OHIO EXPRESS

BEG, BORROW AND STEAL (Cameo 20000 - Stereo CS 20000) 1968

SIDE 1
Beg, Borrow And Steal (2:54) (J. Day - L. Zerato) *
And It's True (1:45) (R. Sepulveda)
Had To Be Me (2:10) (J. Pfahler)
Let Go (2:18) (J. Katz - J. Kasenetz - D. Kastran)
Soul Struttin' (2:59) (Tony Orlando - Marty Thau)
Try It (2:40) (J. Levine - M. Bellack)
SIDE 2
I Know We'll Be Together (2:09) (J. Pfahler)
I Find I Think Of You (2:10) (J. Walsh)
Stop Take A Look Around (2:50) (E. Chiprut - J. Katz - J. Kasenetz)
Hard Times (2:41) (J. Pfahler)
It's Too Groovy (2:52) (T. Corwin)

Produced By Jeffery Katz And Jerry Kasenetz
Except * By Sylvester Bradford

REVIEW:

As the sound of a train arriving at the station blasts from the speakers, The Ohio Express "begs" us to take a musical ride with them. No need to consult a map my dear fellow travelers, because we'll be all over the place. Along the way they will "borrow" from a number of groups and even "steal" a few ideas. The question is: do you want a return ticket on this train or is this a straight line to No-Hitville?

In the grand scheme of The Ohio Express, Beg Borrow & Steal represents the first and second incarnation of the group. Number one is the remains of The Rare Breed (a different group altogether) and the second is the Ohio bar-band reportedly calling themselves Sir Timothy and the Royals that were renamed The Ohio Express by The Super K production team of Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffrey Katz working out of New York City. The third edition shows up on album two when professional musicians -- and Joey Levine as singer and songwriter -- are added.

So, on this first LP we are offered a mixed bag of garage and pop music, with a bit of Bubblegum and other silliness hastily thrown in. Let me address version one first. Beg, Borrow And Steal and Try It are Rare Breed songs and performances recorded in mid-1966 for Katz and Kasenetz's Attack label. The songs act as a springboard for this first album and were simply repackaged as Ohio Express songs. Unfortunately, a Louie Louie riff-off keeps Beg, Borrow And Steal from becoming a NUGGETS -style classic although the lyrics and melody could easily work on their own. Try It is known for being banned for sexually charged lyrics but it's not a very memorable song. That The Rare Breed dissolved and disappeared is no great loss judging from these two songs. The two Bubblegum-like songs, Soul Struttin' and It's Too Groovy, are fun and gummy throwaways and are the proto-typical Super K production team B-side. Groovy is a Monkee's Headquarters -era reject and Soul Struttin' is given the white-man-soul-treatment by The Express. The 1910 Fruitgum Co. later gave the song a straight-ahead pop reading. Both versions work so well that you can forgive the fact that such a hip song was actually written by Tony Orlando.

That leaves six songs that represent the original bar-band group that would later hit the road and attempt to reproduce the sound made by others. Their style, which peaks in the second album, is still a bit all-over-the-place with garage, psychedelic and pop mixed together with fairly pedestrian playing and singing. But somehow it works. I find their songs and style highly appealing. The songs grow on me more every time I hear them and sometimes, late at night, I think of what we may have missed if they only had the chance to develop on their own. Well, the first such song, And It's True, is a bit schmaltzy and is reminiscent of the Gerry & The Pacemaker's hit Ferry 'Cross The Mersey but it's a real gem. It's Brill Building simplicity makes it a candidate for a modern remake a la Pulp Fiction's Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon by Urge Overkill. Had To Be Me echoes The Turtles and only really suffers from uninspired producing. Again, a remake would be in order with a Power Pop or New Wave treatment. Let Go is another uptempo number as is I Know We'll Be Together . Both try to blend left-coast sensibilities with Liverpudlian stylings. Neither work very well, but are still pleasant enough. I Find I Think Of You is a bookend for And It's True adding more than a fair share of a Gary Lewis & The Playboys influence especially in the lead vocals (by the way, trying to determine who sings which song is a pointless exercise with The Ohio Express -- only those involved know for sure and they're sure not stepping forward to admit anything!). Stop Take A Look Around mixes The Hollies, Mama's & Papa's, and Gary Lewis in an obvious attempt to write a hit song. In trying too hard it fails and thus seals the fate for this core group. If they could have written and performed their own hit, they may have been able to break free from the fate that would soon await them. The last bar-band Express song is Hard Times which is played loose and chugs along like a . . . well, like a train. Anyway, a fun song in the mold of the Monkees.

Altogether, the album is a classic that sounds better after each listen. It would be great to have this on CD. Buddah can put two Ohio Express albums on one CD and have plenty of room left over for B-Sides, jams, and alternate-takes (ha!). This is a hard album to find -- even harder to find in good shape. Bug Buddah (the record company, silly) and tell them you'll buy 10 copies if they release this gem.

The album ends with a train leaving the station and, in many ways, The Ohio Express's itinerary had already been determined and their musical ticket had already been punched with the release of their second album simply called, Ohio Express.- Andrew Bergey

 

VISITER REVIEWS:

Don't come-a knockin' when the Ohio Express are rockin'! I caught Andy diggin' Try It after writing his review, so it shows how fickle he is (not to be confused with that incident where he showed his pickle!). Probably because it sounds so much like his precious Paul Revere & The Raiders. I'm Too Groovy For You predates Paul & John's (The Beatles, I believe) attempts at humour with Why Don't We Do It In The Road, What's The New Mary Jane?, and You Know My Name (Look Up The Number). And that's where the comparisons stop! Anyway, I'll cover And It's True before Andy 'cause all he does is add more wads of gummy goo to that site of his when he should be out rockin'! - Congolium Farquar

 

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