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Line up / Musicians

Adam Mitchell - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, organ, piano
Chuck Beal - lead guitar, steel guitar, vocals
Brad Campbell - bass, vocals
Ronn "Skip" Prokop - drums, guitar, koto, vocals
Elliot Mazer - producer

Tracks Listing

01.South Down Road
02.Cairo Hotel
03.Can't Go On
04.Another Man's Hair On My Razor
05.Numbers
06.Oh, That She Might
07.Yes I Know
08.Ask Her Again
09.Juliana

Canada, Psychedelic Rock , Psychedelic Pop

"Largely unknown psychedelic mastery here. Like the title suggests, Ellis Island is a true melting pot of musical styles, all under a technicolor umbrella. The ship pulled into the harbor and off stepped these guys, ready to unleash the magic.

The string arrangements augmenting "South Down Road" strike a chord in me immediately. They sound so massive and powerful, exploding out of the speakers. Along with them come the crunch of fuzzy guitars, and a slow beat. Then, the ending is simply relentless. So much power! And that's not all there is.

Shades of subtlety also abound, in songs like "Cairo Hotel" "Oh That She Might" and "Ask Her Again." I love the storytelling aspect of the lyrics to "Cairo Hotel," a true character study. It has a very British feel to it, reminding me of something between The Kinks and Procol Harum. The sheer level of mystery and hypnotism that linger in the latter two tracks is unlike anything I've heard before. Again, the string arrangements add incredibly here. Probably some of the best use of orchestrations ever. The production aspects are also very detailed and layered with eerie echoed vocals and horns on "Oh That She Might" and koto on "Ask Her Again" which adds an exotic oriental ingredient to the mix. For light psych, there's not much out there that's on this level.

The two other pummeling numbers are indeed "Numbers" and "Yes I Know," the latter being my favorite on the LP with lyrics and a vocal performance which resonate with me so much, that it gives me goosebumps. Not too many songs really speak to me in the way that this one does. Its one of the more basic tunes here, built with powerful organ washes, passionate vocals and that wonderful fuzz guitar. Simple and effective, its a song that hits hard, one of the best songs ever written in my opinion. And get a load of that wild organ soloing on "Numbers." That's courtesy of Al Kooper. This song reaches some dizzying crescendos and disorientes the senses. Still no doubt, this is music that is uncompromising and real.

The only song I could do without would be "Another Man's Hair On My Razor" which is an awful attempt at writing a comedic country tune. Its set up like a bunch of folks at a bar, waiting for a band to play and we have Billy Wheeler and his Ramblers taking the stage. It's certainly comical, but the chorus becomes grating and far too repetitive. It's the only blemish on display. And what's on display here is otherwise magnificent. As someone who loves psychedelic music, I can honestly say that this is one of the best and most overlooked albums around."

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Release view

Ellis Island [p] 33 rpm
1968 Vinyl LPVerve Forecast / FTS-3051 United States
Ellis Island 33 rpm
1968 Vinyl LPVerve Forecast / FTS-3051 Canada
Ellis Island Digipak
2007 CDLion / Lion 201 Germany
Ellis Island Bonus Tracks
2008 CDPacemaker / PACE 070 Canada