The Tuneful Trolley - Island In The Sky (1968)(2008)

by Mark Deming
The Tuneful Trolley were six high school kids from Suffolk County, Long Island who went from playing dances and restaurant gigs to a brush with the big time when they were discovered by Sandy Yaguda of Jay & the Americans. Yaguda took the band under his wing, gave them their name (they had been "The Mark of Quality" when Yaguda first heard them), got them a deal with Capitol Records, and produced their first and only album, 1969's Island in the Sky. After the record sank in the marketplace, the Tuneful Trolley split up, and most of the members did little or nothing in music afterward, which is surprising when you hear the album -- Island in the Sky is hardly a masterpiece, but given the group's age and inexperience, it's impressive stuff, full of engaging pop tunes (most written by the group), solid vocal harmonies, and tasteful arrangements well-executed by the band. Most of the material on Island in the Sky falls into the category of East Coast sunshine pop, which means the outlook is a bit cloudier and more attitudinal than similar West Coast product, and tunes like "Uncle Joe's Armada" and "M.A.C.K. (Mother's Authoritative Collection of Knowledge)" suggest the musical and lyrical influence of Sgt. Pepper's without the same level of skill or grand vision. But "Lovely Day" and "Georgianna Peach Pie" are great pop tunes that benefit from the muscular drumming of Jack Riolo, there's a folk rock undertow to "Apple Pie" that's clever and effective, and "The Tuneful Trolley Theme" is a better-than-expected bit of self-promotion. Island in the Sky sounds like the promising debut album from a group likely to do something even better once they had some more experience under their belts, and it's too bad the Tuneful Trolley's sophomore effort never happened, but for fans of '60s pop, there are a few hidden gems to be found on this disc. (In 2008, Cherry Red's Now Sounds division reissued Island in the Sky with mono mixes of four tunes that appeared on singles added as a bonus; the CD collects everything the band released, and it's the definitive document of their short career.)