The Young Rascals
The Young Rascals
Collector’s Choice
The first full-length by this New York group is a snapshot of the first glimmers of success for an unusually talented ’60s bar band. The vast majority of the songs are well-polished covers the band no doubt played again and again for hopped-up teens at parties and dances, and the one original included on the album is a very rough amalgam of the R&B, folk, and rock influences that they were absorbing at the time.
It is also, as Richie Unterberger’s liner notes point out, a complete rush job, meant to cash in quickly on the success of the band’s first big hit, “Good Lovin’.” The rough mono mixes of the album (featured right after the glossier stereo versions) underscore this with their shoddy production techniques that lean a little too heavily on the whining sound of Felix Cavaliere’s Hammond organ.
That doesn’t diminish the nostalgic bliss that this reissue will no doubt engender in anyone with even a passing interest in ’60s rock music. As with the many vintage garage rock compilations that clutter up record store shelves, hearing a young, hungry band playing with such fire and verve as the Young Rascals will go a long way to restoring your faith in the power of rock ‘n’ roll.
Collector’s Choice: http://www.collectorschoice.com
