Saturday Blue Eyed Soul Celebrating the 2022 Birthday of Rascal Front Man Eddie Brigati

by Robert Wilkinson

For our Saturday early show, we celebrate the birthday of the great Eddie Brigati, vocalist and songwriter for the legendary "blue eyed soul" group the Young Rascals. We have some great videos of this classic group for your dancing pleasure!

They hit the charts in 1965, and never looked back! The Young Rascals, later just the Rascals, were one of THE premier "white soul" groups of the 60s, and their music stands up today as some of the best ever made!! Eddie Brigati's (22 October 1945) songwriting and vocals gave us some of the most amazing blue eyed soul ever!

Eddie wrote or co-wrote some of their biggest hits. “Groovin’,“ “Lonely Too Long,” “You Better Run,” “A Beautiful Morning,” “How Can I Be Sure,” “People Got To Be Free,” and too many more to list here! So it’s on with the birthday celebration! Time to dance to rock and soul music!

Here's their first big hit, a major tune with an even bigger attitude! (The Rascals always did songs with attitude, even when they were just "groovin'") From Shindig in December 1965 (with Alan King doing an intro schtick) here are the Young Rascals on tv doing their breakthrough tune "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore."

Here’s a treat! From Hullabaloo in 1966, a spoof video of the Rascals set to them performing a wailing version of the Larry Williams smash hit, the "B" side of "Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore," “Slow Down”

From early in their career, a live 1965 performance of their first monster hit, "Good Lovin'." Studio version of "Good Lovin'" here.

We'll close this 1965 set of tunes from their first album with a great rave up penned by Gene and our birthday boy Dino Danelli! One of my faves from that first album, the infinitely danceable tune giving us a hint of things to come, "Do You Feel."

I found this live performance gem from 1968! Dino’s drumming is highlighted, and this band cooks! Seriously, check this one out. "Do You Feel."

From their second album Collections, the original studio version of the beautiful "What is the Reason"

The original studio cut of the infinitely danceable "Come On Up."

This year I only found one of the pair of tunes in this performance. Here they are live and in color in 1966 on television doing an absolutely electrifying performance of the soul classic "Mickey's Monkey" This one's kinetic, and so is Dino’s drumming! (This year the second performance, "Turn On Your Love Light," Is nowhere to be found.) The second clip with “Lonely Too Long” and “Come on Up” has also disappeared.

Here’s the studio version from the album with both tunes! "Mickey's Monkey"

Here they are again in 2013, in concert cranking out their two-fer soul classics "Mickey's Monkey" and “Turn On Your Love Light.”

Punk attitude with a wailing Hammond B-3 and a guitar riff wound tighter than a watch spring! The original studio cut of "You Better Run."

A live lip-synched performance of "Lonely Too Long."

Here’s the studio version of a tune co-written by Eddie, the infinitely danceable “Love Is A Beautiful Thing”

Here are the studio versions of two songs written by Gene, the first a soulful ballad "No Love To Give," and the second a raw rocker, "Nineteen Fifty Six."

I found it again! Here’s the studio version of a tune the Young Rascals covered on Collections. It originally won an Academy Award Nomination for the top song of 1963, and is a classic! For your enjoyment, one of the best known songs in the world that was the soundtrack tune from Mondo Cane, the beautiful "More (Theme from Mondo Cane"

Here's a great live set showing off Felix's amazing singing and organ work, with some classic and utterly fantastic drumming by Dino Danelli! Seeing this shows how exciting the Young Rascals were at their peak! From The Mike Douglas Show, a four song set of ”Good Lovin’,” "I've Been Lonely Too Long" and "Come On Up," and we’ll finish this 1966 set with a great live performance of “Since I Fell.”

We launch into 1967 with a great live performance during the legendary “Summer of Love!” Here are the Rascals in 1967 on The Ed Sullivan Show doing a live performance of their smash hit, the title song of their third album, "Groovin'." From what looks to be the same appearance, here’s another huge 1967 hit for the Rascals, “A Girl Like You.”

Here’s the studio version of “A Girl Like You.”

Here’s the studio version of the “B” side to “A Girl Like You,” an amazing soulful psychedelic tune featuring the exquisite flute playing of Hubert Laws! One of my all-time favorites, here’s the fantastic “It’s Love”

From the Groovin' album, two tunes written by Gene Cornish! "I'm So Happy Now" and the mellow bongo sound of "I Don't Love You Any More"

Here's a live performance of "How Can I Be Sure."

From 1968's Once Upon A Dream, one of their obscure gems! Here's the studio version of an archetypal 1967 vibe, "It's Wonderful."

Also from "Once Upon A Dream," the Gene Cornish tune "I'm Gonna Love You."

Here's a 1968 performance of "It's A Beautiful Morning."

Here’s the original studio version of "It's A Beautiful Morning."

Here they are live in 1969, doing their huge #1 hit from the 1969 "Freedom Suite" album, "People Got To Be Free."

From Sweden in 1969, a b/w performance of “People Got To Be Free”

Here’s another great live version from 1970 of ”Glory Glory” and “People Got To Be Free”

Original 1968 studio version of "People Got To Be Free" here. (This song was written in reaction to the assassinations that year of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and went straight to #1 on the charts.)

Also from Freedom Suite, here are the Rascals in 1969, performing live on German television! For your enjoyment, “Heaven.” Here’s the original audio-only studio version of “Heaven”

From Freedom Suite, studio versions of tunes Gene wrote, "Me and My Friends" and "Love Was So Easy To Give."

Last year I had a great 1969 live performance on ABC’s Music Scene of the next song, but it’s disappeared. So instead, here’s the studio version of “Carry Me Back” And here the New Rascals take us to church at the Greek in 2013 with a rousing live performance of “Carry Me Back”

Couldn’t find a live clip that’s been pulled recently, but here’s the original studio version of “See” (It’s obvious where the J. Geils Band got their sound!) And it seems they’re still rocking out on this song. From what looks to be their 2013 tour, the 21st Century original Rascals cranking out “See”

Here's a clip from 1988, The Rascals on Regis.

We'll close this birthday tribute with a smokin' live performance of 'the Young Rascals and Friends" doing the immortal rock and roll anthem "Good Lovin'"

Here’s a great 9+ minute encore! The Rascals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Steve Van Zandt, lead player for the Boss and mos def NEW JERSEY ATTITUDE! His speech is great, but this year the clip chops the final 2 minutes when Felix gives us his speech cuts to the heart of the matter. It reminds us how art can help us heal even when too many assassinations have killed a dream. For your enjoyment, The Rascals’ Induction Into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, pt. 1

Part 2 where they perform “Good Lovin’, ”Groovin’,” and ”People Got To Be Free” is still nowhere to be found. So instead, our second encore will be their live performance at the 2013 Tonys honoring their Broadway Musical “Once Upon A Dream Starring the Rascals” of "Good Lovin'."

There are a bunch of great videos out there of recent performances by this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group, so if you’re of a mind, you can find all the classics and more, so if you want more, enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Eddie! You, Felix, Dino, and Gene made my teen years a true joy!

© Copyright 2022 Robert Wilkinson

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