The Unbeatables

Before he was a founding member of the Rascals, Gene Cornish was a member of the Unbeatables, an interracial quartet whose sound was remarkably similar to that of the Rascals, albiet more primitive and far more derivative of several earlier pop music forms. They were a r&b-based club band, equally at home on slow ballads ("Happy Birthday, Baby," "Talk To Me") or fast dance numbers. The group was still tied to the influence of early '60s pop-rock, and retained elements of harmony vocal groups in their work. The Unbeatables (and one wonders if the name was a play on the popularity of the Beatles) were a transitional outfit, midways between classic do-wop and the higher energy sound that Cornish was to perfect with Felix Cavaliere and company. Their work is hardly essential, but it won't displease anyone who loved the Rascals' first three albums.
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