“Midnight Ride” by Paul Revere and The Raiders - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1966Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die external-link.png

TJR says

The first of two ’66 LPs from the quintet arrived in May. The set was notable for including songs written by all group members – something which was proving to be a destructive bone of contention within the inner sanctum. Ironically, the LP opens with their stomping Top 5 hit “Kicks”, a tune which was written by industry professionals Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and had been rejected by its intended recipients, The Animals! In fact, the best track on side 1 is “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone” – another written by a couple of industry pros; Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. Most enjoyable piece comes from the rarely credited guitarists Phil Volk and Drake Levin who step up to the mark in splendid form with the Stones-aping rocker “Get It On”. Whilst there are quite a few cool moments like this, warning signs are there on this album that this group are losing their edginess; things occasionally get a bit drippy. Lead guitarist Drake Levin quit the group following the release of the album citing “musical differences”. The album also marked the end of the band's relationship with the Brill Building music publishing house, which had provided both “Kicks” and “I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone”. It’s clear that Paul Revere’s gang will not be signing up for the counter-culture revolution any time soon…

The Jukebox Rebel
02–Nov–2008

Tracklist
A1 [02:28] 7.4.png Paul Revere and The Raiders - Kicks (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil) Cerebral Pop
A2 [02:39] 7.0.png Paul Revere and The Raiders - There’s Always Tomorrow (Drake Levin, Mike Smith) Rock n Roll / Rockabilly
A3 [02:58] 5.3.png Paul Revere and The Raiders - Little Girl In The 4th Row (Paul Revere, Mark Lindsay) Pop Ballad
A4 [02:08] 6.4.png Paul Revere and The Raiders - Ballad Of A Useless Man (Drake Levin) Pop
A5 [02:31] 7.2.png Paul Revere and The Raiders - I’m Not Your Stepping Stone (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart) Blues Rock / Soul Rock
A6 [01:47] 5.8.png Paul Revere and The Raiders - There She Goes (Paul Revere, Mark Lindsay) Pop
B1 [03:27] 5.8.png Paul Revere and The Raiders - All I Really Need Is You (Paul Revere, Mark Lindsay) Cerebral Pop
B2 [03:12] 7.8.png Paul Revere and The Raiders - Get It On (Phil Volk, Drake Levin) Blues Rock / Soul Rock
B3 [02:41] 6.2.png Paul Revere and The Raiders - Louie, Go Home (Paul Revere, Mark Lindsay) Cerebral Pop
B4 [01:48] 5.3.png Paul Revere and The Raiders - Take A Look At Yourself (Paul Revere, Mark Lindsay) Pop
B5 [01:59] 4.3.png Paul Revere and The Raiders - Melody For An Unknown Girl (Paul Revere, Mark Lindsay) Pop Ballad

© The Jukebox Rebel 2005-2020 All Rights Reserved