Irish Coffee - 1971 - Irish Coffee

Irish Coffee 

1971

Irish Coffee

01. Can't Take It (4:05)

02. The Beginning Of The End (6:18)

03. When Winter Comes (4:50)

04. The Show (Part I) (2:31)

05. The Show (Part II) (2:59)

06. Hear Me (3:58)

07. A Day Like Today (6:51)

08. I'm Lost (4:32)

Bonus Singles:

01- Masterpiece / The Show (Triangle, 1971)

02- Carry On / Child (Triangle, 1971)

03- Down Down Down / I'm Alive (Triangle, 1972)

04- Witchy Lady / I'm Hers (Barclay, 1973)

William Souffreau / vocals, guitar

Jean Van Der Schueren / lead guitar

Willy De Bisschop / bass

Paul Lambert / Hammond organ

Hugo Verhoye / drums

Luc De Clus / lead guitar on "Witchy Lady" & "I'm hers"

Raf Lenssens / drums on "Witchy Lady", "I'm hers", "Down down down" & "I'm Alive"

Dirk Dierickx / backing vocals on "Masterpiece" & "The Show"

Hailing from Belgium, early Seventies band Irish Coffee only delivered a couple of singles and a sole album in their few years active, but the debut from 1971 is a bit of a dirty raucous ripper of organ dominated heavy rock with light touches of jazz, R n'B and psych but still finds time for more mindful breaks. Think bands like Atomic Rooster, Deep Purple, Rare Bird, Birth Control and Beggars Opera, with gruff Hammond organ to the fore and fleeting moments of drawn out jamming, but mostly delivering a strong punchy collection where the tune itself is always the priority.

Opener `Can't Take It' is up-tempo and infectious, a snappy rocker and blustery vocal belter powered by Jean Van Der Schueren's biting guitar slinging, Willy De Bisschop's pumping chunky bass and Hugo Verhoye's frantic drumming. `The Beginning Of The End' lurches with a dramatic heaviness of marching call-to-arms drum rattles, Paul Lambert's thoughtful organ interludes and dreamy chiming guitars with William Souffreau's blistering red-faced huffing almost taken to testicle- bursting extremes in parts! `When Winter Comes' slows things down for a Rare Bird-like stark and introspective weary rock- ballad (although there's an unexpected but very welcome energetic burst in the closing minute), where the vocals move between sombre spoken word passages, warm group harmonies and a romantic lead vocal full of aching longing crooning a despondent yet tender lyric - and damned if the line `Will you came and be my sun?' wouldn't win over any lady!

Prog fans shouldn't get too excited when they see the two-part `The Show' listed on the back cover that is split over the end of side one and carries on over on the flip. While they both share a similar `come see the show' theme and wild party vibe, the first is a unapologetic pop-stomper with funky grooving wah-wah guitars and brief wailing soloing spots, a screeching vocal and call-and-response Hammond trickles all swirling around a catchy chorus, while the second is dirtier with a murky sweaty sound full of lusty debauchery!

`Hear Me' has a crashing and restless momentum from delirious smoky Hammond organ runs and mangled guitar raggedness, and the tormented `the Devil's in my head, Lord I need you...can't help myself, it's this world that makes me do it!' lyric wouldn't have sounded out of place on an Atomic Rooster album! The almost seven minute `A Day Like Today' is one of the more ambitious pieces, full of ruminative droning Pink Floyd-like guitar drifts, and with its downcast and anxious anti- war lyric and desperate urgent vocal pleadings, its sentiment is undoubtedly genuine. Closer `I'm Lost' is another nice diversion, a gentle come-down pop-rocker with jangling acoustic guitars, a rattle of spirited drums and joyful Hammond organ, and both vocally and instrumentally it reminds of British band Beggars Opera from the same time.

While it's maybe not quite up to the same level as the best albums of several of the above-mentioned bands, listeners who dig those early `proto-prog' groups that made adventurous rock music full of cool playing and great tunes should have a blast with `Irish Coffee'. It's a grower of an album, one that proves highly addictive and seriously fun if you give it enough spins!

The reissue of this album on Akarma knocked me cold, and continues to every time I play it. Belgium had an underrated and fantastic music scene in the early 70s, but Irish Coffee are the most impressive group I've heard from there, no question. What makes this album a masterpiece is the hard driving guitar work juxtaposed with quality songwriting and a bit of the Czar/ Stonehouse/Asgard UK vibe to the tracks. Czar and Deep Purple come to mind often, as does surprisingly a bit of early Spooky Tooth, yet Irish Coffee managed to create their own sound. The soaring, swirly guitars and inventive rhythm changes form the basis of the instrumental sound, while a strong and emotional voice and fine harmonies are the vocal element. It all works flawlessly for the entire album with each song building up to a frenzied crescendo or a lost world weary refrain. Lyrically, this is a really dark and tortured album with very disturbed themes about nuclear war, mental devastation, unremitting fear, and the like. The music, though, is surprisingly uplifting at times and makes you cheer for them to make it big not just in Belgium, but also internationally. Sadly, this was not to be. Irish Coffee couldn't even find a record contract and so put this out themselves. It is often the case with private pressings to have execrable sound quality, this one has BRILLIANT sound quality! You can hear everything clearly and each member of the group shines on every track. I haven't heard musicianship and songs this good for awhile! If you like UK hard rock/progressive rock you will love this, and if you like late period psychedelic rock with Eastern flourishes you'll love this, and it it that mixture of unique influences that makes for such an impressive album. The singer is fantastic, going over the top only when he needs to and not straining to sound like Gillan or Plant although he occaisonally recalls both. Irish Coffee deserved to be a worldwide sucess, at least the reissue gives us a chance to hear another great band lost in the shuffle. I would add that a musical rennaisance was going on in the early 70s in England and it spread throughout Europe. Irish Coffee were part of that rennaisance as were a lot of overlooked bands from Europe. They, however, sound both exotic in a UK way and exotic in a Euro way. I could not ask for more from an album. There is not one song on here that isn't brilliant. A full fledged masterpiece.