Like fellow New Yorkers the Rascals, the Vagrants prominently featured a Hammond organ, and often played soul-influenced rock. The Vagrants were far more guitar-based than the Rascals, however, as well as projecting a more garagey, less mature outlook; their later material lands somewhere between the Rascals and Vanilla Fudge.

Most famous for featuring Leslie West on guitar in his pre-Mountain days, the Vagrants were extremely popular in their home base of Long Island, NY in the
mid-'60s. Although they never charted, several singles are now choice collectibles.

One of the few rock bands signed to the folkie Vanguard label, the Vagrants cut some fair singles between 1965 and 1968. "I Can't Make a Friend," which shows up on some garage compilations, is the most well-known of their initial efforts. The group took their closest swipe at stardom after Felix Pappalardi helped them sign to Atco. A rock version of Otis Redding's "Respect" (which surfaced on the Nuggets compilation) was a hit in some Eastern regions in 1967. After a couple of other singles on Atco, the group broke up in late 1968, when West formed Mountain (which also included Pappalardi). Much of the Vagrants' material was reissued in the mid-'90s.

Today, it's Leslie West who remains a rock'n'roll legend. In fact, the term "legend" is no exaggeration. Leslie's exploits include rare demo "jam" sessions with John Lennon and Eric Clapton. His creative partner, the late Felix Pappalardi, took Leslie into the deep space that is "superstardom." Mountain's "Rising" and "Nantucket Sheighride" are staples in any classic rock collection. Later, as "West, Bruce and Laing," Leslie filled stadiums.

Leslie is always in the thick of it. Through the 90's, he and morning-man, Howard Stern, yuk it up with tales of Leslies' adventures. Even now (November, 1995), the release of the classic album by The Who, "Who's Next" features Leslie on "Baby, Don't You Do It", a previously unreleased single from 1974 . . . and it's a killer.

Richard Arfin 1991 (http://www.lirock.com/vagrants.html) Long Island Rock-N-Roll

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