I had a friend who named her Mustang “Sally” after the B-side song of Good Lovin’.
Fascinating piece about the Atlantic recording engineer who said, “Don’t touch those tracks!”
Well, you learn something new every day! I had no idea that Felix Cavaliere was a member of the Young Rascals. I only knew him from his minor solo hit Only the Lonely Heart Sees from around 1980 or so, and I had not heard that song in probably the 40+ years- I recognized the name instantly, though.
Boy, I miss that high-octane feel-good music! I can’t think of anything that compares from the past 20 years.
I do wonder if the kids know how to have a good time these days.
Cavaliere was a talented fellow and the leader of the Rascals.
In 1971 the Rascals lost two members, leaving Cavaliere and the drummer. So Cavaliere assembled a new line-up for a new album, “Peaceful World,” a blend of pop, jazz and soul. The title cut filled an entire side and except for maybe Michael Oldfield’s first few albums I’ve never heard anything quite like it.
I do love this album and given the chance I will play Johnny Appleseed for it.
This band had such beautiful arrangements and vocals — if you’ve never heard “A Girl Like You” or “How Can I Be Sure” or “A Beautiful Morning” take 10 minutes out of your life and dig those up. Very distinctive and original, and lead singer Eddie Brigati was incredible.
“A Beautiful Morning” is also very uplifting and life-affirming — the lyrics, the tune, especially the amazing pre-chorus leading into the chorus with his singing, it gives me chills literally every time I hear it.
If I had any doubts about Bruno Mars as a force and a pro, Rick Beato set me straight. However, it’s not that propulsive happy sound that grabs me by the back of my neck and shakes me into a grin like “Good Lovin'” or any number of 60s hits.
There was a fun intro to a “Mad About You” episode where Helen Hunt is watching an intense Humphrey Bogart movie when her husband, Paul Reiser, enters stage left, oblivious, singing/scatting/moaning “Wooly Bully” before disappearing into the kitchen. It was perfect!
I didn’t like “Wooly Bully” as a kid because the lyrics didn’t make sense. (They don’t.) But I get the song now. It made it to #1 on the 1965 Billboard chart with the Stones, the Beatles, the Righteous Brothers, Petula Clark and Elvis for competition.
There are reasons we don’t have that kind of music now. I suspect the main one is rock music, like us, only gets to be that young and innocent once.
The Rascals played was one of the acts booked for a late 1990s summer concert series at Fashion Island shopping mall in Newport Beach, CA. The Rascals were wildly entertaining. Afterward, people lined up near the stage for autographs, merchandise, and whatnot. I was in line behind a lovely couple who wanted a photo with Felix Cavaliere. Selfies were hard because we used real cameras back then. Felix looked at me and suggested I take the photo which I did. Then people in line stepped up and handed me their cameras or pictures. Felix was very gracious and thanked me for playing the photographer role. His energy and happiness shined through his eyes and whole demeanor. That was my special memory with Felix Cavaliere.
Meanwhile… the #$%%#@ in the Woodpile beavers away inscrutably:
How they manage to do it without rainbow flags and rooms full of smart black calculating ladies, I’ll never know. Guess they just stole all our #@$%. Yeah. Must be that.
Time to flip channels…
How long did it take for the Can Do! to get a space station? They were up there first, right? How is your social credit score these days Beeblebrox?
Huxley, thanks for the memory. Too bad that the only Youtube video, I can find, of Sam the Sham and the Pharaos doing “Wooly Bully” cuts off right at the end.
He’s wrong though, The Big Chill was 1983 — it was early-mid of New Wave, not Disco (Disco was over by 1980… Stripes had one of the guys wearing a t-shirt that said, “Death Before Disco”) Michael Jackson’s “The Wall” was probably one of the last notable disco albums.
Saw the Rascals at the Garden State Art Center in Holmdel NJ in 1968 with my family. Opening act was some symphony (?) from somewhere & as soon as they were done the kids rushed the stage. Rascals did a short but most energetic set–good times!
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In my mind’s eye, I can see a young Neo rocking out to this song at some hipster bar. Amiright?
Another good one by the Professor Of Rock ‘Spirit In The Sky’ by Norman Greenbaum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac5c1Ns-Bng
I had a friend who named her Mustang “Sally” after the B-side song of Good Lovin’.
Fascinating piece about the Atlantic recording engineer who said, “Don’t touch those tracks!”
Well, you learn something new every day! I had no idea that Felix Cavaliere was a member of the Young Rascals. I only knew him from his minor solo hit Only the Lonely Heart Sees from around 1980 or so, and I had not heard that song in probably the 40+ years- I recognized the name instantly, though.
Boy, I miss that high-octane feel-good music! I can’t think of anything that compares from the past 20 years.
I do wonder if the kids know how to have a good time these days.
huxley,
There is this from 2014. Massive hit.
‘Happy’ Pharrell Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbZSe6N_BXs
Cavaliere was a talented fellow and the leader of the Rascals.
In 1971 the Rascals lost two members, leaving Cavaliere and the drummer. So Cavaliere assembled a new line-up for a new album, “Peaceful World,” a blend of pop, jazz and soul. The title cut filled an entire side and except for maybe Michael Oldfield’s first few albums I’ve never heard anything quite like it.
I do love this album and given the chance I will play Johnny Appleseed for it.
–Rascals, “Peaceful World”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0CPYRxIKEg
Griffin:
Good pick! Love the Magic Johnson cameo… I saw “Despicable Me 2” so I must have heard it then.
Got any more?
huxley,
Lots of stuff by Bruno Mars. ‘Uptown Funk’ and ‘Locked out of Heaven’ come to mind. He is crazy talented.
This is from his new project a collaboration with Anderson Paak ‘Leave The Door Open’. Such a throwback to better days.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adLGHcj_fmA
This band had such beautiful arrangements and vocals — if you’ve never heard “A Girl Like You” or “How Can I Be Sure” or “A Beautiful Morning” take 10 minutes out of your life and dig those up. Very distinctive and original, and lead singer Eddie Brigati was incredible.
“A Beautiful Morning” is also very uplifting and life-affirming — the lyrics, the tune, especially the amazing pre-chorus leading into the chorus with his singing, it gives me chills literally every time I hear it.
Leftest speech translated!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWms5J7yzW8
Griffin:
If I had any doubts about Bruno Mars as a force and a pro, Rick Beato set me straight. However, it’s not that propulsive happy sound that grabs me by the back of my neck and shakes me into a grin like “Good Lovin'” or any number of 60s hits.
There was a fun intro to a “Mad About You” episode where Helen Hunt is watching an intense Humphrey Bogart movie when her husband, Paul Reiser, enters stage left, oblivious, singing/scatting/moaning “Wooly Bully” before disappearing into the kitchen. It was perfect!
I didn’t like “Wooly Bully” as a kid because the lyrics didn’t make sense. (They don’t.) But I get the song now. It made it to #1 on the 1965 Billboard chart with the Stones, the Beatles, the Righteous Brothers, Petula Clark and Elvis for competition.
There are reasons we don’t have that kind of music now. I suspect the main one is rock music, like us, only gets to be that young and innocent once.
‘The Road to Serfdom’ unfairly maligns Serfs:
https://media.gab.com/system/media_attachments/files/078/238/931/original/3709943eb7850768.png
The Rascals played was one of the acts booked for a late 1990s summer concert series at Fashion Island shopping mall in Newport Beach, CA. The Rascals were wildly entertaining. Afterward, people lined up near the stage for autographs, merchandise, and whatnot. I was in line behind a lovely couple who wanted a photo with Felix Cavaliere. Selfies were hard because we used real cameras back then. Felix looked at me and suggested I take the photo which I did. Then people in line stepped up and handed me their cameras or pictures. Felix was very gracious and thanked me for playing the photographer role. His energy and happiness shined through his eyes and whole demeanor. That was my special memory with Felix Cavaliere.
Meanwhile… the #$%%#@ in the Woodpile beavers away inscrutably:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hJgOi7F2pI
How they manage to do it without rainbow flags and rooms full of smart black calculating ladies, I’ll never know. Guess they just stole all our #@$%. Yeah. Must be that.
Time to flip channels…
How long did it take for the Can Do! to get a space station? They were up there first, right? How is your social credit score these days Beeblebrox?
Love that Blue-eyed Soul!
https://twitter.com/herandrews/status/1411451226328285186
Ross Douthat: capon or shill?
Art+Deco:
Needless Dichotomy. He’s both. And more.
Now I have an undeserved reputation for taking a critical eye to certain ethnic groups.
“A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.”
Errr… scrub that bit.
However, Moving Right Along… in the More than Usually Egregious Chutzpah Department we have a new contender. In fact a sure winner:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/chinese-wuhan-institute-virology-nobel-prize-medicine
You just can’t make this stuff up.
Huxley, thanks for the memory. Too bad that the only Youtube video, I can find, of Sam the Sham and the Pharaos doing “Wooly Bully” cuts off right at the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE_MpQhgtQ8
Neo, you like VF — this one… wow. The story he tells is pretty crazy, amusing, and sad all at the same time.
https://youtu.be/htYRd_-GutI
He’s wrong though, The Big Chill was 1983 — it was early-mid of New Wave, not Disco (Disco was over by 1980… Stripes had one of the guys wearing a t-shirt that said, “Death Before Disco”) Michael Jackson’s “The Wall” was probably one of the last notable disco albums.
Saw the Rascals at the Garden State Art Center in Holmdel NJ in 1968 with my family. Opening act was some symphony (?) from somewhere & as soon as they were done the kids rushed the stage. Rascals did a short but most energetic set–good times!