The Rationals
Encyclopedia
History
The Rationals formed in 1964 and first recorded a single for a local label, A2 Records, in 1965. After scoring a local hit with the tune "Gave My Love", they recorded a cover of Otis ReddingOtis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
's "Respect
Respect (song)
"Respect" is a song written and originally released by Stax recording artist Otis Redding in 1965. "Respect" became a 1967 hit and signature song for R&B singer Aretha Franklin. The music in the two versions is significantly different, and through a few minor changes in the lyrics, the stories told...
". This won them a contract for national distribution by Cameo
Cameo Records
Cameo was a USA based budget record label, first flourishing in the 1920s, not connected with a later record label of the same name which was active in the 1950s and 1960s.The Cameo Record Company was based in Manhattan, New York...
/Parkway, and the single ended up reaching #92 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Unfortunately, the record didn't break everywhere in the U.S. at the same time, so it had a tough time making a decent showing on the national charts. Several further singles, including "I Need You" and "Hold On Baby", were successes in Michigan but didn't catch on nationally. Lead singer Scott Morgan
Scott Morgan
Scott Morgan is an American rock & roll and soul musician, most known for his work with the Sonic's Rendezvous Band, the Rationals, The Solution as well as his solowork.-The Rationals:Morgan's first band was The Rationals...
was asked to join Blood Sweat and Tears, but he declined the offer. The group's only full-length, a self-titled effort, arrived on Crewe Records at the beginning of 1970, and the group split up soon after; Morgan went on to play with several other Detroit-area groups over the next three decades, including Sonic's Rendezvous Band
Sonic's Rendezvous Band
Sonic's Rendezvous Band was a rock and roll band from Ann Arbor, Michigan in the 1970s, featuring veterans of the 1960s Detroit rock scene.- Background :Sonic's Rendezvous Band came from the ashes of four Michigan rock bands:...
(with Fred Smith
Fred Smith
-In literature:*Frederick Smith, 3rd Earl of Birkenhead , British peer and author*Frederick E. Smith , British author*Frederick M. Smith , American religious leader and author-In medicine:*Frederick W...
of MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
) and several of his own bands.
The lyrics of Iggy Pop's track "Get Up And Get Out" from his 1980 album "Soldier" are mostly lifted from the band's 1967 single "Leavin' Here," which was included on Goldenlane Records' 2009 compilation, "60s Garage Nuggets."
In 1995, John Sinclair
John Sinclair (poet)
John Sinclair is a Detroit poet, one-time manager of the band MC5, and leader of the White Panther Party — a militantly anti-racist countercultural group of white socialists seeking to assist the Black Panthers in the Civil Rights movement — from November 1968 to July 1969...
released a live recording of a 1968 Rationals benefit concert entitled Temptation 'bout to Get Me. Sinclair also named his book Guitar Army after the Rationals song of the same name.
The band's cover of Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
's co-written I Need You was also featured on the compilation Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968.http://www.therationals.com/discography.html
The Big Beat
Big Beat Records (Ace subsidiary)
Big Beat Records is a British record label and import distributor owned by Ace Records, specialising in garage rock.-Roster:Releases include:*Big Star*Dean Carter*The Chocolate Watchband*Count Five*The Cramps*The Flaming Stars*Frumious Bandersnatch...
record label released “Think Rational!,” a two-CD anthology of the mid-1960s phase of the Rationals’ career, in July 2009.
Members
- Steve Correll - lead guitar, vocals
- Bill Figg - drums
- Scott Morgan - guitar, vocals
- Terry Trabandt - bass, vocals
Discography
Albums- The Rationals, 1970
- Temptation 'bout to Get Me, 1995
- Think Rational!, 2009
Singles
| Release Date | Title | US Release | Billboard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | "Look What You've Done"/"Gave My Love" | A² 101 | |
| 1966 | "Feelin' Lost"/"Little Girls Cry" | A² 103 | |
| 1966 | "Respect"/"Leavin' Here Leaving Here "Leaving Here" is a song written in 1963 by Motown songwriters Holland–Dozier–Holland. Written at the beginning of the partnership, it is notable in several recordings... " [Version 1] |
A² 104 | |
| 1966 | "Respect"/"Feelin' Lost" | Cameo 437 | |
| 1967 | "Hold On Baby"/"Sing" | A² 105 | |
| 1967 | "Hold On Baby"/"Sing" | Cameo 455 | |
| 1967 | "I Need You Set Me Free (The Kinks song) "Set Me Free" is a song by Ray Davies, released first by The Kinks in 1965. Along with "Tired of Waiting for You", it is one of band's first attempts at a softer, more introspective sound... "/"Get The Picture" |
A² 402 'B'-side by SRC SRC (band) The SRC was a Detroit-based rock band from the late 1960s. From 1966 to 1972, they were a staple at many Detroit rock venues, such as the Grande Ballroom.-The early years:... |
|
| 1967 | "Turn On"/"Irrational" | Danby's 125850/1 Danby's Men's Shops promotional copy |
|
| 1967 | "Leavin' Here" [Version 2]/"Not Like It Is" | A² 106 | |
| 1967 | "Leavin' Here" [Version 2]/"Not Like It Is" | Cameo 481 | |
| 1967 | "Leavin' Here" [Version 2]/"Leavin' Here" [Version 2] | Cameo 481 DJ copy |
|
| 1968 | "I Need You"/"Out In The Streets" | A² 107 | |
| 1968 | "I Need You"/"Out In The Streets" | Cameo 2124 | |
| 1969 | "Guitar Army"/"Sunset" | Genesis No. 1 | |
| 1969 | "Handbags And Gladrags"/"Guitar Army" | Crewe 340 | |
| 1969 | "Handbags And Gladrags"/"Handbags And Gladrags" | Crewe 340 promotional copy |