IRISH COFFEE — Irish Coffee (review)

Album · 1971 · Hard Rock

4/5 · 2024-07-26
siLLy puPPy

IRISH COFFEE was one of the few hard rock bands that emerged from the early 70s Belgian scene but packed a punch that was as caffeinated and intoxicating as its namesake. Formed in the West Flanders city of Aalst out of the ashes of a band called The Voodoo which got its start playing covers by bands like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Who and The Kinks, IRISH COFFEE crafted its own seamless fusion of its influences after it formed in 1970. The band delivered a rather crafty debut album in 1971 which happened to be its only release from its first run that lasted until 1975 when a car accident killed the drummer and seriously injured the bassist effectively ending the band.

While easily taken as an average organ driven hard rock band in the vein of Deep Purple or Atomic Rooster, IRISH COFFEE deceptively wove progressive elements into its soulful yet feisty performances that featured an exquisite sense of melody, an even more developed rhythmic drive and a top notch instrumental interplay of the musicians which included William Souffreau (vocals, guitar), Jean Van Der Schueren (lead guitar), Willy De Bisschop (bass), Paul Lambert (Hammond organ) and Hugo Verhoye (drums). This eponymously titled debut offered an interesting mix of early Led Zeppelin inspired bluesy rock along with the organ heavy rock of Deep Purple but also offered a bit of soulful heavy psych funk of Grand Funk Railroad along with the pop infused sensibilities of late 60s British acts like Gun.

While the album may sound a bit generic upon first encounter, this is one that sort of sneaks up on you like an internet cookie and beckons you to return. Once you sink your teeth into the intricacies beyond the instant ear wormy grooves and irresistible melodic hooks, the album reveals deeper idiosyncrasies that make the band stand out. First and foremost, the star of the show is clearly singer William Souffreau who was the chief songwriter along with lead guitarist Jean Van Der Schueren who also delivers some excellently tasteful guitar leads. Souffreau’s vocal prowess elevates the rather average musical style several notches as the groovy boogie rock style was fairly common for the day but something about a gifted vocalist that can really take an album experience up a few notches.

Another factor that offers a more complex approach than the average hard rock band is the drumming style of Hugo Verhoye which is fairly busy throughout the album’s run with amazingly complex drumming patterns that sort of seamlessly meld into the overall flow of the album’s musical style. The album stampedes into action with the heavy rocking “Can’t Take It” with its off-kilter drunken sailor boogie rock groove laced with a unique percussive drive and a ferocious guitar presence. William Souffreau immediately dominates the mood setting with his powerful soulful yet gruff vocal style while the Hammond organ slinks around in the backdrop. “The Beginning Of The End” slows things down a bit and offers a completely different style with a melodic groovy addictive guitar riff and a stronger organ presence more in the Deep Purple “Child In Time” territory. Souffreau shows off his vocal range with a passionate lyrical delivery that pretty much continues for the rest of the album.

“When Winter Comes” follows suit with the same style but “The Show (Part 1)” jumps into a high energy funk show with a super catchy groove and even more ear wormy sing-songy vocal harmony section. It sort of reminds me of the White Stripes’ “Icky Thump” which would follow decades later. This one in particular evokes a strong Grand Funk Railroad vibe. While “The Show (Part 2)” sort of insinuates a continuation in theme, the track is a bit different sounding more like the bluesy rock on Led Zeppelin’s debut however does feature a funky groove after the introductory moments. The rest of the album pretty much follows the playbook set up at this point and continues the vibrant flow of heavy percussion and bluesy guitar soloing over funk, blues and slightly progressive underpinnings all glazed over by the hefty Hammond organ use.

Although the band only released a sole album in its initial five year run, it did release a series of singles all the way up to 1974 just before Paul Lambert was killed in a car accident and Wim De Craene was permanently injured. The band reformed as Joystick briefly following the tragedy with new members but never released anything. Eventually this album would find a reissue with all the non-album singles as bonus tracks in the 90s and IRISH COFFEE even reformed in the 2000s with original members and a new lineup and has been active since 2013. While i would probably call this a second tier band in the world of organ-based hard rock from the 70s behind bands like Deep Purple, Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep and even Qatermass, i would still consider the sole IRISH COFFEE release from the 70s an excellent slice of passionately delivered progressive hard rock that only becomes more addictive the more time you give it a listen.