GRAND HALLS 6

IRISH COFFEE – “Irish Coffee” LP ’71 (Triangle, Bel) – Here we have a band who seem to have had a bit of national confusion! They were from Belgium and yet called themselves IRISH COFFEE. Well, perhaps this is because Belgium is not known for particularly great coffee. I seem to remember when my friend from Antwerpen used to visit, the first thing he’d love to do every morning was grab a cup of coffee. So, methinks if he loved American coffee that much, then Belgian coffee might have sucked. Ah well, the avenues I go down to get a freaking review up & running, eh? IRISH COFFEE were a four-piece band composed of: William Souffreau – vocals, bass, guitar; Willy DeBisschop – bass (another bass player?); Raf Lenssens – drums; Paul Lambert – keyboards. The minute the first number, “Can’t Take It” enters the frame here & I’m reminded of the jazzier moments of the first Sabbath record. Not as heavy, mind you, but then here comes “The Beginning Of The End.” Hmm…this is proggier, more keyboard-laden. Must’ve been a bit of a downer day for the singer, his vocals taking on a very somber tone, laced with a bit of desperation in this one. Think Peter French in Leafhound, if that helps you a little. “When Winter Comes,” the little tickle in the back of my mind makes the connection I’ve been trying to make with the production comes into focus. Pastoral, organic…Roger Bain! Well, it isn’t produced by Roger Bain but sure as hell could’ve been. The 2-part “The Show,” on it’s surface, ascribes a rock & roll, positive feeling to things but there’s a bit more complexity going on underneath if you listen closely. And heck, “A Day Like Today” is a minor epic, once again with that darker, bluesy, backwater vibe making itself known. I’m not sure how good of a drink Irish Coffee really is, as truth be known, I don’t like coffee at all. Still, this is a pretty damn nice early ‘70’s obscurity that pops up on a sweet LP-styled CD sleeve edition. If you’re into the jazzy 1st LP Sabs, Rooster, Leafhound or such this is worth grabbing. 9.0