LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

By the time the Young Rascals had become the Rascals - down to keyboard guru Felix Cavaliere and Dino Danelli on drums for these two swansong albums in 1971-72 - they'd added Sly Stone-like depth and a "one from the heart" patina of soulfulness that Mick Jagger could approach only in his dreams. Equally important to Cavaliere's heartfelt vocals in this mature version of New York's Finest were the tasty, Steve Cropper-like stylings of guitar whiz Buzzy Feiten, augmented on both albums by a stellar cast of New York jazz luminaries: Joe Farrell on tenor sax, flute player Hubert Laws, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, keyboardist Alice Coltrane and Ron Carter on bass - all of whom helped the Rascals create an exotic pair of timeless classics that became to Soul and Jazz what the recordings of the Band were to Country and Americana