The Youngbloods
View on Discogs
View on Wikipedia
Album Summary
The Youngbloods' self-titled debut album was laid down in late 1966 and released in early 1967 on RCA Victor, produced by the masterful Felix Pappalardi — a man who knew how to let a band breathe on tape, and who'd later bring that same touch to Cream and Mountain. Recorded in New York City, this record introduced the world to a four-piece that defied easy categorization: Jesse Colin Young on vocals and bass, the soulful Jerry Corbitt on guitar, the wonderfully eccentric Lowell Levinger — forever known as 'Banana' — and the steady Joe Bauer holding it all down on drums. What Pappalardi captured in that studio was something raw and real — a sound that drew deep from the wells of folk, blues, rock, and jug band tradition, and poured it all out into something that felt like a front-porch jam and a revolution at the same time. This was the East Coast finding its own groove, right at the moment when the whole country was waking up to something new.
Reception
- The album drew warm critical praise for its genre-blending freedom and improvisational spirit, with Jesse Colin Young's soulful, deeply human vocal performances singled out as a revelation.
- The record performed modestly on the charts upon its initial release, underselling what the band was truly capable of, though it steadily built a devoted following within the growing countercultural underground.
- The inclusion of 'Get Together,' written by Dino Valenti, marked a turning point — the song didn't explode commercially on first release, but it planted a seed that would flower into one of the era's most enduring anthems.
Significance
- This debut stands as a vital early document of the East Coast counterculture sound — a record that answered San Francisco's psychedelic surge with something earthier, bluesier, and rooted deep in American folk and jug band tradition, foreshadowing the roots-rock movement that would define the late 1960s.
- 'Get Together,' featured here in its original recorded form, would grow beyond the album and beyond the band to become one of the purest musical expressions of the peace and love generation, embraced widely during the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements as a genuine cry from the soul of a nation.
- The Youngbloods' debut helped carve out space for artists who believed electric rock and acoustic folk sensibility didn't have to live in separate houses — a philosophical stance that would quietly influence generations of musicians who followed in their wake.
Tracklist
-
A1 Grizzly Bear 95
2:20
-
A2 All Over The World (La-La) 110
3:14
-
A3 Statesboro Blues 153
2:18
-
A4 Get Together 103
4:39
-
A5 One Note Man 130
2:24
-
B1 The Other Side Of This Life —
2:28
-
B2 Tears Are Falling 125
2:25
-
B3 Four In The Morning 136
2:51
-
B4 Foolin' Around (The Waltz) 101
2:50
-
B5 Ain't That Lovin' You, Baby —
2:39
-
B6 C.C. Rider 135
2:37
Artist Details
The Youngbloods were a beautiful, free-spirited rock and folk-rock outfit that came together in New York City around 1965, eventually planting their roots in the California counterculture scene and delivering a sound that blended blues, folk, jug band grooves, and psychedelic rock with a warmth that just made your soul smile. Led by the soulful Jesse Colin Young, this band gave the world "Get Together," one of the most powerful anthems of peace and unity the '60s ever produced, a song that became the heartbeat of the entire love generation. Their laid-back, organic sound and genuine message of togetherness made them not just musicians but true spiritual ambassadors of a generation hungry for harmony and hope.
