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CLASSIC 1960s ROCK ON CD
And Other Genres Thereabouts
And Other Genres Thereabouts
Your Guide To
Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters...
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"...Hungry For Those Good Things..."
Never mind James Brown and
his claims to have been the hardest-working man in show business – as a band Paul
Revere & The Raiders could lay safe claim to that title for the year of
1966. They were a weekly (and at times daily) feature on ABC-TV's programme
"Where The Action Is!", played hundreds of live gigs up and down the
USA, recorded and charted four singles (three went Top 10, the other Top 20)
and released three albums - all in that same mercurial year! And none are more
revered that this last gasp of the original classic 5-piece line-up - "The Spirit Of '67" - released late
November 1966. And that’s where this quality CD reminder from Blighty comes
storming in...
Now Sounds is a subsidiary
label of England's Cherry Red Records and they have to be like England's
football team as they exit World Cup 2018 - proud of themselves and what
they’ve achieved. Because this is a superb reissue offering both the rare Mono
and Stereo variants of the 1966 American album (originally on Columbia Records
– No UK release) as well as three bonus cuts - one an album outtake and another
an Alternate Take on one the album's best cuts "Hungry". Let's get to
the details of this very 'good thing'...
UK released 25 November 2016
- "The Spirit Of '67" by PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS on Cherry
Red/Now Sounds CRNOW 56 (Barcode 5013929065628) is an 'Expanded Edition'
offering the MONO and STEREO variants of the 1966 Columbia Records album as
well as three bonus tracks and plays out as follows (70:30 minutes):
1. Good Thing [Side 1]
2. All About Her
3. In My Community
4. Louise
5. Why? Why? Why? (Is It So
Hard)
6. Oh! To Be A Man
7. Hungry [Side 2]
8. Undecided Man
9. Our Candidate
10. 1001 Arabian Nights
11. The Great Airplane
Strike
Tracks 1 to 11 are the MONO
variant of the album "The Spirit Of '67" - released 28 November 1966
in the USA on Columbia Records CL 2595
Tracks 12 to 22 (as per 1 to 11) are the
STEREO variant of the album "The Spirit Of '67" - released 28
November 1966 in the USA on Columbia Records CS 9395
23. (You're A) Bad Girl -
Album Outtake, later used as a B-side to the reissue 45 for "Ride Your
Pony" in 2012 on Sundazed S 248
24. Hungry (Alternate
Version)
25. The Great Airplane
Strike (Mono Single Version) –
PAUL REVERE – Organ and
Keyboards
MARK LINDSAY – Lead Vocals
(Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11)
JIM VALLEY – Guitars except
Tracks 3 & 14
PHIL ‘Fang’ VOLK – Bass (All
Tracks except 5 & 16), Guitars (Tracks 3 & 14) and Lead Vocals (Tracks
3 and 5)
MIKE ‘Smitty’ SMITH – Drums
and Percussion except Tracks 5, 7, 16, 18 and 24 which is Hal Blaine - and Lead
Vocals on Track 9
Guests:
TERRY MELCHER – Producer,
Co-Writer and Keyboards
VAN DYKE PARKS – Keyboards
(Tracks 1, 3, 5, 12, 14 & 16)
BRIAN JOHNSTON [of The Beach
Boys] – Piano & Keyboards (Tracks 2, 13 & 23)
The fact-filled 16-page
booklet features new Liner Notes from MIKE STAX of Ugly Things Magazine as well
as photos of the boys in various poses (most with their trademark frontier
outfits), the rare American picture sleeve for "Hungry" b/w
"There She Goes" on Columbia 4-43678 and even an original tape box
from Columbia's Square Station Studios in Hollywood (the CD label has that
Columbia Records Mono/Stereo red design like the "360 Sound" labels
of old - a nice touch).
But the best news is a
magnificent Remaster from original Mono and Stereo tapes by ALAN BROWNSTEIN -
both variants kicking like the proverbial mule. I cannot overstate how good
this CD Reissue sounds - especially the STEREO MIX – beautifully clear and
punchy without ever being overcooked or over trebled. Nice work done. Let's get
to the music...
Of the eleven tracks - nine
are band originals with the two outsiders being "Hungry" and
"Louise". The songwriting duo of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil gave the
band the demo of "Hungry" and they knew it was an out-and-out winner
right away. Hooky as Hell - the single was released June 1966 ahead of the
album and rewarded the band with a deserved No. 6 placing on the Billboard
Charts. The out-of-season girl song "Louise" came courtesy of Jesse
Lee Kincade of The Rising Sons - a kicking little bopper warning us of the
dangers Louise and her wayward ways pose to your general wellbeing.
The records opens on a
bopper - "Good Thing" - a Terry Melcher, Mark Lindsay and Paul Revere
composition about a groovy world - a tune full of Beach Boys harmonies and no
one around to bring you down. Along with Sound Man Ray Gerhardt as the fourth
writer, the same trio provide the uber-melodramatic "All About Her" -
a stop-being-a-pawn song that features beautifully produced acoustics and organ
- Mark Lindsay telling us that he'll try love again even if he's left without a
mind (ouch). Volk throws up the consciousness of "In My Community"
and the achingly sad but true "Why? Why? Why? (Is It So Hard)" - a
break-up tune about his gal Carol of the time - he took the musician's highroad
despite her tears. Side 1 ends with vaudeville piano notes and dire warnings
about dead-end jobs - a boyhood to man song (left home when was 15, no more
parental lectures) and again with stunning audio.
"Hungry" opens
Side 2 on a winner - wicked Bass and Guitar - the kind of hit The Monkees would
have used THRUSH to ruthlessly acquire (Technological Hierarchy for the Removal
of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity to you baby). Clearly enamoured
with The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" from their 1966 masterpiece
"Revolver" - the band hired two quartets to anchor "Undecided
Man" - an impressive if not overly copyist take on that string-laden
nugget. Back to Rock'n'Roll with the cool chugger "Our Candidate"
sung and provided by Mike 'Smitty' Smith - a tune close in so many ways to "Long
Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)" by The Hollies in 1972. But the album then
ends of two fantastic period pieces - the swirling trippy "1001 Arabian
Nights" complete with nasal whines and everything bar a sitar and incense
coming out of your speakers. That's followed by a hard-hitting fuzzed-up guitar
groover - "The Great Airplane Strike - a tune and hip-single with wickedly smart
lyrics based on a real event. The "Bad Girl" outtake was considered
too weak at the time - but I like its effervescent Beach Boys pop vibe (Brain Johnston
features) and that Alternate Take of "Hungry" is a genuinely brill
bonus.
Soon after the album’s
release – Volk and Smith took session guitarist Drake Levin with them and
formed Brotherhood who would make three albums on RCA Victor. Revere, Lindsay
and helmsman Terry Melcher brought in Freddy Weller on Guitar, Charlie Coe on
Bass and Jo Carraro, Jr. on Drums and carried the torch forward.
Now Sounds have done a top
job here - fans and newcomers should dive in and get revered...
