

Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in 1972, the two-LP set covered American garage rock and psychedelia from the years 1965 to 1968 and was a major influence on punk rock. Rhino Records reissued an expanded version of the set in 1998, with 118 tracks in total. I’m profiling and rating each of these 118 tracks, working backwards.
Track 65/118: Beg, Borrow, And Steal by The Rare Breed
From: Brooklyn, New York
Aphoristic Rating: 7/10
BEG, BORROW AND STEAL – The Rare Breed [2:26]
(Joseph DiFrancesco/Louis Zerato)
Personnel/unknown (later identified as Alexander “Botts” Norbit, Barry Stolnick, Joel Feigenbaum, John Freno, Tony Cambria)
Produced by JEFF KATZ, JERRY KASENETZ & SYLVESTER BRADFORD for SUPER K PRODUCTIONS
Recorded in New York, NY
Attack single #AR-1401 (6/66)
We ran across the unscrupulous pair Jeff Katz and Jerry Kasenetz a couple of Nuggets ago, with The Music Explosion’s ‘Little Bit O’Soul’. They’re back to their old tricks with the aptly named ‘Beg, Borrow, And Steal’. ‘Beg, Borrow, And Steal’ was recorded by a group of 16-17 year olds – they were minors and not under contract, so it was easy to take advantage of them. They’re not even identified in the Nuggets liner notes, but a 2009 YouTube video of the song identifies the Rare Breed as John Freno (vocals, guitar), Barry Stolnick (keyboards), Joel Feigenbaum (rhythm guitar), Alexander “Bots” Narbut (vocals, bass) and Tony Cambria (drums. According to keyboardist Barry Stolnick, the group never saw any money from the release, even though it sold half a million copies.
The band were unable to travel to support the song, so Katz and Kasenetz arranged for another group to tour in their place. It was also reissued, in the exact same version, under the name The Ohio Express. Ohio Express was an umbrella name for Katz and Kasenetz’s projects – they recorded Joe Walsh and 10cc’s Graham Gouldman under the same name, as well as the hits ‘Yummy Yummy Yummy’ and ‘Chewy Chewy’.
The song itself is unremarkable – it’s clearly borrowed/stolen from ‘Louie Louie’, with the exact same riff with a lighter, more keyboard-oriented arrangement. It’s a great riff, however, and the song features one of my favourite guitar solos from Nuggets, a blazing cornucopia of notes.
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More Nuggets
Nuggets: An Invitation to Cry by The Magicians

Nuggets II: Love Hate Revenge by Episode Six

Nuggets: Laugh, Laugh by The Beau Brummels

Nuggets: Bad Little Woman by The Shadows of Knight

Nuggets: Wooly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs

Nuggets II: Nothin’ by Ugly Ducklings

Nuggets: Hey Joe by the Leaves

Nuggets: Mr. Pharmacist by The Other Half

Nuggets: Journey to Tyme by Kenny and the Kasuals

Nuggets: Journey To The Center Of The Mind by The Amboy Dukes

Nuggets II: It’s My Fault by The Rattles

Nuggets: Mirror Of Your Mind by We The People

Nuggets: Little Girl by Syndicate of Sound

Nuggets II: I’m Just A Mops by The Mops

Nuggets: Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl by The Barbarians

Nuggets II: How Does It Feel to Feel by The Creation

Nuggets: A Public Execution by Mouse

Nuggets: Respect by The Vagrants

Nuggets: I See the Light by The Five Americans

Nuggets: Fight Fire by The Golliwogs

Nuggets: Follow Me by Lyme & Cybelle

Nuggets: Knock, Knock by The Humane Society

Nuggets: What Am I Going to Do? by The Dovers

Nuggets: No Time Like The Right Time by The Blues Project

Nuggets II: No Good Without You Baby by The Birds

Nuggets II: But You’ll Never Do It, Babe by The Boots

Nuggets II: Rosalyn by The Pretty Things

Nuggets II: Glendora by Downliners Sect

Nuggets: Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White by The Standells

Nuggets: Steppin’ Out by Paul Revere & the Raiders

Nuggets: Going All the Way by The Squires

Nuggets: Pushin’ Too Hard by The Seeds

Nuggets: Mindrocker by Fenwyck

Nuggets II: No Presents For Me by The Pandamonium

Nuggets II: Pictures of Matchstick Men by The Status Quo

Nuggets II: Come On by The Atlantics

Nuggets: Farmer John by The Premiers

Nuggets: Hold Me Now by The Rumors

Nuggets: Primitive by The Groupies

Nuggets: Codine by The Charlatans

Nuggets: Lies by The Knickerbockers

Nuggets: Last Time Around by The Del-Vetts

Nuggets: Talk Talk by The Music Machine

Nuggets II: My Life by Thor’s Hammer

Nuggets: Put the Clock Back on the Wall by The E-Types

Nuggets: Action Woman by The Litter

Nuggets II: The Madman Running Through The Fields by Dantalian’s Chariot

Nuggets II: You Can Be My Baby by The Red Squares

Nuggets: I Live in the Springtime by The Lemon Drops

Nuggets: A Question of Temperature by The Balloon Farm

Nuggets: Open My Eyes by Nazz

Nuggets: Strychnine by The Sonics

Nuggets: You Must Be A Witch by The Lollipop Shoppe

Nuggets: Run, Run, Run by The Gestures

Nuggets: 7 and 7 Is by Love

Nuggets: (Would I Still Be) Her Big Man by The Brigands

Nuggets: I’m Five Years Ahead of My Time by The Third Bardo

Nuggets II: I Wish I Was Five by Scrugg

Nuggets II: Bat Macumba by Os Mutantes

Nuggets: Tobacco Road by Blues Magoos

Nuggets: Time Won’t Let Me by The Outsiders

Nuggets: At the River’s Edge by New Colony Six

Nuggets II: I’m Your Witchdoctor by Chants R&B

Nuggets: Stop! Get A Ticket by Clefs of Lavender Hill

Nuggets: Maid of Sugar – Maid of Spice by Mouse and the Traps

Nuggets II: Sad by The (Australian) Playboys

Nuggets: She’s About A Mover by Sir Douglas Quintet

Nuggets: Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out) by The Hombres

Nuggets II: Why Don’t You Smile Now by Downliners Sect

Nuggets: Diddy Wah Diddy by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

Nuggets II: Touch by The Outsiders

Nuggets: One Track Mind by The Knickerbockers

Sugar and Spice by The Cryan’ Shames

Nuggets II: Vacuum Cleaner by Tintern Abbey

Nuggets II: Dance Around the Maypole by Acid Gallery

Nuggets: Blue's Theme by Davie Allan & the Arrows

Nuggets II: Slaves Time by The Slaves

Nuggets: Romeo and Juliet by Michael and the Messengers

Nuggets: Out Of Our Tree by The Wailers

Nuggets: Too Many People by The Leaves

Nuggets: The Witch by The Sonics

Nuggets: Bad Girl by The Zakary Thaks

Nuggets: Are You Gonna Be There (At The Love In) by The Chocolate Watchband

Nuggets II: Get Yourself Home by The Fairies

Nuggets II: When The Alarm Clock Rings by the Blossom Toes

Nuggets: Oh Yeah by The Shadows of Knight

Nuggets: It’s Cold Outside by The Choir

Nuggets: Beg, Borrow, And Steal by The Rare Breed

Nuggets: Story of My Life by The Unrelated Segments

Nuggets: Can’t Seem To Make You Mine by The Seeds

Nuggets: Spazz by The Elastik Band

Nuggets: You Ain’t Tuff by The Uniques

Nuggets: I Ain’t No Miracle Worker by The Brogues

Nuggets: It’s A-Happening by The Magic Mushrooms

Nuggets II: Flight from Ashiya by Kaleidoscope

Nuggets: I Wonder by The Gants

Nuggets: Voices Green and Purple by The Bees

Nuggets: Who Do You Love by The Woolies

Nuggets: Live by The Merry-Go-Round

Nuggets: Double Yellow Line by The Music Machine

Nuggets II: No More Now by The Smoke

Nuggets: Let’s Talk About Girls by The Chocolate Watchband

Nuggets: Nobody But Me by The Human Beinz

Nuggets: Liar, Liar by The Castaways

Nuggets: I Want Candy by The Strangeloves

Nuggets: Psycho by The Sonics

Nuggets II: The Train to Disaster by The Voice

Nuggets: (We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet by the Blues Magoos

Nuggets: Johnny Was A Good Boy by Mystery Trend

Nuggets II: Kicks and Chicks by The Zipps

Nuggets: The Trip by Kim Fowley

Nuggets: Why Do I Cry by The Remains

Nuggets: Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love) by The Swingin’ Medallions

Nuggets: So What! by The Lyrics

Nuggets: Outside Chance by The Turtles

Nuggets: Run, Run, Run by The Third Rail

Nuggets II: Here Come the Nice by The Small Faces

Nuggets: Optical Sound by The Human Expression

Nuggets: Open Up Your Door by Richard & the Young Lions

Nuggets: The Little Black Egg by The Nightcrawlers

Nuggets: She’s My Baby by The Mojo Men

Nuggets: Psychotic Reaction by Count Five

Nuggets: Complication by The Monks

Nuggets: Shape of Things to Come by Max Frost & The Troopers

Nuggets: Louie Louie by The Kingsmen

Nuggets II: One Third by The Majority

Nuggets: You’re Gonna Miss Me by The 13th Floor Elevators

Nuggets: Moulty by The Barbarians

Nuggets II: The Bitter Thoughts Of Little Jane by Timon

Nuggets: Little Bit O’Soul by The Music Explosion

Nuggets: Falling Sugar by The Palace Guard

Nuggets: No Friend of Mine by The Sparkles

Nuggets: I’m Gonna Make You Mine by The Shadows of Knight

Nuggets II: Real Crazy Apartment by Winston’s Fumbs

Nuggets: Sweet Young Thing by The Chocolate Watchband

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Nuggets: Blackout of Gretely by GONN

Nuggets: Why Pick On Me by The Standells

Nuggets II: Break It All by Los Shakers

Baby, Please Don’t Go by The Amboy Dukes

Nuggets: Incense and Peppermints by Strawberry Alarm Clock

Nuggets: Get Me to the World on Time by The Electric Prunes

Nuggets: Just Like Me by Paul Revere & the Raiders

Nuggets: Night Time by The Strangeloves

Nuggets: I Need You by The Rationals

Nuggets: I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) by The Electric Prunes

Nuggets: My World Fell Down by Sagittarius

Nuggets: Dirty Water by The Standells

Nuggets: Jack of Diamonds by The Daily Flash

Nuggets: Don’t Look Back by The Remains

Nuggets: You Burn Me Up and Down by We The People

Nuggets: I Think I’m Down by the Harbinger Complex

Nuggets II: Bad Little Woman by The Wheels

Nuggets: Love's Gone Bad by The Underdogs

Nuggets: Sit Down, I Think I Love You by The Mojo Men

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It’s a good’n. Sorry to hear they received no recognition on the compilation album and even more importantly made not a penny.
Getting ripped off is a pretty recurrent theme on these Nuggets stories, unfortunately.
I guess this one is sort of okay but I never listen to it. Even though that Katz guy and the other one were kind of like the kings of bubblegum producers, I never thought their stuff was all that good. And their Ohio Express hits werent really all that hot either. Especially not Chewy Chewy. But Yummy Yummy is kind of fascinating just because it’s weirdness.
Little Bit of Soul was just a fluke for them. I forget if they’re the ones who did Simon Says but that was okay too. But not One Two Three, Red Light.
I didn’t get the impression that Katz and co. were as involved with the music on this one as they were with the later stuff. Maybe more on the promotional end?
Wow, while the tune doesn’t sound bad, they clearly ripped off “Louie Louie”. How ironic they called the tune “Beg, Borrow, And Steal” – that’s really incredible! I guess if your promoters’ names sound like they could be a slick law firm, beware – you might never see a dime!
Yeah, I like the tune – but it’s a little superfluous given that ‘Louie Louie’ did a better job with the same riff.
The music business at its worse. Yea they did “borrow” from Louie Louie…they even took some of the solo from Louie Louie…it doesn’t diminish the song though… a cool sound they got.
I gotta start following you again and work with WP to fix this.
Can you let me know what happens when you try to follow? I can ask support at my end.
Here it is…they told me before that you would have to fix it now that I think of it:
Sorry, there was a problem following https://albumreviews.blog/feed. Please try again.
Yeah you were right. Wiki says that they just remixed a previously existing single and then it became a hit. So that’s probably why it doesn’t sound like their later productions. And I never knew they did the Shadows of Knight either, but not their totally excellent version of Gloria. But they did do the great Gimme Gimme Good Lovin by Crazy Elephant. That’s their other bubble gum masterpiece besides Little Bit o’ Soul, as far as I’m concerned.