The Island of Real

Performer: The Rascals
Artist: Joe Farrell; Hubert Laws; David Sanborn
Engineer: James Greene; Wayne Tarnowski
Producer: Felix Cavaliere
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: Personnel: Buzzy Feiten (vocals, guitar, Arp synthesizer); Felix Cavaliere (vocals, keyboards, Arp synthesizer); Molly Holt, Annie Sutton (vocals); Lois Colin (harp); Joe Farrell (flute, soprano saxophone); Hubert Laws (flute); David Sanborn (alto saxophone); Charles Dinwiddie, Jon Smith (tenor saxophone); Manny Stamm (flugelhorn); Robert Popwell (bass); Dino Danelli (drums, percussion); Ralph MacDonald, Rocky Dzidzornu, Daniel Zebulon, Jack Scarangella (congas). Originally released on Columbia (31103). Digitally remastered by Bob Irwin (Sundazed Studios, Coxsackie, New York). Personnel: Felix Cavaliere (vocals, keyboards, ARP synthesizer); Annie Sutton (vocals, background vocals); Molly Holt (vocals); Howard "Buzz" Feiten (guitar, ARP synthesizer); Louis Colin (harp); Joe Farrell (flute, saxophone, soprano saxophone); Herbert Laws, Hubert Laws (flute); David Sanborn (alto saxophone, horns); Jon Smith , Charles Dinwiddie (tenor saxophone, horns); Steve Madaio (trumpet); Manny Stamm (flugelhorn); Woodstock Horns (horns); Dino Danelli (drums, percussion); Rocky Dzidzornu, Jack Scarangella, Ralph MacDonald, Daniel Ben Zebulon (congas). Photographers: Nancy Cataldi; Kay Zar; Ernest Holt. The Rascals' second and final album for Columbia Records, 1971's ISLAND OF REAL is more commercial than its predecessor, the 2-LP fusion experiment A PEACEFUL WORLD. While there's still a pronounced jazz influence on ISLAND OF REAL, it's subsumed into a more workable pop-R&B framework. The two remaining Rascals, keyboardist Felix Cavaliere and drummer Dino Danelli, are joined by new recruits Robert Popwell and Buzzy Feiten on bass and guitar, and their playing, singing and songwriting talents point the album in the direction of '70s-style pop-soul in the style of early Hall and Oates or Robert Palmer. The funky "Jungle Walk" and Cavaliere's elegant, Bacharach/David-like "Echoes" are highlights, but despite the obvious quality of the material, this album was a commercial flop.

The kings of blue-eyed New Yawk soul, The Rascals (n� The Young Rascals) were veterans of local bar bands when they got signed by Atlantic in 1965 and scored the raucous #1 shouter "Good Lovin'." They eventually moved beyond their R&B roots to a more produced pop sound, and scored six Top Ten hits ranging from the dreamy "Groovin'" to the funky message song "People Got to Be Free," to the sublime elegance of "How Can I Be Sure," before disbanding in 1971.

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