This particular album has been on my list for a little while now, and I’m glad to finally give it a listen. The Rationals were a garage rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan that started in 1964 and had a fair amount of local success, having a single reach #92 on the Billboard Hot 100. This particular album seems to be more of a compilation record of singles from their time, as the only really had one full length record released in 1970, which is the year they split apart. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Irrational” starts out with some pretty gentle, nearly galloping garage rock bass and rhythm guitar. Holy smokes, the tone from the lead guitar is awesome. This tune sounds like a bit of a 12 bar blues tune, with the lead guitar swishing together the movements from the rhythm section. The drums have a really nice steady beat, which continually picks up tempo throughout the tune, giving the soundscape a pretty dynamic sound. Oh wow, I really dig the guitar work in this one. Holy smokes, the tune drops back into that sort of gently galloping melody from the beginning in a really nice way. Great tune.
“Wayfaring Stranger” starts out with some tremelo guitar, which nearly sounds like a bit of a sort of psychedelic desperado sort of cowboy type of tune. It’s almost like a lonesome drive through some Nevada desert at first. Oh wow, this tune changes up really sweet – taking nearly a bit of surf rock, nearly poppier approach compared to the tune at the beginning. I really dig it. Really sweet tune.
“Strawberry Jam” starts out with some really sweet guitar chords that really drops a really sweet framework that the drums and bass pick up on nicely. The lead guitar gets going with a blues based garage rock jam with the band, and it’s pretty sweet. Really nice tune.
“Look What You’re Doing (To Me Baby) [Alternate Mix]” starts out with some really sweet chords that sort of gently start swishing the soundscape around. Holy smokes, the first vocals from the album come on super strong and with immense flavor. I really dig the vocal performance in this one – it sounds influenced by the British invasion of the time. Holy smokes, this tune is awesome. The tambourine really creates a great and reliable rhythmic sensation in the track. Great tune.
“Someday” starts out with some really swishy and swirly guitar chords that seem to jangle around in the background, while the vocals come on with a strong performance with tons of great garage rock energy. Oh wow, this tune almost sounds like it has a bit of a bluegrass sounding jam in the instrumentation for a second with the quick picking of the guitar, before returning to that super sweet garage rock sound. Really sweet tune.
“Be My Girl” starts out with some really pleasant guitar moving around in the background, which the vocals and rhythm section slowly build on to break through to a really sweet proclamatory jam of sorts. I really dig the quick lead guitar work, especially in combination with the very dynamic drums in this one. Wow, this tune has really changed a lot – really sweet tune.
“Gave My Love (Alternate Mix)” has some great flavor to it right away, and sounds pretty epic in terms of what the band is building on in the sound. It sort of reminds me of a similar sound to “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals, though this tune seems to have a slightly more optimistic feel. Wow, I really dig the groovy and patient sound in the instrumentation of this tune. Really sweet.
“Feelin’ Lost (Backing Track, Take 5)” starts out with some super sweet acoustic guitar that gives this tune a pretty different sound to it almost immediately, with the percussive strumming working alongside the drum track quite nicely. I really dig the rhythm guitar work alongside the bass guitar too – it almost has a sort of ‘L.A. strangeness’ to it, which is sort of like if The Doors were a surf rock band. Really sweet tune.
“I Want to Walk With You” starts out with some really nice electric guitar chords that bring the other instruments into the tune nicely. There’s a bit of jangle in the guitar in this one in the background alongside the drums, which really brings an almost gliding nature to the instrumentation while the vocals drive the song forward. Really nice tune.
A garage rock staple, originally by Van Morrison and Them, “Gloria” starts with that unmistakeable bass line and incredibly high energy from the band. I really dig this tune in general, and The Rationals bring a lot of really great flavor to this tune and change things up a bit, nearly getting a bit dissonant at times between some off-key sounding and some vocals that are slightly offset, only for everything to come back around and have a super flavorful feel as the band brings things back around. Great cover of a great tune.
“I Need You (Take 4)” is a cover of The Kinks tune of the same name, and has an almost mysterious sound in the vocal performance and super tasty and crunchy guitar that moves around between those strong drum strikes that drive the tune forward really nicely. Oh wow, this tune drops into a really quick and sweet guitar solo for a moment. I really dig the bass line in this tune; it moves the song along quite nicely. Really sweet cover.
“Little Girls Cry (Take 1)” has some super sweet sliding (bass?) chords at the beginning until some distorted guitar chords come on and nearly rattle the tune around with its sweet and crunchy distortion alongside the drums. Oh wow, this bluesy garage rock guitar is super tasty. Really sweet tune.
“Medley: Smokestack Lightning / Inside Looking Out” starts out with a low and mellow bass line to get things going. Holy smokes(tack lightning), this harmonica that comes on strong is absolutely awesome. The heavy kick drums almost sound like there’s mud inside the drums – absolutely raw and awesome. This blues medley is absolutely awesome. Oh wow, this jam really gets out there with some insanely tasty and shredding bluesy garage rock guitar, with the harmonica coming in to provide great accentuations. The bass guitar keeps the tune grooving along with a really evolving bass line, with the drums really driving the tune along super tastily. Oh wow, the band really resolves nicely to some sort of melody near the end of the tune before jamming and shredding to somewhat of a musical crescendo of a train that shows no signs of stopping. Oh wow, there are some really sweet moog synth sounds near the end too. Absolutely epic jam to end the album with.
Wow, this is a really awesome album. The band brings a lot of unique ideas and dynamic songs to the table in this one, seemingly dipping their toes in psychedelia influenced sounds, diving into massive blues jams, and at times served with a slight tinge of surf rock at times to come together for a really sweet garage rock album. If you dig the garage rock genre, this is an album you might get a lot of enjoyment from. If you do decide to give this one a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A