The Youngbloods – Jesse Colin Young (vocals/bass), Jerry Corbitt (guitar), Lowell Levenger aka “Banana” (guitar/keyboards) and Joe Bauer (drums) – were a band that emerged from New York City’s Greenwich Village folk scene. After a residency at the Cafe au Go Go they were signed by RCA Records.
They recorded “Get Together” on their self-titled debut album in 1967. Written by Chet Powers – aka Dino Valenti, singer for Quicksilver Messenger Service – the song had already been recorded as “Let’s Get Together” by The Kingston Trio in 1964 and the next year by the We Five, who released it as a single that reached #31 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Youngbloods issued the song as a single in 1967, and it peaked at #62.
Two years later, WABC AM DJ Dan Ingram used it as the background music in a promo for a brotherhood program; it was subsequently picked up by the National Conference of Christians and Jews and used in a PSA for a similar initiative.
From an ad that appeared in July 1969 in Record World: “Most young people into contemporary music today not only dig The Youngbloods, they respect them.”
As a result of the exposure, “Get Together” was reissued as a single and became a #5 hit. It went on to sell a million copies and was awarded its gold certification on October 7, 1969. It is also a signature song of the 1960s counterculture.
If you’re a new reader of ours, we’d be grateful if you would Like our Facebook page and/or bookmark our Home page.
Jesse Colin Young had a string of successful solo albums, releasing one each year for most of the ’70s.
Related: Our 2019 interview with Jesse Colin Young
2 Comments
The Airplane recorded a fairly tame version on “Takes Off”. I don’t recall hearing “Get Together” on radio ads back in the late 60s.
I DO remember Spanky and Our Gang’s “Give a Damn”. Maybe because “damn” was still a strong word on the airwaves back then.
I thought HP Lovecraft did the best cover version of this.