"See/Search And Nearness" by THE RASCALS (September 2018 Beat Goes On Reissue - 2LPs from 1969 and 1971 Remastered onto 2CDs) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Carry Me Back..."

Having dropped the 'Young' moniker in 1968 for their fourth platter "Once Upon A Dream" (thereafter simply known as The Rascals) – the American band’s sixth and seventh albums (reissued here) were originally issued Stateside in December 1969 and March 1971 on Atlantic Records. But whilst the 'groovin' on a Sunday afternoon' troupe might have been trying to spread out artistically - commercially they were bombing in leaps and bounds.

Few now remember the slightly trippy "See" or "Search And Nearness" LPs - 1969's effort making No. 45 on the Billboard album charts whilst 1971's platter barely registered at No. 198 and then for only 1 week. In fact by the time "Search..." had come round (recorded late 1969 and into 1970) - the four-piece was down to three (Brigati left) and they would soon be signing to Columbia Records for "Peaceful World" - a supposed new start double-album released in the early summer of 1971 but one that again only registered mild public interest.

Neither of these final records for Atlantic were well received by the critics of the day – most saying the band was either languishing on their positive sunshine vibe of 1966 and 1967 that now sounded old hat in 1969 and 1971 or were offering too many styles on their new outings (Country Rock, Sunshine Pop, Psych and Jazz Rock are just some on platter number two alone) which conversely had the backwards effect of making them seem directionless and not expansive.

But Rascals fans see "See" or "Search And Nearness" differently – liking them precisely because of the stretching-out and the range of genres. For instance, my particular poison is a truly stunning Jazz Fusion Rock instrumental called "Nama" which ends Side 1 of "Search And Nearness" (written by the drummer Dino Danelli). Its 5:34 minutes of Keyboards, Saxophones and Drum solos would make most people double-take if they were shown the authors of such a piece as being by 'The Rascals'. Sounding not unlike War meets Billy Cobham meets Earth Wind And Fire – the band of "Good Lovin'" or "Groovin'" are absolutely unrecognisable here.

Availability-wise too both albums have been hard to find on deleted CD for years now - so this card-slipcase September 2018 Double-Disc Remaster by England’s Beat Goes On is a welcome addition to their increasingly impressive reissue catalogue (even if some will feel that this is a five-Star reissue of three-Star material – which it is). So coming to a digital nirvana portal near you - here are the all-seeing all-enlightening details...

UK released Friday, 21 September 2018 - "See/Search And Nearness" by THE RASCALS on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1357 (Barcode 5017261213570) offers two albums (1969 and 1971) Remastered onto 2CDs and plays out as follows:

CD1 "See" (42:12 minutes):

1. See [Side 1]

2. I'd Like To Take You Home

3. Remember Me

4. I'm Blue

5. Stop And Think

6. Temptation's 'Bout To Get Me

7. Nubia [Side 2]

8. Carry Me Back

9. Away Away

10. Real Thing

11. Death's Reply

12. Hold On

Tracks 1 to 12 are their sixth studio album "See" - released December 1969 in the USA on Atlantic SD 8246 (Stereo only) and in the UK on Atlantic 588 210. Produced by THE RASCALS - it peaked at No. 45 on the US LP charts (didn't chart UK).

THE RASCALS for "See" were:

FELIX CAVALIERE – Keyboards (Organ, Piano), Lead and Backing Vocals

GENE CORNISH – Guitar, Lead and Backing Vocals

EDDIE BRIGATI – Percussion, Lead And Backing Vocals

DINO DANELLI – Drums

Guests:

Chuck Rainey – Bass on all tracks except...

Ron Carter – Bass on "Nubia" and "Carry Me Back"

Hubert Laws – Flute on "Nubia", Danny Labbate – Soprano Sax on "Nubia"

CD2 "Search And Nearness" (38:44 minutes):

1. Right On [Side 1]

2. I Believe

3. Thank You Baby

4. You Don't Know

5. Nama

6. Almost Home [Side 2]

7. The Letter

8. Ready For Love

9. Fortunes

10. Glory Glory

Tracks 1 to 10 are their seventh studio album "Search And Nearness" - released March 1971 in the USA on Atlantic SD 8276 and in the UK on Atlantic 2400 113. Produced by THE RASCALS - it peaked at No. 198 in the USA (didn't chart UK).

THE RASCALS for "Search And Nearness" were:

FELIX CAVALIERE – Keyboards (Organ, Piano), Lead and Backing Vocals

GENE CORNISH – Guitar, Lead and Backing Vocals

DINO DANELLI – Drums

Others:

Eddie Brigati (left the band during recordings) – Lead Vocals on "You Don’t Know", "The Letter" and "Fortunes" (Felix Cavaliere Lead on all others)

Ron Blanco – Bass on Track 4

Chuck Rainey – Bass on Tracks 1, 2, 5, 7 and 9

Howard Cowart – Bass on Tracks 3, 6, 8 and 10

Joe Newman (Trumpet) with Joe Farrell and Seldon Powell (Saxophones) on "Nama"

David Brigati – Backing Vocals

The Sweet Inspirations – Backing vocals on "Glory Glory"

Cissy Houston and Tasha Thomas – Backing Vocals on "I Believe"

The card-slipcase adds the reissue a classy/luxurious look - Mojo contributor CHARLES WARING does his usual bang-up job with the liner notes gamely describing some of the not-so-brill songs with imaginative adjectives - whilst the big draw will be new 2018 ANDREW THOMPSON Remasters. I've always found the band's own productions a tad clumsy - panning the three vocalists between the speakers like a badly recorded Three Dog Night - but there's no doubt to my ears of the improvement. Even when the guitars are fuzzy and the vocals bucket-deep, the overall stereo imaging is great and at last there's really power to the rhythm section. These CDs are upgrades and contain real oomph on recordings that needed it.

Lead Vocalist and founder member Felix Cavaliere came up with 8 of the 12 compositions on "See" – guitarist Gene Cornish proffering "Remember Me" and "Away Away" - while "I’m Blue" is a co-write between FC and Eddie Brigati - leaving only a lone cover of the Soul masterpiece "Temptation’s ‘Bout To Get Me" – a James Diggs song made a hit by The Knight Brothers in 1965 on Checker Records. Despite its yeah-man image of a silhouette dove on the front cover – the album seemed more full of short songs trying to be hits rather than messages of love and racial integration. Atlantic has issued "Carry Me Back" as a lead-in 45 in August 1969 with the album cut "Real Thing" as its flipside and it reached a respectable No. 26 on the Billboard 100.

They covered The Box Tops hit "The Letter" on "Search And Nearness" LP – a gorgeous gatefold sleeve on original release (the rear child-face artwork is the inlay beneath the CD trays whilst the front cover is the front page of the 16-page booklet). They psych it up although not perhaps as brilliantly as one would hope – but there is not doubt of their passion for the huge social changes taking place in the USA in the opener "Right On" – sort of Three Dog Night does inequality with a Norman Whitfield groove.

For sure not everything here is going to be worshipped from afar, but I can't help think that the second LP especially has stuff worthy of rediscovery and even an occasional rant ("Nama" baby - you heard it here first). Yes its 3-star material, but man what a 5-star presentation of it. Well done to all involved...

"My Friend/Missing You/Am I That Easy To Forget/I'd Fight The World" by JIM REEVES (June 2018 Beat Goes On Reissue - 4LPs Remastered onto 2CDs) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Heartache Following Me..."

BGO of the UK have gotten rather good at these kind of value-for-money twofers – the fourth volume in their reissue campaign covering the first Gentleman of Country.

Offering up four complete 70ts albums onto 2CDs from Jim Reeve's vast back catalogue - you get "My Friend" and "Missing You" (both 1972), "Am I That Easy To Forget" (1973) and "I'd Fight The World" - all originally on RCA Victor Records in Stereo. And even though he'd been gone since 1964, back in the Country-obsessed 70ts US charts - his well of unissued recordings were still being mined and his popularity with the public as strong as that of say Buddy Holly (these posthumous albums all charted).

UK released 8 June 2018 - Beat Goes On BGOCD 1313 (Barcode 5017261213136) has the now ubiquitous card slipcase that lends the release a sort of class and even elegance, great new liner notes and best of all - high def remastering from their resident engineer ANDREW THOMPSON.

These RCA Victor recordings were always recorded well, but listening to his own "Could I Be Falling In Love" or Ray Baker's "There's A Heartache Following Me" or Dale Noe's "Missing Angel" and the production values for overdubbed material are amazing. For sure some of the cardigan stuff on album two can be cloying, but more often than not the fact that the Texas troubadour wrote almost 90% of what's on here is seriously impressive.

"...Heartache following me..." has never sounded so good. Recommended...

"Help Me Rhonda" [aka "New Lovers and Old Friends"] by JOHNNY RIVERS (July 2017 Beat Goes On CD Reissue and Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...You Better Move On..."

Called "New Lovers & Old Friends" in the USA (Epic PE 33681) and "Help Me Rhonda" in the UK (Epic S EPC 80987, released September 1975) – this entire album of cover versions by Johnny Rivers hasn't dated at all well.

Beat Goes On has been reissuing JR's catalogue for years now - and audio-wise July 2017’s BGOCD 1303 (Barcode 5017261213037) benefits hugely from another quality remaster from BGO's resident Sound Engineer - ANDREW THOMPSON. This was a well-recorded album in the first place with a large array of flashy session names - so the Audio is top notch.

But despite Brian Wilson adding vocals to his own "Help Me Rhonda" - Michael Omartian and Chuck Finley on the cover of "It's The Same Old Song" (a Holland-Dozier-Holland hit for The Four Tops in 1965) - much of these remakes barely rise above tepid.

Rivers takes on the Tyrone Davis Soul classic "Can I Change Your Mind", Jimmy Cliff's Reggae hit "You Can Get It If You Really" and Arthur Alexander's R&B smash "You Better Move On" (favoured so much by The Beatles). But most make you want to rush back to the brilliant originals - while Ned Doheny's "Postcards From Hollywood” isn’t anything special despite his deserved rep amongst Yacht Rock aficionados.

Highlights however include the Rock-Soulful ballad "Spare Me A Little" - a typically pretty melody from the pen of Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie (it originated on their "Bare Trees" album from 1972) and the impossibly hooky "Dancin' In The Moonlight" first waxed by Boffalongo on their "Beyond Your Head" LP on Liberty Records in 1970. The obscure song has had a colourful history - Sherman Kelly's catchy tune turned up as a stand-alone single credited to High Broom on Island Records in the UK (WIP 6088 was also 1970). Then it went with him to his next band King Harvest who re-did it in 1972 on Perception Records (Pye in the UK). But most will know of the song via Toploader who had a huge hit with "Dancin' In The Moonlight" in 2000. Here its chipper vibe is retained.

Fans should waste no time and dive in (especially given the great audio and classy presentation) – but I’d advise others to cop a middle-of-the-road listen before a buy...

"Not A Through Street" by JOHNNY RIVERS (March 2018 Beat Goes On CD Reissue - Andrew Thompson Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Nowhere Else To Go..."

With titles like "Shelter In Time Of Storm", "Believe In Me" and his own "Nowhere Else To Go" - 60ts and 70ts burn out Johnny Rivers had embraced Christianity as a saviour and turned classics like "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" by The Four Tops and the Traditional "Uncloudy Day" (made famous by The Staple Singers on Epic Records in the Sixties) into songs of celebration and positivity and not just another set of obvious feet shufflers.

"Not A Through Street" by JOHNNY RIVERS was originally issued Stateside early 1983 on Priority Records PJU 38439 - a 12-track album of holy-roller tunes or themes thereabouts and as far as I know this is the first digital outing for that 80ts Christian Rock album. Details...

UK released March 2018 - this gorgeous-sounding BGO reissue of "Not A Through Street" by JOHNNY RIVERS on Beat Goes On BGOCD1331 (Barcode 5017261213310) transfers that forgotten platter onto a single CD, adding on a card slipcase, an annotated and expanded booklet and new 2018 High Def Remastering by ANDREW THOMPSON.

His cover of Dion's "Golden Sun, Silver Moon" and Sam Cooke's monumental "A Change Is Gonna Come" are given suitably imbued performances too. Fans of that superb Soul Group THE WATERS should also note that their gorgeous Harmony Vocals can be heard on "Nowhere Else To Go", "Reach Out (I'll Be There)", "Believe In Me", "Shelter In Time Of Storm" and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" with Lead Singer and Soloist Oren Waters on "Nowhere Else To Go" and "Golden Sun, Silver Moon" (see my review of their 1980 platter "Watercolours" on Arista reissued in 2018 as an Expanded Edition CD by Big Break Records of the UK). Another highlight is Leo Graham's "Turning Point" and "New Meaning" by singers Jim and Ginger Hendricks.

For sure some of the dreaded 80ts production values linger – and in a bad way - but for any fan who’s ever liked the album - this fab-sounding 2018 BGO CD reissue is the one to own...