Saturday, January 7, 2017

BANANA?



The Youngbloods could not be considered a major '60s band, but they were capable of offering some mighty pleasurable folk-rock in the late '60s, and produced a few great tunes along the way. One of the better groups to emerge from the East Coast in the mid-'60s, they would temper their blues and jug band influences with gentle California psychedelia, particularly after they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. For most listeners, they're identified almost exclusively with their Top Ten hit "Get Together," but they managed several respectable albums as well, all under the leadership of singer/songwriter Jesse Colin Young.

Young got his start on the folk circuits of Boston and New York, and had already cut a couple of solo albums before forming the Youngbloods. John Sebastian was one of the supporting musicians on Young's second LP, and comparisons between the two — and between the Youngbloods and the Lovin' Spoonful — are inevitable. Both groups offered good-timey folk-rock with much stronger jug band influences than West Coast rivals like the Byrds, though the Youngbloods made greater use of electric keyboards than the Spoonful, courtesy of the enigmatically named Lowell "Banana" Levinger. The Youngbloods didn't craft nearly as many brilliant singles as the Lovin' Spoonful, but (unlike the Spoonful) endured well into the hippie/psychedelic era.

While Young was always the focal point of the band, their first two albums also had songwriting contributions from guitarist Jerry Corbitt. Produced by Felix Pappalardi (who also worked with Cream), these records (The Youngbloods and Earth Music) were engaging and mature, if inconsistent, folk-rock. Corbitt's "Grizzly Bear" was a small hit, as was "Get Together," a Dino Valenti song that had previously been recorded by Jefferson Airplane. The Youngbloods' slow, soulful interpretation of "Get Together" was definitive, but it wouldn't reach the Top Ten until it was re-released in 1969, after the song had been used in a television public service ad.





March 30, 1969
The Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, CA.
FM Radio.

1. Ride the Wind
2. Sugar Babe
3. Four in the Morning
4. Too much monkey Business
5. Banana's
6. Dolphins
7. The Wine Song
8. Darkness, Darkness



9 comments:

juan manuel muñoz said...

Happy new year, my friend. And where's the link? Thanks in advance. Cheers

Unknown said...

Hi, wonderful blog. Loved the Youngbloods and Jess Colin Young remained a favorite singer-songwriter of many of us through the '70s into the '80s. The Youngbloods walked that line between folk-rock, country-rock and singer-songwriter. They had a small but very devoted following. BTW, there's no link to the show download. And Banana just released a new solo album!
Happy New Year!

24HOURDEJAVU said...

The link for this one should be working now Enjoy

Robert said...

Thanks for posting this CD.

Unknown said...

Thanks! In a world gone mad, we can still count on 24hourdejavu.

Unknown said...

thanks for re-posting, very enjoyable
Pete from Perth.

juan manuel muñoz said...

thanks, my friend

Anonymous said...

Thank you, looks like a nice set.

john said...

Sometimes during the day some groups are perfect for listening. While walking my dog the Youngbloods are that group. Thanks very much.

Post a Comment