| CD REVIEW Rock Island |
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Band : Rock Island Rock Island released one album and were just getting their footing when they decided to split up, despite the album being well received by the critics. Basically, their music is an eclectic mixture of a blues-rock with jazz, pop and folk influences as well as some rudiments of early ’70s psychedelia. Their sound is very guitar and the Hammond organ omnipresent, the overall product sounding very progressive for its day. With the powerful vocals of B.J. Taylor leading the way, it looked as though the band had quite a future ahead of them. B.J. is in excellent voice on the lead vocals, and the other members provide some of the finest CCR meets The Byrds meets The Who vocal harmonies ever heard on a US seventies rock album. Issued in 1970, their only album shows much variety as well as plenty of soloing. As the excellent sound, musicianship and production will attest, it is a superb achievement for the times. The material on the album is quite strong all the way through. “When I was a boy” is a relaxed and excellent folky track, while “Runnin’ through my mind” is a more typical early 70’s progressive rock track. This is one of those tracks that will make any fan of 70’s psych rock cry of joy. The arrangements have lots of cool, twisted and varied organ-sounds and the vocals are great. Their spirited interplay, combined with typically busy drumming and muscular vocal style, define the next songs “I keep on trying”, the bluegrass “Hard and never easy” and “She has left me”. The album includes the bluesy epic “Baby I’m gonna leave you” with blistering keyboard lines and good guitar heroics. Rock Island’s one and only album is a definite underrated classic and has a lot to offer for fans of the genre. Cosmicmasseur. |