I know those of you that have read my blog on a regular basis have probably wondered what happened. I’ve been through some changes in my life. I’ve moved to San Antonio Texas from my home state of Nebraska and then to Las Cruces New Mexico in the past month. All my energy and focus for the past few months was in finding a way to get here. Now that I’ve relocated to the Lone Star State, I sit at my laptop and the inspiration to write has returned.
Over the past couple of years, I began to rediscover the Rascals and the drumming of Dino Danelli. So, let’s talk about the Rascals and my listening history of the band that has been labeled as one of America’s “Blue Eyed Soul” bands.
As I researched this band, I found out that their album Groovin’ was released the summer I was born. The single Groovin’ went to #1 on the charts in March of 1967 and the next single A Girl Like You went to #10 on July 3, 1967. That’s a few days before my date of birth. But, it would be years later that their music would come knocking on my brain.
Like most people my age who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s, we heard the song Good Lovin’ in various movies and TV shows throughout those decades. In 1978, George Lucas used the song in his sequel to American Graffiti called More American Graffiti. The song was also featured in the movies The Big Chill, Joe Versus the Volcano and the 80’s TV show Moonlighting where Bruce Willis sang the lead vocal. There was even a short-lived 1989 TV show called Doctor Doctor. In 1984, drummer Max Weinberg of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band wrote a book titled The Big Beat – Conversations with Rock’s Great Drummers. I bought this book and obviously read through the interviews with the drummers I knew like Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts and Kenney Jones (among others). Modern Drummer magazine published an excerpt from the book with an interview with Dino Danelli of the Rascals. This was my first introduction to Dino. I read through the interview. But, I shelved that interview into my memory banks for future reference.
In 1988, Atlantic Records had a big multi-artist celebration for the record label’s 40th Anniversary. The big reunion that night was a performance by Led Zeppelin with drummer John Bonham’s son Jason filling in for his deceased father. I was also excited to see the reunion of 60’s Psych-rockers Vanilla Fudge. VF Drummer Carmine Appice had been (and still is) a big influence on my playing as a drummer. So, I was excited to see that reunion. Unfortunately, the Anniversary celebration was simulcast on HBO. At the time, I had just moved into a new apartment and we didn’t have HBO. After the HBO broadcast, ABC-TV aired a two hour version of the celebration. Obviously, this was edited down for time. I was able to record that one. As I watched the recording, I would sit through some of the acts that I wasn’t exactly excited to see. I actually enjoyed some of the stuff. But, the one that reeled me in was the partial reunion of the Rascals. Atlantic Records had been known for many R&B acts in its early history. The Rascals’ are actually noted as the first “Rock’' act signed to Atlantic. 3/4 of the original band reunited onstage with Paul Shaffer and his musicians from Late Night with David Letterman known as “The World’s Most Dangerous Band”. I was absolutely compelled by the fun that bassist Will Lee was having while he played with these guys. I loved the sound of Felix Cavaliere’s voice and the sound of the Hammond organ. Gene Cornish on guitar was playing a Rickenbacher and he was having the time of his life too. I had remembered that Dino Danelli was the drummer of the Rascals. But, to my disappointment, the cameramen are too busy catching the excitement of Will, Felix, and Gene to get a good shot of Dino playing drums. I would go back to the videotape on this performance. It was fun and electrifying to watch.
Since I was working in a record store, I would have to add some Rascals to my music collection. I ended up buying a copy of Time Peace – The Rascals’ Greatest Hits. At first, it was just an excuse to have a copy of Good Lovin’ in my collection and I could listen to it at any time. But, I remember thinking that the original audio mix was really low. So, sonically, it didn’t hold my attention for long. I remember hearing on the album itself a version You Better Run and eventually recognizing it as one of the songs that Pat Benatar had recorded. In fact, the music video of Pat Benatar’s You Better Run was the 2nd video ever played when MTV started its broadcast in August of 1981.
Fast forward to my post college days. I was living in Omaha and working at Music Avenue and Tape World. One of the promo CD’s we received was called the New York Rock and Soul Revue – Live from the Beacon. It featured Donald Fagen from Steely Dan, Phoebe Snow, Michael McDonald and David & Eddie Brigati. I had been on a big Doobie Brothers kick at the time. So, anything with Michael McDonald was cool to me. Track 11 on this CD was the Brigati brothers singing the Rascals’ song Groovin’. Somehow, I knew the connection of this song back to the Rascals. But, I didn’t know the Brigati name. I knew Felix Cavaliere was awesome on the Hammond B3 organ and Dino was the influential drummer. So, I add the name of Eddie Brigati to my list of band members to be familiar with. While I listened to this album, I felt a connection yet again to the Rascals.
When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces their yearly inductees, I’m always interested and attentive to see who is in that year’s class. VH1 used to air an edited version of the induction ceremony. In 1997, the inductees included the Jackson 5, Parliament Funkadelic, The Bee Gees, CSN&Y, Joni Mitchell, and the Rascals. Honestly, I was quite excited to see all of the inductees that night. But, it’s often said that Little Steven Van Zandt’s induction of the Rascals was the highlight of the ceremony. Van Zandt had actually employed Danelli in his band “The Disciples of Soul” in the 80’s. I’ve often said when a person is so passionate about an artist it can be infectious. So infectious to the point where I want to know more and take in as much as I can of that artist. That can be said about Van Zandt’s induction of the Rascals.
I would pull out my vinyl copy of Time Peace from time to time. But, the audio levels were so low that it still wouldn’t hold my attention. Now in the age of social networking and sites like Facebook, I started to post celebrity birthdays on my Facebook page with a YouTube video of that person’s live performance. When I came to the birthday of drummer Dino Danelli, I pulled up the performance of the Rascals on the Ed Sullivan show. I was mesmerized as I can only guess that the cameraman was as well. Dino sits at his drumkit and drives the band with such a force and an aura of self-confidence. He twirls his sticks with sense of cockiness that drummers in the 80’s would eventually imitate. I’ve read some comments that Dino looks weird and spastic. I don’t see that. I’m drawn to him every time I see that video.
Even my own drumming hero Carmine Appice admitted that Dino had been an influence on his playing in an interview with DRUMHEAD magazine. Modern Drummer magazine added video interviews with Dino Danelli with former longtime Billy Joel drummer Liberty DeVitto back in 2008. DeVitto is obviously a huge fan of Dino. As I think back to seeing Liberty play with Billy Joel on live TV in 80’s and early 90’s, he’s quite commanding on his drumkit as well.
I’ve had a running conversation with a music-loving friend of mine that Dino has yet to receive the praise and accolades he deserves as an influential drummer of the 60’s. There’s always mention of Ringo, Charlie Watts, Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, Mitch Mitchell among others. But, you rarely see Dino mentioned in those lists. But, I know there are a few that will list him as one of the biggies.
This past June I sat down to watch the annual Tony awards to celebrate and honor the theatre productions of the past year in New York City. I had stepped into the other room when all of a sudden I heard Good Lovin’ coming from the TV. A few years back, a Broadway musical had been made about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons called Jersey Boys. So, I wasn’t too surprised to hear the music of the Rascals playing. I was actually amazed to see the actual Rascals reunited and playing together. With that, I add another memory of fascination with the Rascals.
Along with the appearance on the Tony Awards, Dino was featured in a cover feature of Modern Drummer magazine. The article was basically a sum up of his career. In fact, there really wasn’t much of an interview contained in the article. But, it finally got me searching more into the catalog of the Rascals’. I went and got a copy of the 1993 Rhino Records remastered Very Best of the Rascals’. Of course, I knew Good Lovin’, Groovin’ , and You Better Run. But, I was drawn in by People Got To Be Free, I’ve Been Lonely Too Long and A Ray of Hope.
I listened to these songs and I thought about all the vocals, the drums, the guitars and the Hammond organ. I had been a fan of Deep Purple’s Jon Lord and his prowess on the Hammond B3. Then, I listened to Vanilla Fudge’s Mark Stein and then discovered that I loved Felix and his sound too. Somehow, they all feel connected. The members of Deep Purple have stated that Vanilla Fudge was their original template for Deep Purple. Vanilla Fudge was from Long Island New York and obviously the Rascals were East coast based as well. This was an American band that was referred to as a “blue-eyed soul” group and was a US counterpart to the bands of the British invasion. They actually opened for the Beatles at the historical Shea Stadium gig. They survived through the “Flower power-hippie” movement of San Francisco. They made their own sound. Perhaps that is why they don’t get lumped in with different bands of the 60’s. They were definitely a band of their own sound and talent. The other day I hit “party shuffle” on my MP3 player and a Rascals song came on. I usually can guess who the band is when they come on my player. When it came on, I thought it was a Motown group like the Four Tops or the Temptations that I enjoy listening to occasionally. Nope, It was the Rascals’.
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die only lists the 1967 Album Groovin’ in their albums by the Rascals’. Groovin’ is heralded as the band’s “most important album”. Critic George Durbalau writes,
‘'”The album grabs you from the start, switching from garage thrash into psychedelia-tinged experimentation and even gospel.
….the record brims with intelligent arrangements, blending deep soulfulness with raw, loose guitar, introspective lyrics, and unexpected touches.”
For me, it’s been music I’ve probably heard all through my life. But, I wasn’t sure how much it was affecting me. It’s great that I’ve discovered this music that will further enrich my musical palette, vocabulary and library.
Excellent read Dave!!
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