Ecology by Rare Earth

Ecology, Rare Earth's third album, came out in 1970 on Motown's Rare Earth imprint with Norman Whitfield producing, and it catches the Detroit band at full stretch. Peter Rivera sings from behind his drum kit, Gil Bridges switches between sax and flute, Ken Folcik works the keys, Rod Richards plays guitar, John Parrish handles bass and trombone and Eddie Guzman piles on percussion, and together they ride a groove that refuses to pick a side between rock and R&B.

Their take on the Temptations' "(I Know) I'm Losing You" became their second Top 10 hit, a sweaty, horn-flecked workout, while "Long Time Leavin'" caught on with FM radio and "Born to Wander" spoke to the drifting young crowd that had been on the move since the Summer of Love. They even have a go at the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby".

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.