The Youngbloods - The Youngbloods (1967)

The Youngbloods were an American folk-rock group originally formed in the 60s by frontman Jesse Colin Young.
 

Jesse Colin Young was already an established folk singer in New York City, with two LPs under his belt, when he met multi-instrumentalist and former bluegrass musician Jerry Corbitt and formed The Youngbloods (named after one of Young's solo albums). Originally a duo, they soon expanded into an electric rock band, with the lineup of Young (bass/vocals), Corbitt (lead guitar/harmonica/vocals) Lowell Levinger (guitar/piano) and Joe Bauer (drums). 
Released in 1967 on RCA Records, their debut album was heavy on cover material, including numbers by singer-songwriters Fred Neil, Dino Valenti, Paul Arnoldi and George Remailly, plus several well-known blues songs. There were only four originals, two by Young and two by Corbitt (including Corbitt's jug-band styled "Grizzly Bear", which had moderate successs as a single). Their roots in folk and blues were very much evident at this point, but their sound also had similarities with many of the west-coast psychedelic bands of the time. Indeed both Neil's "The Other Side Of This Life" and Valenti's "Get Together" were also covered by Jefferson Airplane. Also of note was Levinger's use of the Wurlitzer electric piano, which was quite unique for a rock band of their time. 
Released as the second single, "Get Together" didn't originally sell well, but was re-released two years later and reached the top five, subsequently becoming a counter-culture anthem.

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