Music / Studio Albums / Islands
Islands
Released March 1977 on Capitol Records. Self-produced, assembled mostly from outtakes recorded at Shangri-La studio between late 1972 and early 1977, finished in the same weeks as rehearsals for The Last Waltz. Made to fulfill the group's contract with Capitol so that the Last Waltz soundtrack could be released through Warner Bros. instead. The last studio album to feature all five original members. The full story is covered in The Last Waltz & Breakup (1976–1978); this page covers the record itself.
Track listing
| Side | Track | Lead vocal |
|---|---|---|
| A | Right as Rain | Manuel |
| A | Street Walker | Danko |
| A | Let the Night Fall | Danko |
| A | Ain't That a Lot of Love | Helm |
| A | Christmas Must Be Tonight | Robertson, Helm |
| B | Islands (instrumental) | none |
| B | The Saga of Pepote Rouge | Danko, with Helm and Manuel |
| B | Georgia on My Mind | Manuel |
| B | Knockin' Lost John | Robertson |
| B | Livin' in a Dream | Helm |
Almost all tracks written by Robbie Robertson; "Ain't That a Lot of Love" is a cover of a 1966 Homer Banks song, and "Georgia on My Mind" is the Hoagy Carmichael standard. "Knockin' Lost John" marked Robertson's first lead vocal on a Band album since "To Kingdom Come" on Music from Big Pink, nearly a decade earlier.
Personnel
- Rick Danko: bass, vocals
- Levon Helm: drums, vocals
- Garth Hudson: organ, synthesizer, saxophones
- Richard Manuel: piano, vocals
- Robbie Robertson: guitar, vocals
Chart performance
Stalled at No. 64 on the Billboard 200, the lowest chart placement of any Band album on Capitol. No singles were released to promote it.
Critical standing
Reviews were mixed, generally regarded as a lesser entry compared to the group's earlier work. Robertson himself later described it flatly as not really an album at all, more a contractual formality dressed up as one. Individual tracks have fared better in retrospect: Richard Manuel's vocal on "Georgia on My Mind" is widely singled out as one of the record's few genuine highlights.
Notes
Cover art by Bob Cato, depicting the five members' profiles against a coastal sunset. "Christmas Must Be Tonight," written for Robertson's own children, later became a recurring holiday radio staple despite never having been released as a single.