The Ideal Paul Revere and the Raiders Best-Of (orig. post 1/16/09)

(This is the logical follow-up to a blog I had posted to My Space on May 8, 2008. In the blog, I had bemoaned the lack of what I felt to be a definitive Paul Revere and the Raiders Best-Of release. Below are the list of 30 songs that I would include.)
A logical Paul Revere and the Raiders 'Best-Of' should not be too difficult to line up. The first songs would include tracks from the fiery, hard-rockin' Northwest territory pre-Columbia days and feature the instrumentals LIKE LONG HAIR, their first trip to the Top 40 (#38, 1961), and THE ORBIT, the wonderful B-side to the Raiders' first single. Of course, the near-hit LOUIE-LOUIE (the early version, not the Here They Come! LP version) must be included, plus the earlier version of LOUIE, GO HOME, with Paul's piano intro and Mark's blistering vocals, and the cover OVER YOU. Finally, the wild CRISCO PARTY/WALKING THE DOG (not released until the 1990's), whose spoken introduction needs to be heard to be believed, needs to be on.

The Fang-Drake-Smitty-Harpo Where the Action Is years (1965-67), which had most of the hits, would comprise the bulk of the collection. Obviously, the charting hits STEPPIN' OUT (#46, 1965), JUST LIKE ME (#11, 1966), KICKS (#4, 1966), HUNGRY (#6, 1966), THE GREAT AIRPLANE STRIKE (#20, 1966- the extended version featured on the Essential Ride 1963-67 compilation would be preferred here), GOOD THING (#4, 1967), UPS AND DOWNS (#22, 1967), and HIM OR ME, WHAT'S IT GONNA BE? (#5, 1967) would be featured. They would be joined by such strong album tracks as SOMETIMES (from Here They Come!), NEW ORLEANS (to get the flavor of the 1965 Just Like Us LP), and three songs from their best LP, Midnight Ride (1966): BALLAD OF A USELESS MAN (a Drake-penned song), GET IT ON (the strongest of the Fang-penned songs), and Mark's sax instrumental MELODY FOR AN UNKNOWN GIRL.

The Freddy-Joe Jr-Keith-Charlie era (1967-1972) would include the charting singles I HAD A DREAM (#17, 1967), TOO MUCH TALK (#19, 1968), YOU SHOULDN'T TAKE IT SO HARD (#27, 1968), MR SUN, MR MOON (#18, 1968), and LET ME (#20, 1969). Songs such as I DON'T WANT NOBODY from the Goin' to Memphis project (1968) and any track (say, RAIN, SLEET, OR SNOW) from the off-the-wall A Christmas Past...and Present (1967) can give listeners a flavor of the hipness of the band. From 1970's Collage would come the hard-rocking JUST SEVENTEEN (#82, 1970).
And, finally, the #1 hit INDIAN RESERVATION (1971) , BIRDS OF A FEATHER (#23, 1971), and TOBACCO ROAD, the best version ever done of the John D. Loudermilk song, would round it all up.