Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Rare Breed - "Beg, Borrow and Steal" (Attack)


This one is easily one of my all-time favorites. It's a solid sonic popper with a heavy garage edge and plenty of attitude. "I'd rather beg, borrow and steal than go back to you" sums it all up quite nicely. But there is a bit of confusion related to this. You see, it's the same recording as by another more famous name. Allow me to explain.

The record was produced by Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz, the production team behind many a bubblegum classic. It was first released on the Attack label in 1966 and was recorded by a group of 16 and 17 year olds. When this didn't originally hit, Kasenetz and Katz took it to Cameo-Parkway and re-released it under a new name: The Ohio Express. The record then blasted off to #29 in October of 1967. They followed it up with their version of The Standells' "Try It" and only made it to #83. But the next time the name "Ohio Express" appeared, it was on the newly-formed Buddah label and the song would become a smash: "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy." And the rest, as it's often said, is history.

In addition to the Ohio Express, Kasenetz and Katz would also score big with the 1910 Fruitgum Company and The Music Explosion and would leave behind a legacy of highly dancable rock 'n' roll records in the face of the hippie steamroller. As for The Rare Breed, their name would appear one more time on a second single for Attack, "Come and Take a Ride In My Boat." After that, nada.

So if you were confused by this record either being by The Rare Breed or The Ohio Express, now you know the story. Now, let's crank this one up.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Killer track. W.

Anonymous said...

yeah ou yeah

Anonymous said...

As far as I'm concerned, anytime I hear this on a oldies station credited to "Ohio Express," I;ll call the jock up and correct him. Ohio Express did bubblegum. This sure as hell ain't bubblegum!

Anonymous said...

I DON'T KNOW HOW OLD YOU GUYS ARE BUT I RECALL THIS SONG. AND IF IT'S NOT BUBBLEGUM MUSIC THEN IT'S WHAT I WOULD CALL TEENY BOPPER MUSIC. IT ISN'T GARAGE SOUNDING TO ME, NOT WITH JEFF KATZ PRODUCING. THIS HAS THE CATCHY COMMERCIAL APPEAL WITH THAT CLASSIC HOOK. I'D RATHER BEG , BEG BORROW AND STEAL THAN GO BACK TO YOU. IR ISN'T IN THE SAME LEAGUE AS "PUSHIN TOO HARD", DIRTY WATER, PSYCHOTIC REACTION, OR YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME(13 FLOOR ELEVATORS)

Anonymous said...

It's not Bubblegum. It's more in a pop/rock class like Time Won't Let Me by the Outsiders, or I'm A Fool by Dino Desi & Billy.