"...We Got Good Love..."
Forever associated with two
huge 60ts anthems - "Good Lovin'" and "Groovin'" - The
Young Rascals started out as a straight-up raucous R&B outfit in 1966 with
good vibrations in their hearts, Atlantic and Chess Records in their Souls and
the occasional flower stalk in their hair. By the time they'd reached December
1969 - they'd shortened the moniker to THE RASCALS and released six studio
albums and one 'Greatest Hits'. En-route they'd become increasingly more
sophisticated in their output (ending up sounding like WAR on Freedom Suite's
funky workout "Cute") and vocal in their wish to see the USA buck up
and move on from all that was tearing it apart socially at the time.
And that's what this dinky
little 5CD box set in the "Original Album Series" inadvertently
proves. The Rascals were so much more than a rapid-fire happy-wappy hits group
and a Summer of Love phenomenon - but an evolving musical force trying to get
heard. But as the Sixties closed – like The Monkees - less and less were
listening let alone buying their records - making a lot of this music in 2016
almost unknown to the average listener. Time to rectify that oversight. Here
are the details...
UK and Europe released
October 2011 (August 2013 in the USA) - "Original Album Series" by THE
YOUNG RASCALS on Atlantic/Rhino 8122 79834 8 (Barcode 081227983482) is a 5CD
Card Slipcase housing 5 x 5” Mini LP Repro Sleeves. Their debut LP "The
Young Rascals" is Disc 1 and plays out as follows (36:15 minutes):
1. Slow Down
2. Baby Let's Wait
3. Just A Little
4. I Believe
5. Do You Feel It
6. Good Lovin' [Side 2]
7. Like A Rolling Stone
8. Mustang Sally
9. I Ain't Gonna Eat My
Heart Out Anymore
10. In The Midnight Hour
Tracks 1 to 10 are their
debut album "The Young Rascals" - released March 1966 in the USA on
Atlantic 8123 (Mono) and Atlantic SD 8123 (Stereo) and in the UK on Atlantic
587012 (Mono) and Atlantic 588012 (Stereo) - the Stereo mix is used. It peaked
at No. 15 on the US LP charts.
As with all of these
releases you get 5 x 5" card sleeves that repro the front and rear US LP
artwork for the Stereo versions - and how cool is it to see these increasingly
hard to find album covers. OK you might need a magnifying glass to read the
details (there are none on the last two) - but at just about two quid per album
- who’s complaining.
From what I can hear these
are the BILL INGLOT/DAN HERSCH Rhino remasters and each sounds great - even if
the inherent hiss of the first LP is still on these transfers. And once again I
can't overstate how good these albums are. Let's get to this underrated
music...
Quite apart from Gene
Cornish's garage-guitar rocking throughout the self-titled debut - like a beast
on a boozy mission – the group was also possessed of three Lead Vocalists (out
of a four-piece band). Felix Cavaliere handled most of the bigger tunes whilst
laying down that groovy organ - Gene Cornish wielded his choppy axe and sang
too - Eddie Brigati provided voice number three whilst playing Percussion – and
all the while Dino Danelli laid down the backbeat on the Drums.
Their debut is
top heavy with R&B and Soul covers - least not of all the opening blaster
"Slow Down" - a hit for Larry Williams in 1958 and explored by The
Beatles on their "Long Tall Sally" EP in 1964. Even their take on Bob
Dylan's perennially overdone song "Like A Rolling Stone" is better
than most. Also dig their chugging guitar/organ groove on Wilson Pickett's
"In The Midnight Hour". The Beau Brummels had a hit with "Just A
Little" in 1965 (Autumn Records 10) – The Rascals rein it back to an
almost slow-burn Bluesy pace (bit hissy this track). Overall a great start to
what would become a hugely successful career...
The Young Rascals would morph into The Rascals as the 60ts moved on. But their debut is pure pop for
now people and "Good Lovin'" the song still thrills. The record's not all genius by any means -
but the better stuff is (if you'll forgive the pun) groovy and groovin'...
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