turn toward jazz/rock/r&b fusion.The result:a completely different Rascals.The previous LP "Peaceful World" was even more remote and eclectic than this.After that Lps poor showing,Columbia president Clive Davis insisted The Rascals produce a more "commercial" sounding record-and this is the result.It s full of incredible playing (Dino Danelli,Robert Popwell and Buzzy Feiten are drum/bass/guitar MONSTERS and they gel perfectly) Felix is his usual-awesome vocals,decent organ playing,masterful songs,lackluster lyrics.Annie Sutton and Molly Holt were two added background singers.Holt solos on "ECHOES", Cavalieres' shamelessly well-done attempt at a Bacharach/David-Warwick record.Sutton duets with Felix on the great TIME WILL TELL.Buzzy copped an a-side single with his super-funky JUNGLE WALK.Popwells' groove on the social commentary track, BE ON THE REAL SIDE was ahead of it's time.BUTTERCUP is terrific and one of my favorites.LUCKY DAY and ISLAND OF REAL both attempt to recapture the soul and spirit of 1968's A BEAUTIFUL MORNING (a near impossible task-especially without Eddie Brigatis' lyrical input). Two unreleased tracks PROVE IT (classic 60's Memphis/Stax groove) and LOVE IS A WOMAN (slow,heavy funk) make this essential for Rascals fans.No,it's no the GOOD LOVIN' Rascals from the Atlantic years.But any music buff,jazz fan,hip drummer,guitar freak... can HEAR that these are AWESOME talents making great music that 98.5% of the public never got to hear.There is a cultist clique of surprisingly diverse music fans who praise these two Columbia albums.See for yourself.A gem of an album. JOE RUSSO

The colorful cover says it all. This is a magical album from a truly great band. Even without guitarist Gene and terrific singer Eddie, this album lacks nothing. Felix, a fine singer and songwriter (who, despite comments from another reviewer, does not write lackluster lyrics), and Dino's catchy rhythms (along with the wonderful cover!) make this album a must buy. The record soars, with pop, jazz, and r&b effortlessly fused into an always interesting set of tunes. "Lucky Day" starts it off promisingly, and it just keeps on, with other standouts including an unbelievably funky "Jungle Walk", a pretty "Brother Tree", and a slow grooving "Be On the Real Side". Many great guest artists drop in to add saxes, background vocals, and other nice touches. One of the Rascals' best albums ever.

Island of Real is a superb pop, funk, R&B album with lots of good hooks, great playing etc.

I've never understood why this band never got bigger. I heard lots of stories from insiders back in the 70's that Felix C. was incredibly difficult to deal with in a business sense. The message being that he hadn't earned his prima donna status. Nonetheless, this album clearly demonstrates the band's ability to produce that rarest of blends - really good music with strong commercial appeal. Like another reviewer commented, "Lucky Day" should have been a pop classic. It always struck me as one of those songs you'd hear blasting out of a car radio during the summer.

Oh well.. those of us who've found this album are the lucky ones. Hopefully this CD will stay in print long enough for others to find it too.

I had this on vinyl.....TWICE. I wore out both copies by listening to it so much. The original release was when I was in early high school. If you were like I was, high school could be brutal on emotions. This album pulled me out of many teen-depressions. Even today I cannot listen to this album without smiling. I'll admit that even as an adult I need cheering up occasionally. This album does it!

Like other reviewers, I agree "Lucky Day" should be common fare on every oldies station in America but that is not where this album's appeal ends. Not even the weakest song on this album is a "throw away". When I ran across this on CD, I was immediately ready to order it. I suggest you do the same. On this one album you can find some of the best songs recorded in any era.

This album is unbelievable in that so few have ever heard it. An absolute predecessor to the music of the Dave Matthews Band, and way ahead of it's time. Hard to believe "Lucky Day" didn't go top 10. Better than anything coming out today, fans of Dave Matthews Band would love it, Rascals or Felix fans who are searching will love it too.

Buzzy Feiten and Felix Caviliere really cook on this one!
ALOT of great urban funk . ALOT of hours of good grindin' to this one.

an old friend, knowing what a Rascals fan I am, gave me this CD as a gift, and what a gift it is. I was not familiar with their work on this CD or on Peaceful World as I'd lost track of them after Eddie Brigati left the group. Their music is timeless....Lucky Day is great....don't know how many Rascals fans are out there but definitely a great addition to your collection.

Lots of soulful, jazzy tunes, I loved the album when it first came out