The Band - Islands [Remastered and Expanded]

Islands is the eighth album by Canadian-American rockers The Band, and the final studio album by the original members. It received mixed reviews. Anchored by their 1976 cover of "Georgia on My Mind", recorded to aid Jimmy Carter in his bid for the White House, and surrounded by tracks dating to 1972, it was simply finished to get the group off of Capitol Records, so that the soundtrack to their film The Last Waltz could come out on Warner Bros. Records.



The Band:

Rick Danko – bass, vocals
Levon Helm – drums, vocals
Garth Hudson – organ, synthesizer, accordion, piccolo, tenor, alto and baritone saxophones
Richard Manuel – acoustic and electric pianos, vocals
Robbie Robertson – guitars, vocals

with:

James Gordon – flute on "Islands"
Tom Malone – trombone on "Islands"
John Simon – alto saxophone on "Islands"
Larry Packer – violin on "Islands"

Weariness set against a sunny sky.

By The Band's standards, "Islands" is less remarkable than earlier efforts; but given the fact that it was merely a contract-filler to Capitol Records, it's not as disappointing as most albums that are as business-oriented.

The overall musical sound that The Band produces on "Islands" sounds distinctly like 70s easy listening radio (refer to 'Right As Rain' and 'Let the Night Fall'), a definite drawback for a group that had previously created a sound that was as unique at it had; gone was the inimitable ring of a 19th-century creole that was still easy to place with any given era in time, only vaguely present on 'Knockin' Lost John.' But the effort of the five members is still there nonetheless. The late Rick Danko's vocals on 'Street Walker' and the alluring gem 'The Saga Of Pepote Rouge' are highlights, as is that of the late Richard Manuel on a cover of 'Georgia On My Mind,' which became Jimmy Carter's theme during his run for the Presidency. Garth Hudson's keyboards are well-served, even if his saxophone–though perfected–is somehow out of place on the album, but Levon Helm's drumming and vocals are unmistakable. Robbie Robertson's biazarre guitar work that he had perfected in the past seems to be absent. His lyrics however are recognizably brilliant most of the time, echoing a feeling of sadness, weariness, and melancholy, evident on another gem, 'Livin' In a Dream' and 'Knockin' Lost John.'

But those emotional lyrics are for some reason matched with disappointingly upbeat and bland music, and weak moments like 'Let the Night Fall' and a cover of the standard 'Ain't That A Lot of Love' drag the album down a bit. The title track, an instrumental, doesn't sound like a Band song at all, but rather an empty 70s-style take.

For the most part, "Islands" is worth the taking and much more enjoyable than most of The Band's 90s output. It's hard to ignore the fact that most of the genuine feeling is absent, and a lot of aspects suffer as a result.

[Amazon user review]




The Band Official Homepage

The Band at Wikipedia




Tracks:

01. Right as Rain (3:54)
02. Street Walker (3:17)
03. Let the Night Fall (3:12)
04. Ain't That a Lot of Love (3:10)
05. Christmas Must Be Tonight (3:39)
06. Islands (3:55)
07. The Saga of Pepote Rouge (4:14)
08. Georgia On My Mind (3:10)
09. Knockin' Lost John (3:51)
10. Livin' in a Dream (2:53)

Bonus Tracks:

11. Twilight (single version) (3:17)
12. Georgia On My Mind (alt.take) (3:51)

FLAC-image
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3


MP3 @320 CBR
Part 1
Part 2


Complete scanned artwork (600dpi)
Download


No password to any of the files.

5% WinRar Recovery Record for ALL files.


Enjoy ;-)

That was the last Remastered and Expanded CD I got with The Band, I hope you all have enjoyed the ride :-)