The Ohio Express and/or The Rare Breed.......HUH?!?!?!

Can someone fill me in on one of the big music mysteries that I have always pondered.

Point #1: The Ohio Express, on Cameo/Parkway Records, had a FANTASTIC mid 60's garage band classic with "Beg Borrow & Steal".

Point #2: The Ohio Express, on Buddah Records, had some of the biggest pieces of fluff ever to hit the charts.

Point #3: The Rare Breed, on a Varese CD, are credited to the same exact recording that shows up on the above mentioned Cameo/Parkway 45.

How does this all connect?

 

This paragraph gives the explanation:

In the grand scheme of The Ohio Express, Beg Borrow & Steal (the LP) 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.

Basically, the Ohio Express were a fictitious group, the name being used for a number of different recordings. Both Graham Gouldman and John Carter (Ivy League etc) for instance, had songs out under the name Ohio Express as well.

I believe that Rare Breed had the record in 1966, Ohio Express in 1967/68. So they just reused the recording. Hey, why not?

The act known as Ohio Express had some great records. Yes, some fluff but what bubblegum isn't fluff? Love it!

 

Diregard this post. The guy above me explained it all.

The Rare Breed (who featured a young unknown Joe Walsh) on Cameo/Parkway changed their name to Ohio Express (albeit after Walsh was gone) when they signed to Buddha Records.
Ohio Express/Rare Breed didn't play on "Yummy Yummy Yummy" and the other single (which I can't remember the name of) but they played on the rest of the Ohio Express "Yummy, etc, etc" album...and their music was considerably different from the single that featured an entirely different singer with a studio group.
If I've made any errors somebody please correct me but this is the way I recall their history.

 

By the way, here's another incarnation of the Ohio Express. This is a Graham Gouldman song and recording not sure who the band are... definitely not Gouldman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ztRGbemuD0

 

Just looking over some info and it's put more clearly this way:

Rare Breed was already associated with Kasenetz-Katz (aka Super K) who had licensed Beg Borrow and Steal to Attic records. There's a story that Rare Breed were asked to take over recording responsibilities for the Ohio Express but apparently that's not right. It's simply a case of K&K resanctioning the Rare Breed recording to the Ohio Express because they believed could be a bigger hit. So technically the Rare Breed were the Ohio Express for one record although they did not know it.

The touring version of Ohio Express were originally called Sir Timothy and the Royals and were based out of...Ohio. They were apparently bothered by being replaced by an existing record but were told it was done to "put them on the map."

 

Great fluff!

 

I believe it was in the book "Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth" that one of the Ohio Express (touring band from Ohio) members recalled that they were driving the tour van to the next gig when on the radio came "Chewy Chewy" which they, of course, had never heard before.....and would undoubtedly be expected to sing. The member that was driving the van pulled over to the side, took the keys and walked off, quitting. IIRC, it was the singer.

The Ohio band played on that first album.....and on the album with "Yummy Yummy" they played on all the non-hits. Their album cuts were actually quite good...."Turn To Straw," "It's A Sad Day," "Winter Skies," "First Grade Reader" and "She's Not Coming Home" are all excellent garage-rock and/or psychedelic songs that have nothing to do with Super-K/Joey Levine.

 

Oh yeah. Their single "Lucky" is one of my favorite songs of the sixties.

Jeff

 

I enjoyed Cowboy Convention, with Carter co-wrote if memory serves. I saw a video of it on Upbeat with Don Webster. Definltely not Joey Levine, who's voice I found obnoxious, although I did enjoy a few of the songs he sang. But, there are definltely different bands on their records, same as 1910. The Lemon Pipers are the only Buddah band that seems like it was a band, but that's a different thread.

 

Another question...the original version of Every Mother's Son's "Come On Down to My Boat" was done by The Rare Breed. It's actually a lot "heavier," with a dominant Hammond B-3 organ as part of the arrangement, though EMS certainly made it a lot more radio-friendly.

Rare Breed's version was released as "Come Take a Ride in My Boat," and first pressings of the Every Mother's Son single also carry this title.

I'm just wondering if this is the same Rare Breed....

 

Wow, I'd love to see a video of that. It's John Carter's song and vocal and the effects came from a Goon Show.

 

There's also a Rare Breed aka Ohio Express CD that came out on Collectables in 1989 called The Super "K" Sessions that continues the Buddah-era group,as well. Michael Boyce

 

Isn't there another Collectables product that pairs the Rare Breed with another pop-psych group?

 

Joe Walsh was with them towards the end,at the end of the hit run.There's a clip of them on Beat Club with Walsh.

 

Joe W and what band?

I own the Cameo Parkway lp by the Ohio Express...to me it looks like one of the guys in the cover photo IS Joe Walsh...plus, there's a song on the record credited to "Walsh"...so who is playing on these recordings? The album isn't great, but there are a few good tunes, one of which has a strong cop of the Young Rascals, You Better Run.