Rhinofy-Lonely Too Long

Is there a better record than "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore"?

All anybody remembers about the Young Rascals' debut is "Good Lovin'," but that was an afterthought in my book, a trifle compared to "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore."

"YeeaAAAHHHH!"

The track started out quiet and then EXPLODED out of the speakers, whether it be the one in your dashboard or the two of your newly-purchased stereo, a compact that fit together in one big box.

"I admit you got the biggest brown eyes
And you know how to part your lips to tantalize..."

Kissing, right?

That's not what they told me at summer camp. When this record came out oral sex was anathema in my book, how disgusting. Ah, but with maturity comes insight that evaded you before puberty raised its beautiful head. Ha!

And what makes "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" so great is not only that exploding intro and Eddie Brigati vocal, but the anthemic chorus and the sweet bridge....

"I love you, I love you, I do girl
But you ain't gonna cheat on me
I need you, I need you, I do girl
Choose, is it him or me"

"Is it him or ME?!!" That's what the assembled multitude sang in the background. I mean come on, choose, I'm a rock star, singing my heart out, am I really gonna be denied?

You wonder why we picked up guitars? We wanted that power! When no one had that capacity or dominance, not athletes, bankers or politicians... Musicians were at the tippity-top of the food chain.

But the Rascals, then "Young," did not write "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore," hell, the only original on the debut was "Do You Feel It," written by Felix Cavaliere and Gene Cornish, not that anybody knew unless they read the credits, since the band made all the songs their own.

Then came the follow-up, "Collections," which was a completely different story. It was laden with originals. All good, but none as fantastic as "Lonely Too Long."

Oh, the opener, "What Is The Reason," is a killer. Not to mention "Love Is A Beautiful Thing," and the band's cover of "Too Many Fish In The Sea." But the killer, the one that stands out today, is "Lonely Too Long," it's the one I sing to myself, even more than "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out Anymore," hell, I woke up with it in my head today.

Wanna know what makes the track? THE ORGAN SOLO!

A few notes are banged out on the piano, and then entering from a back door, oozing out onto the dance floor, is this soulful sound that gets your juices flowing, makes your hormones rage. Let's take nothing away from Booker T., but Felix Cavaliere belongs in the keyboard pantheon too!

Hell, prior to "Collections" we thought Eddie was the leader of the band, that everybody else supported him. But beginning with "Collections," Felix moved front and center too, it wasn't long before we realized he was a GENIUS!

"I've been lonely too long
I've been lonely too long"

What did I know about loneliness? Heartache? The need for the human touch?

It's not like I was not infected by "Lonely Too Long" from the beginning, but like a fine wine, I only realized its greatness after it breathed and I aged. Wow, the passion, the frustration, the hope, the desire...it's all embodied in this less than three minute track. Back then bands didn't need to go on endlessly, they didn't need seventy minutes to tell their story on a CD, in just a handful of minutes they could express it all!

And let's not forget the horn part. Kinda like the harp in the Beach Boys' "Catch A Wave," musicians back then did not see a need to reject their elders, they embraced their education, they used all the tools at their disposal to titillate, romance and indoctrinate the listeners, their fans.

And that's what I was, a fan.

The Young Rascals have been written out of rock and roll history. Billy Joel is the big act from Long Island. But the Rascals had one of those storied runs that was so bright, however brief, that it cannot be denied. They had hit after hit. And they could play them. I know, because I went to the show. That's what all those nights at the bar will teach you.

And right now Little Steven, curator of everything that once was, is raising money on Kickstarter for production of a Rascals show in Port Chester in December. He's only asking for a hundred grand, but he's still tens of thousands short. Because oldsters are clueless, barely computer-literate, never mind knowledgeable about Kickstarter, and the young 'uns wearing their pants around their asses have never heard this music, which is truly about soul.

So I'm helping to get the message out, because it's my duty to keep this music alive. Which was not solely of a time or place, but is truly forever...if you hear it!

If you never have, click to experience the magic.

If you've forgotten, let me bring you back.

If you never forgot, can I get a HELL YEAH?!!


Spotify playlist: http://spoti.fi/p6HcZ8

The Rascals "Once Upon A Dream" Reunion Shows: http://kck.st/RYqWcj


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