Paul Revere & the Raiders

[pooldude]

I have always maintained that Paul Revere & the Raiders are one of the unsung Grand Daddies of Hard Rock & even Heavy Metal.

http://www.rainbowplanet.com/harpo.html

Songs like Kicks, Hungry, Steppin' Out, & Just Like Me were among the very 1st rock songs ever recorded that featured distorted guitars along with the bass & organ playing in unison behind snarling vocals.

They pioneered the exact same formula later popularized by bands like Steppenwolf & Deep Purple, among many others.

The Raiders on the Ed Sullivan show: '66

In the '60s, PR & the Raiders had their own national TV show "Where the Action Is" that came on @ 3:30 pm every day after school, which made them almost as famous as the Beatles & Stones, & they were considered much more heavy than the pre-fab Monkees.

http://www.philfangvolk.com/wheretheactionis.html

The fact that they are ignored or even ridiculed now is more a testament to how truly disposable & short lived most popular music is in today's society, & how little respect we have for people who were one-time groundbreakers.

Gee...I wonder where Mick Mars got the idea to put his name on the back of his guitar?



"Fang" Volk was the very popular Raider's bass player back in their hey-day.



Mick was 15 years old when the Raiders were on TV every day after school. Do you think they may have influenced him?

 

[Drummer Chris]

Hmmmm...yeah, I'd say just a tad influenced....lol
"Kicks just keep gettin' harder to find
And all your kicks ain't bringin' you peace of mind"

 

[algernon]

They had some really good singles alright. They had alot of Hollywood muscle behind them and picked good songs.. I'm not sure that was really them playing on the records, though. I think most of the credit for groundbreaking they did(and I agree) would have to go to the man with the cigar in the soundbooth.

 

[Reverend Rock]

Those great records were often played by top L.A. session players. That's well documented even by members of the Raiders themselves.

...Anyway, they were great records.

 

[pooldude]

Those great records were often played by top L.A. session players. That's well documented even by members of the Raiders themselves.

...Anyway, they were great records.

I was always under the impression that the original Raiders were relatively tight players who had years of live performance experience under their belt, & recorded their own parts in the studio.

According to AMG Music...most of the original early hits were recorded by the core group of Smitty, Fang, Drake, Jim Valley, & Paul...with Mark on vocals.

It wasn't until later, after the original rhythm section quit around '67, that the Raiders became more of a studio musician concoction based around Mark Lindsay, with Terry Melcher producing.

Please correct me if I'm wrong...& provide links, if you're gonna burst my bubble. :

 

[algernon]

I was always under the impression that the original Raiders were relatively tight players who had years of live performance experience under their belt, & recorded their own parts in the studio.

According to AMG Music...most of the original early hits were recorded by the core group of Smitty, Fang, Drake, Jim Valley, & Paul...with Mark on vocals.

It wasn't until later, after the original rhythm section quit around '67, that the Raiders became more of a studio musician concoction based around Mark Lindsay, with Terry Melcher producing.

Please correct me if I'm wrong...& provide links, if you're gonna burst my bubble. :

Here ya go, chum:
http://www.marklindsay.com/terrymelcher.htm

 

[pooldude]

Omigod.

Are you tellin' me that Mark Lindsay wasn't really playing that saxophone, live...while he was romping in the Malibu shorebreak on "Where the Action Is"? :

 

[algernon]

Omigod.

Are you tellin' me that Mark Lindsay wasn't really playing that saxophone, live...while he was romping in the Malibu shorebreak on "Where the Action Is"? :

hyeah: I remember that show, pal...and more bad news: The Mamas and Papas were just LIP SYNCHING on the Lloyd Thaxton Hop! :

 

[Reverend Rock]

But rest assured, pooldude, the Raiders were a fine live band. My brother saw them live in the late 60s and was totally blown over by them. He told me that in that show they did a 20 minute jam on "Good Thing"!

 

[Music Wench]

Hmm....never really thought much about these guys. Maybe it was the whole costume thing or something. Liked their hits but never looked into them beyond that. Guess I'll have to go back and look into them a bit more.