Groovin'
The Young Rascals
1967
Album Summary
Groovin' is the third album by rock band The Young Rascals. The album was released on July 31, 1967 and rose to #5 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and number 7 on the R&B chart. Eight of the songs were released on singles with the title track reaching number 1 on the Pop chart in the U.S.
WikipediaProbably the worst combination of band name and album cover I have ever seen. Actually not bad tho. Quite enjoyable with some really good tracks.
"Groovin" is a perfect, timeless song so this album has that already going for it (Groovin is a 5). "How Can I Be Sure" is another classic. And there's a song I only knew as a Pat Benetar song ("You Better Run"). The other songs don't really compare to those gems, but it's still a great listen overall.
Ce n'est pas moi qui vais rédiger la critique du jour, mais bien mon grand-père avec qui j'ai partagé l'écoute de cet album. À toi Papy : "J'ai beaucoup aimé entendre cette musique rock dont le rythme me rappelle ce que j'écoutais dans ma jeunesse. De belles voix avec des rythmes très dansants. Un moment rare que j'aimerais renouveler." Vous l'avez probablement remarqué, mon grand-père n'a aucun savoir-faire en terme de critiques musicales. Je me vois obligé de reprendre la main. L'album est nul. Les Rascals sont des merdes. Le leader du groupe, l'ignoble Dizzee Rascal nous offre une performance en dessous de tout. D'abord sur le titre Dizzee Rascal Type Beat, puis sur la chanson Zone dans laquelle il répète inlassablement "Laissez-moi chuis dans ma zone, Neksan Orelfeu, Orelzi, Dizfeu, Nekzi, Dizsan, I don't speak but french but Nekfeu, Orelsan, Dizzee, Neksan, Orelfeu...". À oublier.
I generally like this kind of 60s pop but as the album went on it wore thin with me, particularly when they got to "a place in the sun" which I thought was overdone.
Perfectly fine I guess, but nothing here differentiates them from the other 10000 bands chasing the Beatle's coattails in the late 60's
There are some nice passages, but overall I don't get it. Unmemorable album that could be kicked out of the 1000 to make room for a more recent album.
Dudes hit every genre in one album. A waltz halfway through the album? Come on...they did that
I wanted to hate this hippie nonsense, but then it had so many classic bangers.
This album was so much fun to listen to. So glad I didn't skip this recommendation
Kind of meh they sound like they are trying to ride the Beatles coat tails
Mostly innoffensive stuff. Occasionally some jarring, incongruous guitar arrangements, as might be expected from a rock band doing soul, but on the whole they are probably the blackest sounding white men I've heard. David Cassidy was obviously a fan, he covered 2 of their songs. An interesting historical footnote, but not sure why it would be on any list of essential albums.
I enjoyed listening to this much more than I thought I would.... generally from listening to random music from this album generator, I think I'm realizing I like 60s music more than a lot of other styles/genres
Great album. It's another one of those where I already knew half of the songs, but hadn't quite figured out who the artist was.
Blue-eyed soul, with a psychedelic tinge - bonkers panning of the guitars, especially.
Well, I can say for sure that the song Find Somebody was not meant to be listened to on headphones, because the complete switch between left and right ear for the guitar is super unpleasant. Like, it feels like my headphones are breaking in time with the music Setting that monstrosity aside, this is an interesting album. The famous songs don't really start until halfway through. The hits off of this album are great. Most of the rest of the songs are a bit dull. They are in the process of becoming a psychedelic band here, but it doesn't feel full formed yet. Perhaps that's appropriate since this is their last album as the Young Rascals before they dropped the "Young" 3/5 Fun at times, but also annoying at times and uninteresting at other times
Not terrible but not very exciting. It's just there. One of those albums. There were so many big, game changing albums in 1967 and this ain't one of 'em.
One stone cold classic soul song, one well know pure 60's pop hit. Throw in some baladeering, some straight rock and a spattering of everything inbetween and you get a band who don't sound like themselves. There doesn't seem to be a Young Rascals sound, and I for one am prepared to hold that against them.
How is this released in '67 and not '63-'64? It sounds really outdated and I'm sure it must have done so at its release as well. There's a few fun songs, "I'm So Happy Now", "A Place In The Sun" and "It's Love". But mostly it just sounds like discount Beatles.
Excellent..forgot just how good this album is…dating myself, but this was a great era for music..listened a few times
If you’re looking for great top quality 60s pop, this album is perfection. Sounds great, good run time, catchy and mellow songs, it’s all the jolly from that era.
I love this group. When I first saw the cover I didn’t realize what was on this album. “How Can I Be Sure” with its wonderful 3/4 time and accordion. How did I not notice the red “This LP Has The Big Hit ‘How Can I Be Sure’” on the cover?! “Groovin’” with the wonderful birds. “A Girl Like You,” “A Place in the Sun,” “I Don’t Love You Anymore,” “You Better Run,” “A Place In The Sun.” That’s a lot of songs I recognize off this! This has a lot of soul sprinkled with bits of psychedelia that sounds great. Love this great specimen of 60’s pop!
A lot of fun. Several songs I knew but not in their original form. I was totally groovin'.
Holy cow! Such an amazing collection of songs... This is a killer album, and I'm adding it to my library for repeated listens.
This album feels like a greatest hits album to me. There are a couple of weak tracks, but the Young Rascals put their stamp on blue-eyed soul here. Granted, it's like eating cotton candy and there isn't a ton of depth here, but I think that can be said for a lot of bands in the 1960's who were churning out pop hits.
That vibrato is something else. Also the nicest breakup song ever, barf
Easy listening 60's jams. Would be good for like the background of a party with parents.
Great album, plenty of soul. I was expecting something more psychedelic based on the cover but this was really enjoyable. I once had an empty LP sleeve of this album that I repurposed to house a loose J Dilla vinyl, and I’m thrilled to actually hear what it was I didn’t have. Favorite tracks: A Girl Like You, Sueno, Groovin’, Find Somebody. Album art: Love this one, very fun. Bizarre caricatures, but the colors and the vibe are undeniable. 4/5
I enjoyed this album much more than I anticipated. It may have been because I watched Once Upon a Time In Hollywood recently and this felt like it was ripped right from the soundtrack. Just a sort of folksy rock group trying to grove and have fun. What else would you expect from some young rascals in the late 60's. Album cover is very strange but it was probably a strange time.
Really liked this album. Fresh look at the 60-70’s and just laying around and listening to the past .It was really Groovin😊. Surprised how many of these songs I’d heard before but not knowing it was the Rascals. Great harmony and lyrics. This was a surprise
Solid work. Very easy to listen to with a couple of classics in there I never knew came from them. 3.5 rounded up.
Nice chilled 60s vibes. Nailed on for a 3 until Groovin’ came on. Instant elevation to 4
Really enjoyed that, particularly How Can I Be Sure. Better than the David Cassidy version. Also Groovin. Will definitely listen again. ****
I really liked this album. Feared it would be 60's dreamy nonsense but it is really good. Spans a few genres.
I really enjoyed this album, listened to it twice. Reminded me of my folks and hearing it in the 80s when I was a bambino
-Nice drum fills and bass riffs in "Sueno" -"You Better Run" really stands out as must heavier than the rest -"Place in the Sun" is upbeat -Pretty standard early rock, a little chilly for my taste
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: You better run, A place in the sun, How can I be sure
Notable songs: A girl like you , I’m so happy now, how can I be sure, groovin Notes: I enjoyed this album. Love the vocals and the overall soulful sound of this album. Obviously groovin is a classic and it kicks off with a great intro in a girl like you. Interesting concept with you better run… it has this blues type of feel, they pulled it off really good. Overall 4/5
i actually really liked the majority of these songs. i thought they were fun, different enough, and had good music overall
Notable disc de pop seixanter, amb influències d'r&b i alguns temes molt destacables, com 'You Better Run', que després versionaria Pat Benatar o 'How Can I Be Sure', un dels grans singles del '65. De la resta, a diferència d ela majoria de discos de l'època, no hi ha gaire ompliment, una molt bona col.lecció de cançons
It's a pretty decent 60's psychedelic-ish album. That being said, that is my jam so I will rate it a 4. If you like Ogden's Nut Gone Flake, 13th Floor Elevators, Forever Changes, you should go ahead and give this one a try too. Highlights: 1, 2, 3, and 6.
I really liked the first side of the album. It was really different from what I expected out of a 60's album, and it pulled "psychedelic" well in my opinion. The second side was way worse as it follows a weird narrative and I don't like spoken word in music. Favorite track: Groovin'
Enjoyed this, not heard of them before but like a boy band version of Dusty Springfield
Love it. Late 60s pop with a bit of soul. Good voice, resembles Blood Sweat and Tears singer. Thoroughly enjoyable - 4 stars.
Only about half the songs are on Spotify, which was a shame. Really enjoyed the songs I did hear. Not sure why they were not huge, or why they have been forgotten if they were a big deal.
A pretty fun '60s pop album! Very good for doing the dishes to. You could find better music from this genre and decade, but you could also do a lot worse. Glad I listened to it.
I like the progression change in "A Girl Like You" from melancholy into more uplifting tones. Overall album have energetic tunes not very groovy but ok for rock band. Genre: Blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues
This seemed completely unknown to me, until I heard the title song. Very enjoyable record.
Don't think this could be more 1960s if it tried. Mild psychedelia? Three-chord garage rock? Trippy flute solo? Blue-eyed soul? Check, check, check and check. It all holds together really nicely though! Side two is the strongest, kicking off with the immortal summertime stroller 'Groovin'' and finishing on the wonderful 'It's Love'. My favourite cut, though, is the driving, aggressive 'You Better Run' - it kicks ass on a reasonably wimpy album. Very good all told.
How can I be sure and groovin slap. Sometimes the popular single songs are the best and I am so at peace with being basic
They have a nice sixties pop sound. I like the arrangements, though it looks like many of the artists (horns for example) go uncredited. The pop hits are catchy – it was good to hear “How Can I Be Sure” for the first time in 50 years or so. The 2 lead vocalists can sing. Looking at the albums that were released the same month in '67, we have The Who Sell Out and Headquarters by The Monkees, which sound spoofy and retro by comparison, except for I Can See for Miles, of course. This is an eclectic and well produced outing from a bunch of Italian guys from New Jersey.
"Find Somebody" is awesome. You can hear the many different sounds that influenced, and were influenced by, this band. The Beatles, Smokey Robinson, Otis Redding, Jefferson Airplane. This really is a crossover album for a lot of 60's music. And a shout out to Pat Benatar for taking "You Better Run" and turning it up to 11.
It's like a mixture of the Beach Boys and blue eyed soul with a bit of garage rock thrown in. I like it.
Cool, classic, kinda psychedelic. Hard to pick a favourite song, though I like sueno and I’m so happy now. I like the use of a diverse range of instruments that help make each song sound unique, yet part of a cohesive whole.
An okay album; a bit too mellow. Most of the songs are about being happy and being in love. Adding trumpets and tambourines is a nice touch. It helps makes the music more entertaining but is not enough to make one care.
A good solid album from those Young Rascals with one of their biggest hits along with some other decent songs. An easy listen, nothing too challenging, just a chill record that was enjoyable.
I enjoyed listening to this album. It had the retro sound that hit the spot for me today.
This is a decent early rock album. I like how much soul influence there is in many of these songs.
Really good! Great voice, great sound and lots of great tunes. Even my kids like it (although it does sound like an Italian restaurant in places)