The Rascals (a.k.a. the Young Rascals) were paragons of "blue-eyed soul"—that is, soul and R&B music by white performers. Other well-known purveyors include the Righteous Brothers, Steve Winwood, Van Morrison and Joe Cocker. However, no one among them had more commercial clout in the Sixties than the Rascals. The group built its sound around Felix Cavaliere's Hammond B-3 organ and the soulful lead vocals of Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati. In Cavaliere's words, "Marvin Gaye's voice, Ray Charles' piano, Jimmy Smith's organ, Phil Spector's production and the Beatles' writing—put them all together and you've got what I wanted to do." The Rascals were masters of the three-minute single: sustained bursts of energized pop-soul made to be blasted over transistor radios or danced to at parties and discotheques. Three of the four members had played in Joey Dee and the Starliters (of "Peppermint Twist" fame), and all could legitimately claim backgrounds in R&B.
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