See

Performer: The Rascals
Engineer: Adrian Barber; Don Casale; Barry Goldberg
Producer: The Rascals; Arif Mardin
Distributor: Infinity Entertainment Gr

Notes: The Rascals: Dino Danelli, Eddie Brigati, Felix Cavaliere, Gene Cornish. Additional personnel: Hubert Laws (flute); Danny Labbate (soprano saxophone); Joe Bushkin (piano); Ron Carter (upright bass); Chuck Rainey (bass guitar). Liner Note Author: Richie Unterberger. Scaling back from their musically adventurous tomes Once Upon a Dream and Freedom Suite, the Rascals closed out the 1960s by narrowing their focus to what they did best: writing tough, tight, soul-rock tunes (and a few others). Whereas co-lead vocalist Eddie Brigati had been the songwriting partner of organist/vocalist Felix Cavaliere throughout the band's tenure to that point, and especially from Groovin' through Freedom Suite, his role in the band had been reduced here to being a harmony vocalist with only a single co-write on the session. Cavaliere wrote the lion's share of the tunes with a couple from guitarist Gene Cornish and a cover. That's not to say the music here is without merit -- from the opening two cuts, the title track with its pile-driving rhythm and B-3 bashing to the sweet, soul-rock of "I'd Like to Take You Home" -- this is evident. But whoever told these cats they could sing country, as they attempt on Cornish's "Remember Me," in which Cavaliere sounds like warmed over Mike Nesmith, is anybody's guess. "I'm Blue," co-written by Brigati, holds its soul-blues groove deep in the pocket. Ray Charles' inspiration comes to the fore here and it works like a charm. The musical adventure of East Meets Western groove is dropped in the center of "Stop and Think," and the cover of "Temptation's Bout to Get Me," carries the blue-eyed soul groove to the pinnacle. Likewise, "Real Thing" captures the euphoric Rascals' chorus line soul at its best. The set closes with a screamer in "Hold On," with a raw, rowdy, soul, garage-band rip. With Arif Mardin enlisted as co-producer, the band also relied on the session musician talents of Ron Carter and Chuck Rainey on bass, as well as flutist Hubert Laws to round out the picture. But, while See sounded more like an updated version of the Rascals of old, the consistency of attack wasn't there and there are several simply dodgy cuts, making the album -- as an album -- a disappointment. ~ Thom Jurek

The kings of blue-eyed New Yawk soul, The Rascals (n� The Young Rascals) were veterans of local bar bands when they got signed by Atlantic in 1965 and scored the raucous #1 shouter "Good Lovin'." They eventually moved beyond their R&B roots to a more produced pop sound, and scored six Top Ten hits ranging from the dreamy "Groovin'" to the funky message song "People Got to Be Free," to the sublime elegance of "How Can I Be Sure," before disbanding in 1971.

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