(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.
Showing posts with label Paul Revere and the Raiders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul Revere and the Raiders. Show all posts
Sunday, November 28, 2010
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.
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
A future blog will feature my ideal Raiders Greatest Hits album.
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