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The Island of Real

The Island of Real
The Island of Real.jpg
Studio album by The Rascals
Released 1972
Genre Rock
Length 51:24
Label Columbia
Producer Felix Cavaliere
The Rascals chronology
Peaceful World
(1971)
The Island of Real
(1972)
The Very Best of The Rascals
(1973)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars
Robert Christgau (B-)

The Island of Real is the ninth and final studio album by rock band The Rascals, released in 1972. It peaked at number 180 on the Billboard 200 chart. The group's final four singles — “Lucky Day,” “Brother Tree,” “Hummin’ Song” and “Jungle Walk” — failed to make the Top 100 and the Rascals disbanded.

The album was reissued in 1999 by Sundazed Records with two unreleased bonus tracks and also reissued along with Peaceful World on the BGO label in 2008.

Writing for Allmusic, critic Jim Newsom wrote the album was "another great but overlooked album by the Rascals. With a groove at times like Tower of Power, at others like latter-day Sly & the Family Stone, this, the band's final recording, is worth seeking out." Music critic Robert Christgau wrote of the album; "You can hear Felix trying to get back as side one begins ... but as Buzzy Feiten starts tricking up his own "Jungle Walk," you wonder whether jungles are coy. And then you realize that there's a pink horse on the cover for a reason."

In his review for the reissue of Peaceful World/The Island of Real, critic Thom Jurek wrote of the album "This is a less overtly ambitious offering, but its sunny optimism, warm vibes, and reliance on the emerging urban spiritual soul coming from Los Angeles, the rhythmic toughness of Chicago, and stretched vocal harmonies from Philadelphia make it a quiet stunner. Some of Cavaliere's best songs are here..."

All songs by Felix Cavaliere unless otherwise noted.


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