Groovin'

More 60s. Nostalgic. But musically, a 4.

This had some fun stuff. Groovin' is such a classic.

This album was fine, and "Groovin" is a classic song that I never knew was by this group. However, overall, there isn't a lot on this album that seems very relevant in 2024. It obviously inspired other music that came after but not in a way where I think revisiting this album sets it apart of from what it inspired and what built on top of it.

At a certain point in the 60’s, it’s hard to tell what is rock and what is R&B. Regardless, this was the golden era for R&B

i think ultimately, this album in the grand scheme of things is not very important, but i adore it a lot. i don't know if it has aged very well - it definitely sounds like a mid-late '60s album and modern listeners may find it mundane, but i was raised on this album and the rascals in general. i think the crop of songs is great, the sound of the rascals, at the time, was fairly groundbreaking, and the musicianship here is extremely underrated, especially the drumming of dino danelli (some of the greatest fills of all time!). is this a monumental album from 1967, in hindsight? maybe not. i still love it a lot.

Silly, schlocky 60s pop ... except for maybe "You Better Run" (if you get a chance, check out the Pat Benatar cover with the Neil Giraldo guitar solo).

It sounds dated now but I would have guessed this was a 70s album and not a 60s album

Fun album very 60s clearly influenced the monkees and the partridge family. Happy music rock indie psycadelic to the bare minimum. Good musicians. To peace and love and commercial for my taste. Just to think that black sabbath was starting at that same time shows the record was a formula to like to the people.

A pretty soulful entry in the Beatlesque trend of the '60s.

Ordinært og direkte kedeligt. Ikke dårligt bare lyden af rigtig meget andet..

Gaaaab 🥱 60er rock n’ roll uden noget nyt at byde på. Lyder som en nedkogning af af alt andet fra 60erne som så efterfølgende er fortyndet så meget at det mister enhver smag og bid

“Groovin” is an appropriate title. Felt very groovy. Not sure if I’d go out of my way to listen again but it was a nice change from what I’ve gotten lately.

This was fine

I enjoyed this album from top to bottom. It was fun, it was dynamic. It felt consistent and experimental.

Inoffensive boring and utterly forgettable

Despite their ridiculous album cover and band name, "Groovin'" is a surprisingly solid album. Poppy and catchy, it reminds me of the early Beatles and Byrds. Standouts include "A Girl Like You" and "I'm So Happy Now."

Average sound from the 60s, but still audible. Two or three good tracks, such as Groovin, which clearly stand out.

Much of this is middling tripe. Some of the more psychedelic songs are kinda cool, but why do I feel like they never even really took acid?

A girl Find Somebody How Can I Be Sure Groovin’ You Better Run One of my more favorable 60’s albums. Very uplifting and groovy melody’s. Fun to drive to and chill

It's a bit bland for me but it has an underlying soulful vibe to it that got me through the listen.

4.5 stars. They really didn't lie when they said they were groovin. A very enjoyable album with some genre variety, especially impressive for the 60s. The title track is great. "I Don't Love you Anymore" also has some great vocals. Lots of excellent mounds coming together for this album.

It's pleasant, but varied enough it can veer into garage rock at one end, and the bucolic Groovin' at the other. With the exception of that track I don't think it has any other all time great songs, but it's a solid run of fours!

Good music, but a bit boring for my taste. Until now, I always thought Groovin was sung by a black R&B group. Surprised to discover it was written and performed by some dorky white dudes from New Jersey. Caught me again… worth 4 stars.

Not sure why they chose to put, ‘Find Somebody’ second on this album (or on the album at all). Some of the rest was good enough to be considered somewhat on the level of a Poor Man’s Beatles…although sample size is small. I consider this a huge (probably too generous) compliment. Worth noting is how they went from PM’s Beatles to PM’s Dean Martin sings a Show tune on ‘How can I be Sure’ to a PM’s Drifters on ‘Groovin’. Not bad overall but nothing that needs to be on this list that includes many groundbreaking artists.

I was a bit nervous when I saw the pick, but once listening I realized how many songs I recognized from when I was a kid and I'd listen to the oldies station at night before bed. Some of these tracks had me surprised as these white boys got more soul than I expected

Yet another forgettable album that I will not be coming back to

Definitely my favourite album cover so far. A fun 60s beat combo again. Second of the week. Probably getting an MOR score, as nothing much to write home about aside from the fantastic Groovin'. They're more soulful for sure. Blue eyed soul they call it. More on that in a minute. Two or three standouts like Sueno and How Can I Be Sure. Tbf, it gets stronger as it goes on, the whole side B is great. With the notable exception of A Place in the Sun which is strangely near 5 minutes long and a pale shade compared to Stevie's version. I hate the contemporary trend of white artists taking black artists songs and turning them into hits (though apparently this wasn't a single), but it happened, have to try to just judge things on their own merits at this distance. And well, this is a shit cover version. So, somewhat patchy, but the sun is out and it's a Sunday so we're Groovin' and this just shades a 4.

They sound so innocent for being Young Rascals.

The songs were boring and it was like several versions of the same song. Nope.

The more 'classic' love-song-type tracks are fine but basic, but I enjoyed the psychedelic songs quite a bit more. Definitely very hook on either style the band pursues which makes it a real easy listen. 5/10

Cute little pop album from the '60s. While there's some Beach Boys inspiration, Groovin' doesn't do anything too interesting during it's runtime.

Not for me

Nope

Nothing about this stands out to me. Love the name though.

A very boring, almost paint-by-numbers imitation of Beatles and R&B sound. Very derivative and uninteresting

it was pretty good! i really disliked "How Can I Be Sure" but "Groovin'" was nice. feel like i want to knock them for the horrible abuse of stereo panning on "Find Somebody" but i knew going in that when a 1960s album proclaims "STEREO" on the front, there's going to be some panning shenanigans and yet i listened to the stereo version. I feel like most of the record sounded like music that was lower down on the list of songs considered for GOTG: Vol. 1, for if they couldn't clear the rights for the songs they got, but i like that vibe.

I keep wondering if the 60s had anything interesting to offer and 60s bands keep saying “nope”

This was pretty good, but not as exciting as I would’ve hoped. I enjoyed it, but probably wouldn’t listen again because it wasn’t anything special.

I mean. It's fine, I guess. It fits perfectly into like "60's pop that I expect to hear on in the background somewhere because it's completely inoffensive" and I guess really it's a 2.5 but I'm rounding down. Sounds like I made a good choice in listening to the mono version.

actually pretty banging and surprisingly interesting for a '60s record. I was expecting heaps of 12-bar-bore but this was kinda fire. 4/5

Lekkere chill muziek

Random ass album, wel prima!

I left my wallet in El Segundo ATCQ sample, mooi, voor de rest voor zon oud album klinkt dit erg lekker, i like!

Beach Boys vibe Wel echt lekkere muziek Zin in de zomer man Fun fact: van het nummer "Groovin' " is er ook een Italiaanse en Spaanse versie

on dirait qu'il n'y a qu'une seule chanson sur yt. bon ça suffit largement 1/5

Oh, I love this group and their songs. While I listened to these songs when I was 10, I continue to appreciate them, even more today. I had no idea they had a song with such a strong Latin connection - Sueno.

Inte dåligt kanske men många av låtarna är ganska intetsägande. Blir en trea, en svag trea men det får de enbart för att jag är snäll.

This was a band that I hadn’t heard of before and the album was a bit of a mish mash of different styles - a sort of “Now That’s What I Call Generic 60’s Music!”. There was a bit of unthreatening R&B, a side step into West Coast garage, a spot of Spanish guitar and even some birds (or should that be Byrds) tweeting at the start of one track. I’m guessing that they were more popular in the USA but they only had one hit in the UK.

This is clearly dated (from the first note you know you're going to listen to an album from the '60s), this is well played, but a bit unoriginal and lacking coherence. It was not unpleasant, but not really memorable

I had never heard of this band and was pleasantly surprised to enjoy every single song. But it seemed like a compilation of like 3 or 4 bands, the difference from one song to the next was a bit strange.

The title track is nice. The rest didn't really engage me much.

fun listen. i had heard the title track before, but never knew who sang it. pretty cool little album. highlights: “a girl like you” “how can i be sure” “groovin’ “

I LEFT MY WALLET IN EL SEGUNDOOOOO

"I don't know what it's all about"

Groovin‘ .. was sonst?!

Hatte Angst als ich die Jahreszahl sah, aber der rhythmische Groove der sich durchs Album zieht gefällt mir

Good beats!

A little blue-eyed soul, a little Beach Boys Orchestral Pop, even a little Byrds' style jangle-pop, but for me not having any particular cultural touchstone to go with this, it just feels, well, dated and missing the mark. More interesting things were out at the same time in early '67 - I guess this just doesn't resonate much with me. Standout for me is You Better Run, with it's harder edged sound.

4.0

Fairly average 60s pop. Pleasant album though.

Pop rock. This album was warm and cherry from start to finish, I think the gospel elements can be thanked for that. I was really roped in by the first song and the good vibes stayed until the end, dang near listened to it again right after. Lots of fun instrumentation added, like some Spanish guitar, accordion, piano. Every song seemed to have a little thing special about it, all wrapped together with the underlying band and their powerful vocalist. I had a great time with this album overall, but my big nitpick was mixing and production. I could only find the mono versions and while that's not normally a death sentence, this time many songs just did not sound very good. I'd really like to revisit this album, maybe there's a better sounding version somewhere. 4/5

3 decent 60s pop album

Sì beh

Forgot it was playing, so pleasant enough background music I suppose

Not bad. Made me feel like I missed out. Psychedelics were far out man.

Yes hahahahahaah yes!

My first album! Still like it.

Really nice! Listened to it 3 times. Was also thinking: I knowthat Lyric from "How Can I Be Sure, In a World That Is constantly changing......". Tricky sings/raps in Aftermath (of Maximquaye album)! That guy knows his classics. Addictive album, 4 stars

I really could make a better list than this. This one’s not terrible, but again, apart from the single, don’t think it’s important to hear this. A hit single does not a good album make.

Incredibly forgetful

It was okay, not something I'd listen to and wouldn't listen to it again.

A pleasant surprise. I'll add this whole album to my regular rotation

I gotta say this one surprised me. The number of genres/styles The Young Rascals hit in 34 minutes is impressive: funk, bassa nova, doo wap, french waltz, R&B, the list goes on. I was initially dissuaded by how similar the themes of love were across the tracklist but they varied that toward the end of the album. All in all, especially compared to their pre-prog rock contemporaries, they made something pretty cool here. 4/5.

A solid blast from the past.

What I thought would be another 60's rock album, turned out to be a really great listen. Versatile, experimental and put in a nicely packed box called "rock and roll" that survived to this day.

Solid 60s music

With a name like 'The Young Rascals' I was expecting something a bit more adventurous. This is safe twee music. Groovin' is catchy but the rest is trite. They certainly weren't looking left to see what The Beatles or the Rolling Stones were doing.

Meh, boring... Not great, but not terrible either...

First thought when this popped up was "Who?" but turns out I recognized a couple of the songs. More likely to be found in your hippy mother-in-law's record collection than on the oldies radio station (save for a couple tracks)

About as 60s as you can get.

This is one of the ugliest album covers I've ever seen. The album itself is mediocre and bland, but goddam is this a horrible cover.

Dit trekt mij niet zo heel erg. Ik vind Groovin' wel een lekker nummer en de vibe is wel nice. In ieder geval geen vage hiphop of ska ofzo dus wel 3 sterren.

Ok

Especially some of the songs where they slow down are good. And I'm hearing the first real steps of blue-eyed soul.

This band had some absolute smashes, before and after they used the “young” adjective to describe themselves. That’s funny, because when you think about it, “rascal” is already a kid-adjacent descriptor. But who cares when these guys can throw out a timeless hit like the title song “Groovin’.” Even the chirping birds and the harmonica riff cast a charming spell even as they firmly place the record in the ‘60s Pop ballad canon. “How Can I Be Sure” might actually be the better song—less catchy than the title track but “How” sustains a kind of beautiful uncertainty and mystery musically and lyrically, as it veers from pop to soul to show tune and back again. Never mind the terribly botched (and mildly unsettling) cartoon album cover—the music inside knows what it’s doing. You can trust it to take you back to 1967, when a soulful group of white guys could try out a variety of styles and pull them all off.

Okay this is a pretty great album and I like how they used the left and right speakers and cool sound effects. Really well written and performed, especially for an era when this kind of rock can be so conventional and commercialized.

Quite catchy Americana but too ooky for me.

Dec ig

Completely unknown to me and a pleasant surprise. Real 60s flower power feel and thoroughly enjoyable

Enjoyable.

Enjoyable 60s pop rock

An okay album. Nothing really stands out, but nothing was bad either. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again

My teeth fell out of my head from all the sugary songs

I think I enjoyed it? Not sure I really had a single thought about it the entire time I was listening to it

Quite enjoyed this one. Listen again for sure. Buffalo Springfield sound

Super vibey! Really solid album from front to back.

I wasn't really sure about this but these guys really nailed it with Groovin'. On the second listen the other songs started to grow on my and I liked You Better Run.

What a godawful combination of artist name, album name, and cover! The actual music is not too bad, although I had this come up very close to the 13th Floor Elevators and these guys suffer in that comparison. Fave tracks - "Find Somebody" and "You Better Run"

The title track of course if a big hit- conjures up visions of the 60's but there are other songs I didn't realise were written by them. This is quite cheesy but at the same time it's enjoyable as it encapsulates the period.

10/10 PSYCHEDELIC POP !!!!!!!

Ok. Kind of that old school pop sound.

Weer gewoon oké, geen gouden wikkel maar gewoon nog uitnodigen voor een volgende borrel

Wel oke i guess

Had not heard of this group or album before. Some catchy songs, but nothing that stood out or felt different from a lot of the early rock bands of the same era.

Like The Beach Boys but not as good. I don’t really like The Beach Boys.

I enjoyed hearing songs from an era gone by. Lots of identifiable songs, perhaps half.

Kinda pleasant

Classic good time Sunday tunes. I was raised on this music, it just feels good and welcoming. Groovin’ is a way of life.

2.45

Gradevole, nulla più. Non so nemmeno se rientri nella definizione di psichedelia, perché sono molto soft

The four freshmen grow up a little.

Very groovy.

Just kind of feels like their trying to be the Beatles. Inoffensive but it all kinds melds together. 2.5/5

Groovin’ //

That album has some of the fattest bass I've ever heard from a pop act. The existence of "Groovin'" alone isn't enough to elevate the album from that ridiculous album art.

Cool

How did I know from the first song, that they were local boys? It’s very late 60s NY/NJ. There’s something of the city in their sound. It’s big and romantic like doo-wop, without the dreamy idealism of the west coast. You can hear how they practiced singing in acoustic spaces like stairwells and subway stations. Real solid pop music here. A traditional radio song structure. Not exactly innovative, but solid and reliable. Good melodies, good singing, good range of styles, relatable lyrics. More depth than you’d expect. No surprise there were so many singles. The song Groovin’ never gets old. Never realized Pat Benatar covered You Better Run. The original slaps. Added a bunch of tracks to my mixes. Overall, there is nothing to hate on. It’s classic. It’s a time capsule, while also adaptable for modern audiences. So much of this could be covered today and still be a hit.

fine

It's is the Wonder bread of soul music... soft, sweet and white. It's fine.

A very good listen, The Young Rascals knew how to build great soul flavored pop hits.

Generic 60s. Not much to hold my interest but I didn't turn it off.

I didn't hate this. Very 60s, but not in a bad way. I started to listen to this in stereo. Don't do that, it's terrible. The mono version is much, much better. I might listen again, but not anytime soon.

Geinige 60's pop, want rock kan ik het niet noemen. Al kunnen ze op Wikipedia nog zo hard roepen dat The Young Rascals een rockband was. Herkende meer nummers dat verwacht. Uitschieter naar boven is wat mij betreft een How Can I Be Sure, wat heerlijk UK-soulachtig klinkt.

Leuk plaatje. Beetje Kinks-sound. De soul ontgaat me een beetje.

Heard quite a few familiar tunes on this album. Never really gave this band a listen on their own. Pretty decent

Good

Kind of like a jazzy, more rocky Beach Boys! Very cool songs with a less traditional approach to song writing. The vocals are great and instrumentally very strong! Standout tracks: A Girl Like You, Find Somebody, Sueno, How Can I Be Sure, Groovin’, I Don’t Love You Anymore, You Better Run, 8,5 out of 10

Enjoyable to listen to. Nearly every song from this album sounds like the theme song to a classic movie that feels comforting to watch. The band and musicians are really on point, there was one song where I felt the guitar overpowered the vocals but thats it in terms of bad stuff to say. The vocalist is really good and his control of vibrato and tone are impressive. My favourite songs were "Groovin'" and "I don't love you anymore". This album was pretty good and I would listen to some of the songs again.

very chill, slow kinda tunes. old asf

Went in thinking I wouldn’t like it but was pleasantly surprised. The mono vocals and amazing guitar riffs of this make it a real 60s kind of song. Would listen again 6.5-7/10

Definitely overdone, there are 3 good songs, and a bunch of below overall stuff. It is a generic Beatles cover.

Really enjoyed the album. Don’t typically enjoy music from this era, but these guys seem to understand catchy is best. They are much more than the song Groovin (great song) but there is more substance to this music. Enjoyed it lots! 4/5

Only about half the songs were on Spotify last time I looked, but they're all there now. Not sure why they were not huge, or why they have been forgotten if they were a big deal. 4 🌟

I guess its a classic album? Its OK. 3/5

HL: title track, "How Can I Be Sure", "I'm So Happy Now", "I Don't Love You Anymore" A pleasant slice of sunshine pop, not every song has the artistry of "How Can I Be Sure", but if this album was just that, "Groovin'" and the remaining half hour of 90s dial-up internet screeching, I'd still be in a better mood after listening. 3.5 January 6, 2024

Aptly named

I knew a couple of these songs.

Blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues. Correcto.

Beautiful and easy going*

A little bit more than just Groovin'. Enjoyed. 3/5

A mix of soul and 60s rock. Almost everyone from 1965-69 sounds like a bad Beatles cover band and The Young Rascals aren’t unique in that aspect but the soulfulness they have gives them a bit more than most bands. There are some bangers on the album, like the title track and How Can I Be Sure. Overall not bad 6.3/10

A lot of folks saying that this is trying to ride The Beatles' coat tails... To me, it sounds more like they were trying to copy Motown if anything, or rather a synthesis of both those sounds. Honestly I quite liked this. Only knew the title track, and while I'm not sure I'd call the album "essential", it's a cool little overlooked gem. A nice and soothing 4 from me.

Groovin indeed.

Very good Standouts: Groovin', How Can I Be Sure, You Better Run, A Girl Like You, Find Somebody 4/5

Helt ait 3.5

This whole album just drips with proto-disco, lounge-lizard, macho guy sleaze. There was one really solid track ("You Better Run") but, other than that one track, there's nothing here that's worth your time.

The title track is fantastic. The rest is decent.

The title song is a 4, but the rest of the album is maybe a 3.

Was hoping the rest of the album would be as good as the beginning. Nope.

Pleasant to listen to.

Style très sixties (normal), j'adore.

This is some of the most boring, derivative, uninspired, forgettable music to come out of the 1960s. Even if I was hearing it in 1967, I'd think it was awful. The recording quality is naturally abysmal, but so are the riffs and the lyrics. Sappy, soul-styled romantic lyrics that are missing the key element of soul music - the soul. This crap is taking a place that could be given to an actually decent album.

I enjoyed this a lot. I didn't listen with headphones so I need to do that.

ooo I'm already having fun! Super listenable and fun -- tons of genres, a true pop album from the time period! The songs aren't super memorable but it was truly just extremely listenable but not outstanding.

Unlistenable for me. Some groovy moments, but not to my taste.

I really enjoyed it. Not every track was a hit but every second one.

A few really good tracks and a nice overall vibe

Vintage '60s commercial pop, with a heavy dollop of schmaltz, if here and there smooth and pleasant. And if this is their "psychedelic" record one can only imagine how lame and tame their non-psych efforts must have been. It veers dangerously close to beach music territory at times, and one struggles to hear anything distinctive or even interesting. The playing sounds pretty rudimentary. And the lead vocals are dangerously shaky at times (though some pleasant harmonizing comes through, too.) One suspects the record would sound better without the strings and horns – and that their impact mighta been more lasting as a skiffle group. No surprise they were exed from the most recent editions. The fact that they changed their names speaks to their aesthetic integrity. And what a lame and square cover – fitting, one supposes.

Some of the worst mixing I've heard on a record. A totally forgettable pastiche of many other better bands from the 1960's. 2/5

Kind of fun

Good early Beatles proto-psych pop.

This was a pretty weird mix of styles and sounds between tracks. While nothing (except for I Don't Love You Anymore) sounded really atrocious, there was nothing that sounded particularly convincing either. It all just sounded kind of watered down, bland, smoothed around the edges. No personality of its own - certainly not a must hear album.

5/10

nice album ! ca groove ca c'est clair. 4.25

I liked this more than I thought I would. Added to the librRy

The title track is a classic, and several other songs have decent energy to them. But one gets the sense that this album falls short of its potential.

fun

Niet heel slecht, wel heel misplaatst. Zoveel betere muziek gemaakt in dit decennium die er niet in staat.

This was good. These guys kind of bridge the gap between garage and the more elaborate psychedelic pop. Some songs hit more than others for me and nothing really blew me away.

A post thanksgiving treat! Great harmonies. Timeless beats. I could listen to this once or twice.

Pretty polished clean late 60's pop... plenty of choruses and simple guitar/horns work. The tunes are pretty simple and melodic. My notes of interest... it seemed like somebody just discovered stereo in mixing this album (Find Somebody)... hard cuts from left to right and back left. Nothing natural about them showing what stereo could do. Also, I Don't Love You Anymore is painful... they just sound like wounded dogs trying to sing some of these melodies. I like the rest of the album, so i'm going to pretend they didn't include this track. Also love to discover that this is where Pat Benatar's cover comes from.

Listenable and even enjoyable

I don't dislike this music. Not what I'd usually listen to but found it still nice.

полный мусор без хитов. так один хиток есть. если бы я купил этот альбом я был бы разочарован

Totally competent and vanilla first date music from the late 60s. Seems like the inspiration for that period’s sit-com themes. Gets slightly edgier and groovier toward the end.

first listen great record

This is indeed a 60s music album. 6/10

Are these supposed to be boy bands before boy bands were a thing? I’m just not a big fan of these types of groups. “Groovin’” wasn’t bad. Which is the name of the album so I assume that’s their best work on here. It was. 4/10

I'm grooving with Groovin'. There isn't much to say about this album since it's pretty simple overall. I was expecting some generic white boys from the 60's to sing about beaches or holding hands but instead was surprised that it was the era of when groovy music started coming in. I like it 7/10

Feel good music to feel good to. Nothing overly exciting or unique but it really does a good job at the genre its sticking too. It is pleasant to listen to, the instrumentals are clean and the singing is nice. The titular song ‘Groovin’ is a banger. Didn’t expect to be blown away and I wasn’t, nevertheless I enjoyed it. 7/10

Very funky and enjoyable album

Not too shabby! This one is going into the rotation

it's a bop

I had heard a lot of these songs before but didnt know they were written by this lot. Really pleasant tunes. Got taken along on a gentle wave.

I started the listening session, mildly interested, and by the end of the album I was all in. How Can I Be Sure is a song that I will always stop and listen to when it comes on the radio. The first notes are haunting. I didn’t know that You Better Run was a cover for Pat Benetar. I like both versions. The song Sueno was a bit of a cipher. Other than a few guitar notes and saying guitar in Spanish, it was all English. Even the word dreams was, well, dreams. Why name it Sueno? Artistic license I guess.

I was groovin' from the outset, and while the album started flagging a little in the middle, "You Better Run" and "It's Love" came to the rescue and solidified the 4 in my estimation. Not exactly my go-to style of music, so while I had heard at least three of these tracks often enough, this was mostly new to me. I thought the band was solid, the singing was great, the tunes were well-written, and the whole package had a cohesion and personality that was impressive.

Two standout tracks, (How Can I Be Sure and the title track). The rest of it had all the right ingredients for greatness: interesting arrangements, quality performances, etc. but they all kind of missed the mark somehow. Lacking inspiration or something. Maybe just the songwriting was lackluster. A for effort, though. I liked that every song sounded different. Also, the lead singer went over the top on A Place in the Sun, which ruined an otherwise decent version of the song. (David Isaacs did a fantastic rocksteady version in '68.) But I like that we got served up a slice of '60s pop music that isn't rock. The kind of stuff The Four Seasons were doing (only they did it better, IMO).

I listened. I grooved.

I appreciate the good vibes on this album. It's a whimsical collection of love folk/rock songs. I enjoyed the flute on It's Love and harmonica peppered in combined with the conjoined vocals. There was nothing extremely remarkable about this album but it was enjoyable front to back. Standout tracks for me were I'm So Happy Now and A Place in the Sun. The album is short and sweet.

From the first song I thought this was gonna be something special, but nah. Mid song after mid ass song. At least this was only 30 minutes :/

It was alright. Relatively short. Didn't move the dial much.

Solid

Pretty chill except for the song about hunting down his ex

This album is corny as hell. It sounds like a half-assed, wannabe version of so many other good bands of the era. Just do yourself a favor and go listen to The Kinks or Smokey Robinson & The Miracles instead. I hope this album being on the list means that I'm not going to have to listen to the Monkees eventually as well. Listening to this album was a chore, and started to make me doubt my commitment to completing this list.

Really didn't enjoy... Quite boring and trying to be soulful, but failing (for me!)

Classic rock, with some good jazzy leanings

Shit album artwork. Thankfully the album is pretty good. Title track is great. 3.5 stars.

Great listen-I had kind of forgotten about this album. Great collection of songs.

This album is interesting because this band is trying to be different from other bands with a unique sound such as bringing soul and rock into the pop scene. But is forced into a box because of the Beatles and other boy bands of the time. You better run is a master piece of a song and I wish the rest of the album could’ve been closer to this than knock off beatles.

I get it but I didn’t love it

very few interesting songs. sounds like what i imagine was on any beatles influenced radio station in the 60s.

Very average album, too old, too basic, just not fun at all. Couldn't finish this album, it was too taxing on my brain. Not the worst on this list, but definitely not a great position.

A good album for background music while reading, though I liked How Can I Be Sure the most.

A band from New Jersey that was clearly influenced by the British Invasion of the 60s. It's eclectic, moving between styles with ease, and it has some catchy songs. There's not much that you wouldn't find elsewhere though. It's a good example of the music of the 60s. It's just not the best.

These all sounded like car commercial songs.

Groovin is a great song about fucking

Sounds good, modern for the time.

Generally I like my 60s music more psychedelic OR more heavy OR more harmonious and vocally adept. This isn't bad, but really the only track on the album that kind of kicks butt is "You Better Run". "How Can I Be Sure" is a lovely, pretty song, I suppose.

Great surprise. Happy 60s zeitgeist. Love this!

3.7

I liked it. Too many skips to earn a higher rating. Very 60s, very groovy. Favorite: I don’t love you anymore

Really good and fun listen even without the big hit. Curious they never made any more albums.

pleasant enough but that’s not enough to turn my crank baby

3.5

Better than I expected.

Honestly surprised how much I liked this. I truly thought it would be copy and paste and while some songs are the majority are different

2 songs saved, very nice

Muito bom. Me surpreendeu demais. A banda é bem diferente do que eu já vi do fim da década de 60.

Allt i lagi california 60’s væl

Old style but not bad

Easy to listen to but not noteworthy.

Interesting jazz influences. Uninteresting album.

Says nothing. Does nothing new. Totally inoffensive in every way. And a total bore. There was a lot going on at the time, any this band captured none of it. But at least it's short...

Charming

Yeah… I was groovin

Breezy pop de va nice

Groovy, baby

This is a contender for the worst album cover I have ever seen. Why the fuck was the the style for the entirety of the 60s and 70s? I refuse to believe that anyone thought it looked good. But hey the album was fun and melodious and pretty good for a Beatles knockoff.

Blue-eyed soul. A perfectly cromulent album, but I'm unclear on why this is in here alongside the Motown and Stax stalwarts. Maybe this is the specific, idiosyncratic lens that translated the sounds of Black soul to mainstream music, but it seems unremarkable, otherwise. I won't revisit it and wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless I learn some earth-shattering context about these guys. This is just thirty minutes of not displeasurable noise from 1967. Summary: better than Pat Boone or nails on a chalkboard (the two compete mightily).

groovin' is a pleasant listen--and from the sixties, to no one's surprise. i didn't find it much different from other sixties music, though, and it felt rather average as a result. the (young) rascals created decent enough music in groovin', but it wasn't enough to create something legendary or even remarkable. legitimately, i have no idea why these guys are in the rock and roll hall of fame.

Probably the most interesting thing about this album is that it's mostly got that typical 60s psychedelic Beatles-y vibe, but then BOOM, all of the sudden you're randomly hit with Groovin' (the song). Groovin' sounds and feels like it could have been released by one of the great soul masters of the time. Supposedly, soul was kind of their "thing", but Groovin' (again, the song) was undeniably their biggest success in the genre. It's a brief 2 minutes and 30 seconds before the album goes back into the previously mentioned psychedelic vibe. You can catch hints of the soul sound in short little moments throughout the other songs that are mostly dominated by that attempt to be more like the Beatles. It's honestly kind of odd how it all shakes out, albeit still baseline enjoyable. Also a brief note on "You Better Run": I had no idea this wasn't a Pat Benatar original song. She has such presence and attitude that lends such believability to the song, it's easy to see it as "her" song. Here, it's really hard to take it as seriously coming from these guys. Do I REALLY need to run? In any case, it's cool to learn something here. Anyway, this album is fine, but pretty average when compared to the abundance of groups and bands that utilized this sound during the time.

This is a solid album. In a way it sounds like it's ripping everything off - little Beach Boys, little Animals, little Beatles, little world music - but there's an art to doing that and still making it sound like your own. Groovin' is still one of my all time favorites. It's hard not to smile when you hear it.

that was definitely an album of generic 60’s rock.

Léger, lumineux et mélodique, mais oubliable pour moi.

I love 60s pop music, so there was pretty much no chance I wasn't going to love this record. I'm familiar with the hits from The Young Rascals, but this entire album is solid top to bottom. My favorite tracks are probably, "A Girl Like You," "How Can I Be Sure," "Groovin'," "I Don't Love You Anymore," and " A Place in the Sun," so pretty much the entire record. A total delight to listen to!

This is pleasant but totally unremarkable

Genres: Blue-eyed soul Formed: Garfield, New Jersey, US in 1965 Run time: 11 songs, 34 min, 34 sec Initially known as The Young Rascals. The third album by the rock band. Most songs are 2-3 minutes in length (typical for the time). The general theme of the album is Love. It’s a pop album with twangy guitars and lyrics that aren’t deep and meaningful. Perhaps that’s it. Don’t over analyse, fall in love and the meaning of life is there before you! Spotify: Least popular song: >181k Most popular song: almost 49.5M plays. "A Girl Like You" is about falling in love like never before (or possibly falling in love for the first time). This love brings out the best in the singer. “Find Somebody” urges the listener to stop feeling sorry for themselves, embrace life and go find a partner to love. “I’m so Happy Now” “Sueno” “How Can I Be Sure” (I have heard this song before, probably the Dusty Springfield version.) “Groovin’” “If You Knew” “I Don’t Love You Anymore” “You Better Run” later covered by Pat Benatar. “A Place in the Sun” “It’s Love” Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

"Groovin'" by The Young Rascals is a pleasant but somewhat forgettable album. Released in 1967, it captures the essence of the era's pop-rock sound with its title track becoming a standout hit. The album's production is polished, and the band's musicianship is evident. However, beyond the catchy title track, many of the other songs lack the same memorable quality. The album tends to blend together with a similar mid-tempo groove throughout, making it less engaging over its entirety. While it's a snapshot of the '60s sound, "Groovin'" doesn't quite reach the heights of some of its more iconic contemporaries, resulting in a middling musical experience.

60s pop by numbers

Sounds like happy go lucky band like the monkees, but with better musicians. Groovin' is a classic.

Album didn’t really do much for me. Good Lovin obviously their hit. But I will pass.

Va spent på detta, men blei i grunn litt skuffa

Completely forgettable.

8/10. Credit where credit is due, Aretha Franklin couldn't have covered Groovin' if no one had written it.

Very 60s. 6/10

Reminded me of early Beatles, like a lot of these albums I thought the first song was really promising and then it lost its was as it progressed. Never heard of the young rascals, this album list has shown me there are far more Beatles copycats than I was aware of. It was pleasant enough, there were some nods to other genres here and there, no need to come back.

There was one song I didn't mind but it ended up going on for far too long and I grew to dislike it. A bit of a bore, won't be going back.

This was awful, sounded like a shit version of The Beatles.

This didn't do much for me. Feels like some pop group that were trying to jump on the Beatles band wagon. Certainly wouldn't be calling it rock or psychedelic rock as this site suggests. Definitely pop for me. Too fluffy. Nothing here I'll be going back to or remember

meh

Pleasant, nothing too much that jumps out.

Groovin' is a good song... thats about it on this album

"white soul" isn't a genre, it's cultural theft

It's mostly quite boring.

3/5 Best: A Girl Like You Worst: Sueno

It wasn’t a bad listen. Not one song stuck out or was thumbs up’d on my listen.

Very easy listen and Groovin is a permanent stay in the library. If I had to guess it sounds just like I’d expect a 1967 summer of love song to sound like. Nothing too unique about their sound though. Rating: 3.6

A soul-like album by The Young Rascals, that didn't really give much in my opinion. It sounds like a teeny bopper album that would have been listened to by people going to social dances where they would get to interact with the opposite sex, but then told to leave room for Jesus whilst dancing together. Perfectly fine for it's time but doesn't fit in with the world of today. Best: A Girl Like You Worst: You Better Run

1/5 very bad, has some listenable tracks

Enjoyed it, some real classics tucked away in here.

I dunno, maybe I'm not in the best mood for reviewing today but I like the music when I actually register it but mostly it's sinking into the background and I'm not hearing it at all. I thought it got significantly more interesting and good towards the end but it had actually finished and gone onto the next Spotify suggestion... bad signs.

Yes this was perfectly pleasant but I also feel I don't have much to say about it... Yes it was just perfect fine. Lovey clichés obvi were a bit gross but overall fine

Not bad but nothing special. Fairly bland. Like AI generate 60s rock.

There were a few really good songs on here, but a lot I didn’t really enjoy, too.

Unremarkable, but competent 60s pop.

Meh

Never heard of this band but I really enjoyed this. It was short and sweet.

It was really fun to hear groovin in the wild; otherwise this was just a fun collection of psychedelic pop rock type stuff.

I have a hard time seeing this as being an essential album. Perfectly listenable but there are so many other artists that have made so much more interesting music.

Not come across this band before. It was OK. Very much of its time

Very 60s. Reminded me of the Monkey's

I went into this one not expecting much, but I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed it. This was a very good album. I think I liked pretty much everything here. I actually kept having this album and song come up when I would search for Aretha Franklin's cover of the title track of this one, and I was pleased to find that the original is pretty good as well. I think I enjoy Aretha's version just a bit more though. I really enjoyed How Can I Be Sure and I Don't Love You Anymore, but as I said everything here is pretty good. Fun fact: The intro for Sueno is sampled in A Tribe Called Quest's track I Lost My Wallet in El Segundo. I immediately recognized it and was very surprised. Also a good song. I was debating on whether to give this a 4 or a 5, and if I had half stars it'd definitely get a 9/10, but I don't. I just don't think it quite reaches into that 5 category, though.

The first couple songs were solid, good rock tunes for the time, but then the rest of the album was all over the place. I think my biggest surprise was to see You Better Run and Groovin. You Better Run was remade by Pat Benetar and was of her bigger hits. Groovin is what I consider a R&B tune. I think of Aretha Franklin's version only to be more surprised her version was released AFTER the Rascals. And another surprise to me was this album hit #7 on the R&B charts. Huh, really? Either way, pretty cool to see music cross generations and genres. Favorites off the album were A Girl Like You, Find Somebody, You Better Run and Groovin. Wasn't quite my thing but was OK to listen to a couple times. I am happy they waited to put the flute stuff in the last song. Something about trying to input the flute into some of this music drives me crazy. I can't help but think of Ron Bergundy. I'm going to give a 2.5. Bonus .25 for putting out versions in Spanish and Italian, but I'm still not going to give that 3rd star on the scoreboard. 2.75 but will mark as a 2

Really enjoyable, if not run of the mill, 60's rock record, with an absolutely ICONIC soul song plunked right in the middle of it. Some catchy tunes on here that I wouldn't mind adding to some of my playlists. Would maybe even buy used on vinyl for cheap! 3

3 About 30 seconds in, I got the vibe this wasn’t going to be an album that I enjoyed and wrote these guys off as a second-rate Monkees. But man, Find Somebody came in with a swift kick in the ass to show me just how wrong I was - what a great tune. How is that one of the least popular tracks on Spotify? I love the raw guitar sound paired with the quiet/loud dynamics - it’s almost like a 60s Pixies track. It’s also been one of the first songs in a hot minute to go immediately to my Liked Songs, so when it went right back to some half-baked 60s pop music on I’m So Happy Now, I was convinced the prior song was a fluke. But then I was sucked back into the album again with the next track Sueno, only to be turned off by How Can I Be Sure, then vibing again on Groovin’... you get the idea. So while there was stuff here I definitely enjoyed, as a whole this album is incredibly disjointed - and I’m not just referring to my personal opinion on the songs, musically and topically this is all over the place. I initially thought that may have had to do with there being too many cooks in the kitchen being that there are multiple vocalists across the album, and while that may have been a factor, Wikipedia pointed out to me eight of the eleven songs here were already existing singles and their corresponding b-sides. Yep, that’ll do it. Anyway, not a great album listen in my opinion, but I definitely see myself coming back to a few songs here, like the ones I mentioned above and You Better Run, a personal favorite that I guess was later covered by Pat Benatar? On a tangential note, this album cover is up there for me with Siembra in regards to its terrible album cover. I get they were going for a Hanna-Barbera vibe, and while I want to appreciate that, they somehow were able to take that in the most uncanny valley-esque direction possible. Like, looking at every one of the rascals makes me uncomfortable. I also couldn’t help but imagine said cartoon versions playing each of the tracks while listening, which added an unintentional level of goofiness to the whole thing. Not really sure if that helped or hurt my experience.

Blandish 60s rock - not sure it should be on this list. I had heard the name, but never listened to them. Now I know

Really loved this

You Better Run is the best song on the album. Pat Benatar's version is better. If you're best song on an album was done better by another artist, chances are your album isn't very good.

4.0 - If Zombies had gone in a more Motown direction instead of diving into Sgt. Peppers psychedelia, the result would sound something like this. Standout: “Groovin’” but it’s all pretty good. A solid little pop record from 1967 .

This was great. I knew their hit single, but hasn’t listened to any of the other songs. Very much my style of music.

I was really surprised home many songs I knew on this album especially ‘You Better Run’ that Pat Benetar covered on her debut album. This was solid throughout.

Meh

Nothing too exciting here, some nice music but mostly forgettable.

not bad not bad, but also not remarkable in any way

Easy breezy summer music that doesn't take itself seriously, more than a one song record! Solid pop songs with nice instrumentation and sure the lyrics are pretty tame but it would be strange if they got deep over this music! Solid guitar work on this as well! Is that a Tribe Called Quest sample?

Classic 60s pop band, not my thing, made me think of Kinks though

It was fine. Probably good, but I wasn't in the mood for 1967 stuff.

okay, beetles vibes

Nothing special

Reminded me of the Zombies. It's optimistic and lush baroque pop and blue-eyed soul. Many catchy and melodic tunes, this goes beyond the hit singles. Especially enjoyed the more psychedelic tunes. It tries to get flashy at time with unusual instruments like that weird woodwind in "You Better Run" or the organ in "A Place in the Sun", but they don't do much to contribute. After "Groovin", I think I got tired, and the only song that left an impression was "I Don't Love You Anymore." Still, I did enjoy these tunes a lot and felt an urge to sing along at many points.

Pretty solid ol Rock music. Honestly not totally my wheelhouse, but it can be pleasant under the right circumstances. Standouts: A Girl Like You, Sueno, I Don't Love You Anymore

gillade detta

Groovy!

Soulful easy listening. 4/5

Starts with an absolute banger, I was convinced if they could keep it up I would give this album 5 stars. That quickly dissipated as soon as the bizarre, extreme panning kicked in on the second track. Really disorienting on headphones. I could barely focus on the song due to how uncomfortable it made my ears feel. Overall it's a fine listen, some decent singles that are indicative of the period. I feel like there are plenty of examples of the "sound" of this time period on this list though.

A couple good songs makes this an overall interesting album.

Ok

This was ok. Had some poppy, catchy tunes,

Knew the hit, wouldn't have been able to name the band though, maybe now I'll remember it. Another of it's era albums though. Heard worse. Only got the mono version on Apple music, not sure stereo would've made a massive difference though.

Eh, not bad but considering how great 1967 was as a year this isn’t one of the best.