Young Rascals - GROOVIN ((Vinyl))

The (Young) Rascals' best-known album is this 1967 release, thanks to the title track, the group's biggest-ever single. An infectiously lazy quasi-bossa nova with more hooks than really should be allowed in any one song, "Groovin'" is a stone classic, one of the best and most-beloved singles of the '60s.
The fact that GROOVIN' has another hit single which some fans think is even better--the gorgeously melodramatic, spacious "How Can I Be Sure"--makes this by default better than any of the Young Rascals' more scattershot and covers-heavy earlier albums. The other nine tracks are cut from the same stylistic cloth as the hits: more refined and quieter than their raucous early hits, songs like "I'm So Happy Now" and "If You Knew" are delightful collisions of lite-psych and jazz-inflected blue-eyed soul. GROOVIN' is a delightful album and probably the best starting point for this often underrated group.

• Internal ID: JITRE
• RSD Release Date: DDD
• Genre: Rock