I was a huge fan of The Young Rascals, and right from the opening count-in for 'Good Lovin' I was hooked. They had a unique line-up; Felix Cavaliere on vocals, organ and bass pedals, Eddie Brigati on vocals and percussion, Gene Cornish on guitar and backup vocals and Dino Dinelli on drums. There was no bass player. Felix's bass pedals more than made up for bottom end.
Felix and Eddie had very distinctive voices and their lead vocals were an outstanding part of the band's sound. Gene's guitar was crunchy and tight, very similar to Steve Cropper of Booker T and the MG's. Dino was the best drummer I had seen live since Keith Moon of The Who. None of these people are remembered today but their power as a musical unit was just incredible. Their first album is pure R&B intensity. They had many killer songs such as 'Come on Up', 'You Better Run' and 'Good Lovin', but they are best remembered by the general public for their ballad 'Groovin'' which topped the charts.
What the hell is a ballad anyways, you ask? It's a soft, slow-tempo song about love, the Universe and everything in between. Today, we call it a 'Chick Song'.
The Rascals were one of the first heavy rock bands to have their ultimate success with a ballad. Years later, Kiss would hit gold with 'Beth' and Alice Cooper with 'Only Women Bleed'. By those standards, 'Groovin', written by Felix, is still one of the best ballads ever performed by a truly great rock band.