The Hassles - The Hassles (1967) (Billy Joel)

The Hassles - The Hassles (1967) MP3 VBR V2

On the Hassles' self-titled debut, the band displayed a naive enthusiasm and a slightly better-than-average blue-eyed soul, covering several hits and standards like "A Taste of Honey," "Fever," and "You've Got Me Hummin'," as well as Traffic's "Coloured Rain" in standard Rascals style. Most of the album is nothing spectacular, but a pair of Billy Joel's tracks -- "Every Step I Take (Every Move I Make)" and "I Can Tell" -- show a budding songwriting talent, with the material fitting in quite nicely alongside established songs. The Hassles' eponymous debut album was released on November 21, 1967, and featured a number of cover versions of soul songs. The single "You've Got Me Hummin'" was number 112 for one week on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart, their only Billboard chart appearance.



Track listing

"Warming Up" (W. Joel) - 1:38
"Just Holding On" (L. Weiss) - 2:06
"A Taste of Honey" (R. Marlow, B. Scott) - 4:17
"Every Step I Take (Every Move I Make)" (W. Joel, T. Michaels, V. Gorman) - 2:30
"Coloured Rain" (S.Winwood, J. Capaldi, C. Wood) (originally by Traffic) - 3:22
"I Hear Voices" (G. Stashuk) - 2:53
"I Can Tell" (W. Joel) - 2:57
"Giving Up (Version #2)" (V. McCoy) - 4:16
"Fever" (J. Davenport, E. Cooley) - 3:19
"You've Got Me Hummin'" (I. Hayes, D. Porter) - 2:27