Islands is the seventh studio album by the Canadian-American rock group the Band. Released in 1977 to mixed reviews, it is the final studio album from the group's original lineup.[1]
| Islands | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 15, 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 | ||||
| ||||
Primarily composed of previously unreleased songs from the Band's career (including their 1976 cover of "Georgia on My Mind", which was recorded to aid Jimmy Carter in his presidential bid),[2] Islands was released to fulfill the group's contract with Capitol Records, so that the soundtrack to their film The Last Waltz could be released on Warner Bros. Records.[1] In the CD liner notes, Robbie Robertson compares the album to the Who's Odds & Sods.
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+[4] |
| MusicHound Rock | woof![5] |
| Q | [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [6] |
John Bauldie in Q called the album "a ragbag of old outtakes and otherwise unplaceable new numbers."[1]
Track listing edit
Side one 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 |
Side two edit
| 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.
Bonus tracks from 2001 CD re-release edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Twilight" (Single version) | Robertson | 3:17 |
| 12. | "Georgia on My Mind" (Alternate take) | Carmichael, Gorrell | 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
References edit
- ^ a b c d Bauldie, John (March 5, 1991). "Review of Islands re-issue". Q. Vol. 84. p. 10.
- ^ Morris, Chris, Liner Notes to Islands CD release
- ^ 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.