The Rascals

An excellent compilation of the latter years of the Rascals, after the major hits, this collection includes half of the See album, and choice cuts from the three albums that followed. Although this set chronicles a period of commercial decline in the group's career, there was still a lot of fine music being made. "See" is the hardest-rocking track the band recorded after its early "Good Lovin" days, and the soulfulness of cuts like "Temptation's 'Bout to Get Me" and "I'd Like to Take You Home" is unsurpassed. There's a lot of gospel influence here as well, with "Carry Me Back" and "Glory Glory" sounding straight out of the sanctified church. "Love Me" is pure funk, and "Nubia" is a beautiful piece of atmospheric mellow jazz highlighted by Hubert Laws' flute. The only complaint with this set is that there are only two tracks from the ambitious double-album Peaceful World, and one from the band's finale Island of Real. ~ Jim Newsom, All Music Guide