FEATURED CD: Island - Pictures

[Poisoned Youth]

Today's feature is a stone cold "under the radar" classic from 1977, the Swiss band Island and their album "Pictures".



Review from Progarchives:

One-shot album by this Swiss band. The band was lead by Benjamin Jäger, who was previously with a band called TOAD (which featured ex-Brainticket members). This is a totally fascinating album! The band consisted of vocals, Hammond organ, Mini Moog, Moog Taurus bass pedals, sax, drums, and percussion. But the band didn't use guitar or even a bassist! That means the keyboards and the wind instruments shine! For the most diehard prog fans out there who want the most over-the-top complex prog out there, this album will satisfy! The music sounds like a combination of VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR, GENTLE GIANT, and RIO (such as UNIVERS ZERO). The atmosphere, for the most part, is quite sinister, as is the cover artwork, done by their countryman H.R. Giger (same guy responsible for ELP's "Brain Salad Surgery" and helped design the creatures for the 1979 movie Alien, in fact the artwork to "Pictures" looks very much like the creatures from Alien). The music is very long, with the exception of a short intro and a 7 minute instrumental, nothing on this album is under 12 minutes long (there are five songs total).

The album has its detractors, because the unbelievable complexity (they make GENTLE GIANT seem like the MOODY BLUES, as far as complexity is concerned - I might be overexaggerating there). Definately not an easy album to get in to, but if you like GENTLE GIANT and VdGG, you're sure to enjoy this. - Proghead

[battema]

GASTRIC JUICES


Lovely, weird, dark album.

[Sputnik]

GASTRIC JUICES

Lovely, weird, dark album.

LOL, well said!

This has been a favorite of mine since I got Ken's reissue years ago. No matter how many times I hear it, something new always pops out. Haven't spun this for a while, need to tee it up for a fresh listen.

Bill

[spacefreak]

One of the best european progressive rock examples. An eclectic album that displays progressive rock at its most original and inventive. More essential than 2/3rds of YES' discography (of their classic years).

[zravkapt]

GASTRIC JUICES

Indeed!

Love this album and it's unconventional instrumentation.

[Mascodagama]

GASTRIC JUICES

Yep, it's a fantastic album just musically, but I find Benjamin Jäger's vocals also add something quite unique which I really enjoy. The somewhat demented way he delivers that line in particular reminds me a little of Roger Wootton, somehow.

[zutul]

The CD Bonus tracks are superb as well as good if not better then the album itself! There is a second album too "Pyrrho" recorded in 1975-76 but was released only in 2005 which contains two CD's one of demos and a live CD, however it is not very good, certainly if you expect another "Pictures"

[TheH]

One of my favourite Albums, awesome Keyboard work.

A very rare track from Island:

[StevegSr]

Damn! I thought this was another remaster of BSS at first. I'm serious.

[Fracktured]

I've never purchased this. I believe it's been out of print for awhile now.

[miamiscot]

This record scares the hell out of me. Just awesome!!!

[GuitarGeek]

Strange album. I think this was one of the first things I bought from Wayside Music back in the mid 90's. Took me awhile to get into, largely because of the vocals, and that "GASTRIC JUICES!" bit. But very enjoyable once I got used to that.

As for the Giger artwork and it's resemblance to the Xenomorph (or vice versa), I believe Giger used several variations on that theme in his mid 70's artwork. In fact, I believe the Xenomorph was based on a painting that was already something like 2 years old by the time Alien was made.

[Trane]

Although I appreciate the album quite a bit (fuck, I love it), I always it was a tad over-rated by the prog intelligentsia...

Damn! I thought this was another remaster of BSS at first. I'm serious.

same artiste... also did Magma's Attakh album artwork

[GuitarGeek]

same artiste... also did Magma's Attakh album artwork

Giger's done a lot of album cover artwork, going back a few years before Pictures. I remember one time visiting his website and there was list of all the album covers that have used his paintings. There was a Debbie Harry album cover he did (he also appeared in the video for the single Backfire, in which Debbie wears a mask he designed), he did the poster that was famously included in Dead Kennedys Frankenchrist album (which sparked an obscenity trial, as the band were charged with distributing obscene materials to minors, via the album package), and a number of others.

Another place one might have seen Giger's work was the Species movie series. He created the Sil creature for the first one (not sure what involvement he had in the subsequent films). I was told once that was the only movie where he had full and complete artistic control over the design and how it was used in the finished picture. He also did some work on Poltergeist II (when he realized that a second Alien movie was being made at about the same time, he reportedly realized he was "working on the wrong sequel!").

[Progbear]

I know this album is very well-regarded, but it’s never really clicked with me. The music is interesting but not enthralling, and I’m constantly taken out of it by the clunky, mispronounced Engrish lyrics (“ee-loo-mee-nates da zen-nit”) and Benjamin Jäger’s vocals, which are too “nice” to sell the dark, brooding tone they are so obviously going for. Weirdly, the only track I thoroughly enjoy is the CD bonus, “Empty Bottles.” And maybe that’s because the production is so bad you can barely hear Jäger’s voice, much less understand what he’s singing.

[mogrooves]

I would prefer no vocals at all on this. There's enough frenetic ADD jump cutting and mind-numbing repetition to satisfy sans vox.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

I know this album is very well-regarded, but it’s never really clicked with me. The music is interesting but not enthralling, and I’m constantly taken out of it by the clunky, mispronounced Engrish lyrics (“ee-loo-mee-nates da zen-nit”) and Benjamin Jäger’s vocals, which are too “nice” to sell the dark, brooding tone they are so obviously going for. Weirdly, the only track I thoroughly enjoy is the CD bonus, “Empty Bottles.” And maybe that’s because the production is so bad you can barely hear Jäger’s voice, much less understand what he’s singing.

I would prefer no vocals at all on this. There's enough frenetic ADD jump cutting and mind-numbing repetition to satisfy sans vox.

I agree with both these points. The vocals knock it down a couple of pegs

[Baribrotzer]

Wow! I need to get this. Unpredictable, wildly creative, and the "bad" vocals don't matter - I hear them as just another idiosyncratic part of their sound. And sure, there's a bit of VDGG and Giant in there, but you've got to come from somewhere, and I'd say they've taken influences from both bands, and then run with them off in their own direction.

[at least 100 dead]

I know this album is very well-regarded, but it’s never really clicked with me.

Same here. I bought this one because it was “Album of the Month” on the Babyblaue Seiten, but I never took to it the way I’m supposed to.

[Trane]

Am I the only one to think this album should be included more in Zeuhl than "The music sounds like a combination of VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR, GENTLE GIANT, and RIO (such as UNIVERS ZERO)." of the PA review??

[Supersonic Scientist]

Am I the only one to think this album should be included more in Zeuhl than "The music sounds like a combination of VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR, GENTLE GIANT, and RIO (such as UNIVERS ZERO)." of the PA review??

I kind-of agree with this....Havn't spun it in quite some time. LOVE it.

[JeffCarney]

Interesting how differently Jäger sings here than on the debut Toad album. Would have never thought such a vocalist who sang something like "A Life That Ain't Worth Living" could be described as "bad," but he does sing in a really different style with Island.

Great album. Maybe it gets a little lost in complexity that sometimes comes off as being the point rather than a part of a compositional attribute. But they really do seem to have that style down. For years, this album was often compared to VDGG, which I think is a fair point.

[Progbear]

Interesting how differently Jäger sings here than on the debut Toad album. Would have never thought such a vocalist who sang something like "A Life That Ain't Worth Living" could be described as "bad," but he does sing in a really different style with Island.

I never said he was “bad.” People are putting words in my mouth. I said his vocal style is inappropriate for Island’s style. And again, his English is deplorable. Maybe if they stuck to German this would strike me as “scary” as everyone else makes it out to be. The “gastric juices” bit vacillates between silly and annoying to me.

[TCC]

Great album, a favorite here!.

[JeffCarney]

I never said he was “bad.”

You didn't.

I got that word from Baribrotzer in post 18. ;-)

Actually, I don't know that I made my bigger point very well. I don't even know quite what to say about his vocals on this album, because his approach has always struck me as SO FREAKING DIFFERENT to when he was in Toad! I find it hard to come to grips with what exactly his true "style" of singing is in the end!