The Essential Ride '63-'67 (originally posted 5/6/08)

One of the frustrating things as a sixties' music fan is to see record labels continually botch single-disc Greatest Hits releases for acts whose oeuvre is ideal for such a concept. The collections actually released usually include either only the most obvious choices, or a few of the most obvious hits coupled with album filler selected as if by random. As a great singles band who released cohesive but never great LPs, Paul Revere and the Raiders would be ideally suited for representation by a well-balanced, comprehensive Greatest Hits release that would satisfy the hardcore fan and intrigue the uninitiated; however, this Raiders fan is still waiting for that collection.

The first attempt, Paul Revere and the Raiders' Greatest Hits (1967), featured only 11 tracks and followed a pattern record companies followed at the time, which was to release a Greatest Hits package approximately 3 years after the group first gained national prominence. The Rascals, the Byrds, the Monkees, the Kinks- even the Beatles (in England), Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys did not escape this fate. The Raiders release included the hits (Louie Louie, Steppin' Out [46, 1965], Just Like Me [11, 1966], Kicks [4, 1966], Hungry [6, 1966] , Good Thing [4, 1967] , the Great Airplane Strike [20, 1966] ), which are as good as the absolute best of mid-60's rock, plus two strong album tracks, a self-penned tribute song titled Legend of Paul Revere, and the final single (Ups and Downs [22, 1967] ) featuring the Where the Action Is quintet intact. It's a good collection, but too skimpy to be comprehensive.

The Raiders Greatest Hits, Vol 2 (1970) came next, just before 1971's Indian Reservation and includes two great songs (Him or Me [What's It Gonna Be] [5, 1967], Let Me [20, 1969]), plus several decent songs that don't match the drive and inspiration of the earlier stuff. It serves as a companion piece to the first release, but nothing more.

After the release of the 2-LP All-Time Greatest Hits (1972), which inexplicably did not include 1971's monster hit Indian Reservation (Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian), their only Number One, nor any non-single album tracks (although it did include Do Unto Others, the obscure B-side to Peace of Mind), no new releases followed besides cheap compilations from fly-by-night record labels until 1990's The Legend of Paul Revere, a 2-CD set that included all the Columbia singles (even post-Indian Reservation songs), plus obscure instrumentals, commercial jingles, and pre-Columbia singles released during their early Northwest years (an era of raucous Raiders concerts). It's a fine compilation with good liner notes, but its problem is that is more of a song gathering for completists than a represenation of the Raiders' body of work. A grave omission: the collection does not include the Orbit, a rocking instrumental that served as the b-side to their first single, Beatnik Sticks. Also, no non-single album tracks were included.

Which brings us to The Essential Ride '63-'67, released in 1995. This CD-release attempts to restore the Raiders to their rightful place in musical history. On the surface, the attempt nearly succeeds. The excellent liner notes include contributions from lead singer Mark Lindsay, bassist Phil Volk, drummer Mike Smith, lead guitarist Drake Levin, and Levin replacement Jim Valley, who had a great quote about being hired by the Raiders ("I was 23 and married when I was hired, and I was 21 and single the next day."), has all the hits up to the time Volk, Valley, Smith, and Levin left the group, and a treat or two for the hardcore Raiders fan. There's Over You, one of the best pre-Columbia singles, the wild, almost x-rated medley Crisco Party/Walking the Dog, a never-before released song left off the first Columbia LP Here They Come! for being far too racy for release back then, the longer version of Steppin' Out (with a longer rap from Mark before the fade), and an essential, extended version of the Great Airplane Strike never before released.  The sound quality is excellent.

However, there are flaws. The version of Hungry is not the great version of the Mann-Weil rocker released as a single, but a demo where Lindsay slips in an f-bomb. This would be interesting as a bonus track on a re-release of an album, but unpardonable for a Greatest Hits release, no matter how rebellious you are trying to depict a band

Even worse are the album tracks included. Presenting obscure album tracks on this type of collection can enhance your case for the greatness of a band; however, if that was the intention, why did this CD include such weak tracks? Boyce-Hart's (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone pales in comparison to the Monkees' release. Take a Look at Yourself is another weak selection from the Raiders' third LP, Midnight Ride- There She Goes, Melody For an Unknown Girl, Volk's Get It On, and Smith's There's Always Tomorrow were all far more worthy choices from that album. The choices from the 4th LP, Spirit Of '67, are even worse. Louise is sprightly, but Volk's In My Community and Why, Why, Why (Is It So Hard?) are weak choices. A "bonus" track, the unreleased "(You're a) Bad Girl," is flaccid as well. Smith's Our Candidate was much more interesting, and could have been included. Even worse are the exclusion of album tracks from the first two releases, Here They Come! and Just Like Us, the latter album widely considered to be one of the first garage rock albums.

A future blog will feature my ideal Raiders Greatest Hits album.