Customer Reviews

Get Together: The Essential Youngbloods

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I am always leery of remastered recordings of old classics. Sometimes, things really get screwed up and all of the life gets sucked out of the songs (witness Beatles 1 or the new Yellow Submarine album). I am happy to report that this is not one of those occasions.

I am with the previous reviewer from Australia when I say that this compilation thankfully includes some of the best songs from the Youngbloods' best album, their debut. Although I still have my old vinyl Elephant Mountain album, I only really enjoy about a third of the songs on it, preferring the earlier stuff instead. So, get this album if you like the Youngbloods.

I would also like to just make one comment that speaks to today's jaded society: The Youngbloods' most recognized song, "Get Together," seems to have long been written off by a lot of people as being a sappy hippy anthem. It was even given a very torturous, sarcastic reading (at least for a few seconds) on Nirvana's "Nevermind" album. Yet, far from being just a hippy anthem, the song speaks universal truths. The message of the song will never be untrue, and should not go "out of fashion." Indeed, we are all divine beings and our lives here are but cosmic blinks. (Some will come and some will go/We shall surely pass/When the one that left us here/Returns for us at last/We are but a moment's sunlight/Fading in the grass.) And we all have the power to either create something positive here for others in this lifetime, or to create pain and fear for others. (You hold the key to love and fear/All in your trembling hand/Just one key unlocks them both/It's there at your command).

Which will you unlock?

A real fan of the Youngbloods will have CDs of their individual albums (plus the subsequent Jesse Colin Young solo albums of the mid-70s). For the less fanatical (or to have a compendium for the car), this is an excellent choice and the remastering makes it musically superior to the individual CD/albums.

The CD contains what are, arguably, the group's best recordings: "Get Together", "Darkness, Darkness", "Ride the Wind" and "All My Dreams Blue", as well as enjoyable recordings like "Sunlight" and "Sugar Babe" that were part of J.C. Young's touring repertoire for many years and a Youngbloods version of his first recording "Four in the Morning". Also here is great recording of Fred Neil's "Reason to Believe" which used to be a standard among singer-songwriter type performers. The Youngbloods' music (and Young's subsequent solo work) was largely folk based, but incorporated rock, jazz, country, jug band, Brazilian, and blues influences. Listening to this reminds how much effort there was to experiment and synthesize different musical forms in the late 60s and and early 70s and how absent that is from the current, over-specialized music scene. Other than some contemporary jazz artists like Matt Jorgensen, it's difficult to think of people who really try to explore and blend different musical genres these days. The Youngbloods do a great job with others' songs, like the popular "Get Together". Their own compositions are stronger in terms of melody than lyrics. Overall, this is an enjoyable album and the remastering gives it new richness even for old fans.

The Youngbloods' version of "Get Together" was one of the very greatest singles from the 1960's. Thirty-seven years later, time stands still when those four minutes are played.

And the rest of this compilation is excellent. Jesse Colin Young and Jerry Corbitt's voices complemented each other perfectly, almost clairavoyantly; Banana was one of the 60's most versatile musicians; and Joe Bauer was the great overlooked drummer of the era.

Highly, highly recommended.

The Youngbloods were one of the best bands of the '60s. Their mix of folk, rock, and the blues were only rivaled by The Lovin' Spoonful. Jesse, Jerry, Banana, and Joe produced some of the best music of the era, "Get Together", "Grizzly Bear", "Sugar Babe", and "The Wine Song" for example. However, I would buy this recording if the only good song on it was "Darkness, Darkness", one of the greatest songs ever recorded in my opinion. This is a fantastic collection of The Youngbloods best. Get it for your soul.

What an amazingly versatile group! I'm a boomer and never purchased a Youngbloods LP in their heyday. This collection is a wonderful introduction to their most memorable tunes. After my initial listening to the CD (yesterday when I received it), I would like some other pop groups to step up to the plate and own up to their roots! These groups must surely have listened to the early Youngbloods' music and been heavily influenced by it. The groups in the dock include The Electric Light Orchestra, The Lovin' Spoonful (although I understand John Sebastian was present in some of the early Youngbood sessions), Big Brother and the Holding Co., Steeley Dan, The Byrds ("Sugarbabe" pre-dates the "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" album by a year or more!), and America (they recorded a full three years later!). My favourites on this CD are the unforgettable melodies of "Foolin' Around", "All Over the World", "Sugar Babe", "Beautiful", and "Sunlight". If you listen carefully to these alone, you can see where the groups listed above got some of their ideas. The Youngbloods' music was uplifting and extremely contagious. I hope their music will get more airplay by movie producers discovering their work for possible inclusion in their films.

Ah...Elephant Mountain and Darkness Darkness...Ahhhhh... (Sigh) Need I say anymore?...Enjoy... Trip on... Be easy on each other... recall... dream...

No collection of 1960's rock music is complete without this essential Youngbloods recording. I saw them perform at a rock festival in 1969 and will always remember the wonderful feeling their music caused.

This an excellent cd revealing the true nature of this 60's band. There are some obscure tracks that deserve to be heard. "Dreamers Dream" and "All My Dreams Blue" are from the rare "Earth Music " album and are quite good. These songs are extremely under rated in my opinion. The Blend of the great keyboard work of "Banana" and the easy harmonies of Jessie Colin Young and Jerry Corbit are great listening. There is a version of Tim Hardin's "Reason to Believe" which was a preamble to all the following covers of this standard. I consider it possibly the best of the covers. For a treat, seperate the tracks with your balance button on "Sugar Babe". It is really great separation often done during that time frame. You'll probably do it again and again. Finally the 1967 cover of "Get Together" the iconic tune of the generation of flower children should be considered the best of all the covers. It gives them ownership of the song in my opinion and the kids that were tuned into this era would give them the trophy for presenting their biggest hit in the perfect expression of that moment.Although it was released in 1967 it spread its wings for two years into 1969 when it charted as a single to #5 on Billboard. This is a must cd for the 60's fans.

I really enjoyed the music - brought back memories of the 60's music I like. Great CD!

"Get Together" an all time classic "Youngbloods" song a killer flower power anthem. Although their next single did very little, but what an amazing song too it still chills me "Darkness Darkness" brilliant stuff.