The Rascals Reunion

re: THE RASCALS:

I can't even begin to describe the excitement we're feeling about the big Rascals Reunion coming up later this year.  And it looks like many of our readers are excited, too ... 

Read on!!!   

Hey Kent,
Am I ever PUMPED that the original lineup of The Rascals is getting back together! I sure hope they make it to this part of the country. It is so sad that there have been two configurations of the group, for so long, "Felix Cavaliere's Rascals" and "The New Rascals", featuring Dino and Gene. Both bands are good and entertaining, but everyone wants the boys back together. My all-time favorite rock drummer is Dino Danelli. I was determined to meet him, when the New Rascals played here. On their last song, I got next to the stage. When they were done, I said, "Hey Dino, you're my hero!" (Couldn't think of any thing else to say!) Then he came up to me, shook my hand, and said, "Thanks, man!" The group's lead singer and keyboardist, Bill Pascal, is a great performer, and a heck of a nice guy, as we talked and sent e-mails, but, once again, it didn't sound the same (as in Journey without Steve Perry, or Styx without Dennis DeYoung, etc., etc.). Let's hope the boys can set aside their differences, (unlike the Beach Boys) and make this reunion last.

-- John LaPuzza

Yikes!!! There's actually a Rascal named Bill Pascal?!?!?! 
Bill Pascal, The Rascal?!?! 
Are you kidding me?!?!? 
Hell, that's reason enough right there for the original band to get back together!!! 

Seriously, we, too, cannot wait to see them ... we never had the pleasure the first time around.  (And clearly we're not the only ones ... check out some of the other Rascals Reunion comments we received last week!)  

Check out this Rascals' Hit List: 

"I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" (#52, 1966); "Good Lovin'" (#1, 1966); "You Better Run" (#20, 1966); "Come On Up" (#43, 1966); "I've Been Lonely Too Long" (#15, 1967); "Groovin'" (#1, 1967); "A Girl Like You" (#5, 1967 ... and my personal favorite); "How Can I Be Sure" (#2, 1967); "It's Wonderful" (#12, 1968); "A Beautiful Morning" (#2, 1968); "People Got To Be Free" (#1, 1968); "A Ray Of Hope" (#12, 1969); "Heaven" (#14, 1969); "See" (#11, 1969); "Carry Me Back" (#10, 1969); "Hold On" (#27, 1970); "Glory Glory" (#38, 1970) and "Love Me" (#74, 1971).  

It just doesn't get any better than this! (And by the way, let me just say that it is SO cool to be able to incorporate the Record World peaks into our chart recaps now, thanks to Joel Whitburn's new "Hit Records" book, recapping the Music Vendor and Record World Pop Singles Charts, 1954 - 1982!!!) kk  

And, despite what you may have heard ... and despite the fact that the band has, in effect, now come full circle ... we need to state for the record that no, they are NOT coming back as "The Old Rascals" ... but that WOULD have been be kinda cool! (lol) kk    

A FULL BLOWN RASCALS REUNION WOULD BE A GAS! THEY TRIED THIS FIFTEEN OR TWENTY YEARS AGO, BUT WITHOUT EDDIE ... I SAW THAT TOUR AND TOOK SOME PIX, BUT NO ONE CAN SING "HOW CAN I BE SURE" LIKE EDDIE!! I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY THESE GROUPS CAN'T GET OVER THE HUMP WHILE THEY'RE STILL ALIVE!! LOOK AT THE MONKEES NOW FOR A PRIME CASE OF JUDGMENT. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WILL NOT BE A FULL BLOWN TOUR, BUT I HOPE THAT CHANGES. I ALSO HOPE TO SEE IT FOR MYSELF IF MY LIFE SCHEDULE ALLOWS FOR IT! A NEW ALBUM WOULD BE COOL, TOO! THERE'S NOT TOO MANY 60'S BANDS LEFT WITH ALL OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS STILL ALIVE (LET ALONE STILL ON TOP OF THEIR GAME), SO HAPPENSTANCES LIKE THIS ARE ALWAYS A GODSEND ... OUR NEW YORK BUDDY COUSIN BRUCIE MORROW HAS GOT TO BE OVER THE MOON RIGHT NOW, AND I KNOW TOMMY JAMES WILL BE EXCITED AS WELL. AND LET US NOT FORGET WHO'S MAINLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS: GOD BLESS LITTLE STEVEN!!!!

MICHAEL G. BUSH    

Kent ...

This brings back great vibes. "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" is a top five pick on my all time underrated rock song list. I hope they rip the cover off the ball. The Rascals never got the props they deserve.

Chet Coppock     

I actually saw The Rascals (without Eddie) I want to say back around 1988. On the bill were the Shadows Of Knight, Joey Dee, Ronnie Spector and maybe Steppenwolf. (The more I think about it, I could be melding two different shows. Maybe someone in FH saw it as well.)  I forget who filled in for Eddie, as there were four band members. I gotta say if the Rascals come to the St. Louis area, or perhaps Effingham, there's a place there that's booking these kind of acts, Peter Noone will be playing there in January. Anyways with my luck, they'll play some place local the weekend I'm in Chicago. Local for me is around a two hour drive. Maybe my ex-gf will win tix and she'll invite me up to them. I will keep my eyes open for news. I'd love to go. I can't think of a song of there's I really don't like.

Jack   

The four original Rascals is what I'm talking about. That'll be a show worth seeing and paying for an above average ticket to attend. BUT it must be all four originals in order to blow my dress up. Over 20 years ago when I lived in Tucson, Felix came through town with, I believe, just Gene, and not the other two fellas. I wasn't interested because Dino wasn't coming. Felix's cousin Vinnie was telling me he had gotten together with Felix and then went on to see the show. He recounted that the show was still very good.

My experience was getting to open for them 45 years ago when they were in their prime. They came to Tucson along with Eric Burdon and the Animals, and my group (Yellow Balloon) along with "The Spiders" (Alice Cooper), who opened the show.

We had all The Rascals songs down to memory and were glad as hell to be in the hall with them. If Dino is still half as good as he was back then, the show will still kick ass. Dino was a machine that you couldn't take your eyes off, 100% show. We were in a low-ceiling warehouse and with the stage and then the drum risers his head was two feet from the light fixtures. When his solo came he started playing a solo on the neon fixtures and anything in sight. I'll bet when he was a kid he'd take his sticks to church and beat shit out of the furniture.

The Rascals just stomped a mudhole in our town and were talked about for a long time afterwards. That is one of the groups that impressed me in all my travels. SO, if it's those same four dudes ... Felix, Eddie, Dino and Gene ... it is going to be on. Too bad they aren't coming out west ... I'd sure like to see that event again.

Alex Valdez

It's those four dudes ... and kick-ass is EXACTLY what it's going to be. The full tour itinerary hasn't been announced yet ... so don't be surprised if some west coast dates still pop up on the agenda. Thanks, Alex! (kk)    

By my calculations, we’ve waited longer for all four original Rascals to tour than we waited for Hell to Freeze over and the Eagles to get back together.

Thanks to the deep rooted passion of Little Steven, you know that this reunion is going to be special. The set list will be extensive and well rehearsed and for any fan attending the shows, there’ll be plenty of audio / visual extras / montages produced, so that anyone who is lucky enough to witness one of these shows, and isn’t fully aware of the Rascals story, will be fully informed by the time they leave the theatre.

I have my tickets for closing night (third concert) of the first stop on the tour, at the newly renovated Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. If the three dates there go well, the Rascals will be spreading some “Good Lovin’” around the USA!

-- Tom Cuddy

New York, NY

It DOES seem long overdue, doesn't it? Here's hoping they make their way to Chicago ... where The Rascals were VERY popular back in the day ... ten Top 20 Hits including the aforementioned "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore", which never made The National Top 40. (kk)   

Here's a fairly recent shot of Felix in concert during his most recent performance at New York's Westbury Music Fair. Exclusive Forgotten Hits photo by Tom Cuddy.

It seems only fitting that a figure like Steven Van Zandt could and would bring back such a pivotal and seminal group like The Rascals; I can't wait for it-it'll be epic for sure!  
David Salidor - dis COMPANY

 

Little Steven van Zandt announced on Sirius XM that he has finally secured a commitment from all four members of The Rascals to reunite for a series of shows to be held at the newly restored Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York, on December 13-14-15. Tickets went on sale on Friday morning, September 28th, for all three dates. The group did do a few songs at a benefit show a few years ago but have not done a formal concert in decades. The show promises to be a combination of a concert and a theatrical event with visuals as well as some theatric representation of the group’s story. And whatever is on the set list, is guaranteed to not disappoint. As you know, it’s a treasure trove of rockin’ soul music and no one did it better than the Rascals, both young and otherwise!

Lou Simon / Sirius XM

I loved their records right from the start and watched their 1966 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show with great interest. Their band configuration was so unusual insofar as they had no bass player yet somehow managed to get a full sound. The bass notes were covered by Felix Cavaliere on his Hammond B-3 organ using the pedals, a bit like Ray Manzarek did for The Doors using a separate bass keyboard atop his Vox electric piano.

Dino Desi & Billy had performed in Honolulu at both The Shell (like a mini Hollywood Bowl) and the HIC (Hawaii International Center) as the opening act for The Beach Boys in 1965 and 1967, respectively. I was in Oahu (Honolulu) for my 18th birthday when The Rascals were scheduled to play the HIC on July 5, 1969. I probably contacted my friend, Tom Moffatt (former K-POI disc jockey, promoter), to make arrangements for me to see their show. I had a great seat right in front of Gene Cornish's position on stage left. The group did not disappoint and did a wonderful show, full of energy and enthusiasm.

I don't recall exactly how it came about, but I ended up spending the next day with Eddie Brigati at a private house he had rented during their run at the HIC - the group was way too popular to be staying at any of the local hotels. I remember him showing me his collection of shells that he kept in a large steamer trunk that he was going to send back home. We and some of his friends went swimming in a nearby area, diving off a rock jetty and just having a good time. That's the last time I saw Eddie. However, I have had occasion to see Felix perform over the years as a solo act when our paths have crossed at various venues around the country while I have toured with Al Jardine of The Beach Boys. Felix is always so friendly and gracious whenever we meet and I never tire of hearing him perform. I spent a few days at the Rock Con Event in New Jersey in the summer of 2010, sitting near Gene's table where we both signed autographs for fans. On the other hand, I have never met Dino Danelli though I think he is a great drummer with a unique style and a familiar first name !

Their songs and recordings remain some of my favorites in the rock 'n' roll canon and Dino, Desi & Billy even recorded "Good Lovin''' on one of our albums - I insisted on it! I wish them great success with their reunion and hope they come to Vegas so I can tell them so in person."

Billy Hinsche

From Billy Hinsche's private archives ... Gene Cornish, May Pang and Billy Hinsche at Rock Con, August, 2010

TOMORROW IN FORGOTTEN HITS:
Another Forgotten Hits EXCLUSIVE ...  as we talk to Felix Cavaliere about the up-coming Rascals Reunion one-on-one.  (Sounds to me like things are not QUITE as far along as the media would have us believe!!!)
Meanwhile, we've already heard from several Forgotten Hits Readers who already have their tickets for the three New York shows.  
You won't want to miss this one!  Be sure to stop back tomorrow for our Felix Cavaliere Interview!