Ultimate Rascals, The

Overall a good representation of the Rascals hits. But some of the sound mixes used were not the best.

Includes all their popular songs

Great songs from a band that didn’t get the recognition they deserved. Twenty of the Rascals catalogue.

Excellent compendium of vintage Rascals tunes. Reasonably priced.

Its got the hits I wanted,but not crazy about a few of the others

It was 1966, I was 18 and "there" when the Rascals happened. I still have the original Young Rascals first 2 vinyl LPs I bought back in the day. So, as some others have said, if you want as close as you can get to the original released material, this CD is it. I have another CD with the Rascals hits on it and it is not as well mastered nor is it as complete as this.To go further, The Young Rascals were among the first 2 dozen or so LPS I purchased in a very long and continuing musical listener interest. I am and always have been, the kind of guy who bought plastic liners for my LPs and cleaned them each time with a Disc Washer and played the record with a continuously cleaning Dust Bug that tracked the record as it played. So my LPs are still in about as excellent shape as when I purchased them. So when I say, this CD is a great and well balanced representation of the original recordings; I think you can see why. Warner Special Products has done a remarkable job of remastering these recordings. That said, they still have all the characteristics of the way they were made at that time. In that time period, stereo was still fairly new and there was often a great separation of the left and right channel program material. Once you understand that, you will then appreciate that these recordings are preserved in what the producer intended for this time period. Almost all the songs on this CD are very clean, detailed, and nuanced. Their is some subtle guitar amplifier noise on some cuts, but it accurately portrays what the band sounded like and adds to the realism.What is actually interesting is that, while I am not usually a fan of modern day DSP (Digital Sound Processing) in many of today's AV or audio receivers, I find that the Music Mode on my Boston AVR-7120 actually does an amazing job of preserving two channel separation while creating a very pleasing sound stage and depth to the tracks on this CD. Vocals come through more detailed and present and the band instruments blend together creating great imaging of the performance. Remember, these were studio recordings of the day and not representative of a live band performance for the most part. I heard the Rascals live twice and the Music Mode on my receiver recreates more of the "presence" of a live performance. Again, I am not usually a fan of DSP, but in this case, it works very well. I can hear the purists cringing, but damn the torpedoes this time . . . I like what I am hearing!Summary? Buy this CD if you are a Rascal fan and buy this CD especially if you have a newly acquired interest in the genre of music this great band produced. When I listen to this CD. . . I am 18 all over again!

If you are a child of the greatest era in music, you know this is full of great songs. There are some "hits" I don't remember, but most I do. Great music from my teenage years.

America's greatest rock 'n' soul band of the Sixties (just possibly the best ever!), The Rascals infamously imploded by 1970 and sadly missed out on the '70s Rock revolution. Inter-band member squabbles, a move from their comfortable five-year home with Atlantic Records to a more faceless future at Columbia, the loss of two key members (Eddie Brigati and Gene Cornish) as the band (basically Felix Cavaliere, Dino Danelli, and a rotating cast of musical friends) shifted to a jazzier, funkier sound, and unresolved business and managerial issues, all combined to derail The Rascals as the hit-making machine we all know, love, and remember. "The Ultimate Rascals" plays like "Time/Peace" (their classic 1968 number one greatest hits LP) on steroids. Twenty memorable tracks of '60s gold on one disc, "The Ultimate" covers all their hit singles, plus; from their 1965 debut, I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore, through to their final Top 40 hit, 1969's Carry Me Back, it's a rockin' good ride. It would be nice to have these classics (Good Lovin', Groovin', How Can I Be Sure, A Girl Like You, A Beautiful Morning, People Got To Be Free, etc.) remixed and remastered, yes. But even as is (and the sound isn't bad, it could just be so much better a listening experience if cleaned up) this is proof positive as to why The Rascals are justifiably Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame members. Highly recommended!

Brings back great memories.

Brought back these great sounds from yesteryear.

Great songs more hits than I realize

lots of old tunes to turn back the hands of time. I would reccommend this to anyone from that era

All the best of this group on a great sounding album