Based on the surviving evidence, the Night Riders were likely among of the most talented of all the overlooked southern garage bands of the middle-late 1960's. They were also one of the more unusual, a sextet with two lead instruments (guitar, organ) and a pair of good rhythm guitarists that gave their sound a thick, melodious texture. Monte Allison (organ, vocals), Jon (Twogun) Johnson (drums, vocals), Steve Rogers (bass, drums), Mac Lewis (rhythm guitar, vocals), Ray Atwater (rhythm guitar, vocals), and David Marlette (lead guitar, lead vocals) were in their mid-teens when they began playing together in the mid-1960's. Their repertory consisted of the usual rock 'n roll and r&b standards ("Louie Louie, " "Good Lovin', " "Twist And Shout, " "Money") spiced with some fair originals that were written in a similar vein. Monte Allison's keyboards were often the lead instrument and dominated the group's sound, sometimes even giving forth with Joe Meek-like arpeggios-sharing the spotlight on the breaks was David Marlette's lead guitar, and at least one of the other two guitarists could also solo when the need arose ("Night Train"). Their playing was unusually precise and articulate for a garage band, indicating that they'd either taken some music lessons somewhere along the line or spent a LOT of time practicing, but whatever the reason, it greatly helped the Night Riders when it was time to record. What happened to them is anyone's guess.
Tracks:
01. Midnight Ride - 2:48
02. Long Tall Texan (Henry Strzelecki) - 2:10
03. Good Lovin' (Rudy Clark/Arthur Resnick) - 2:07
04. Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love) (Don Smith/Cyril Vetter) - 3:03
05. Louie Louie (Richard Berry) - 2:47
06. I Love You (Cole Porter) - 2:19
07. Come See About Me (Eddie Holland/Lamont Dozier/Brian Holland) - 2:54
08. Twist And Shout (Phil Medley/Bert Russell) - 2:30
09. Money (That's What I Want) (Berry Gordy Jr./Janie Bradford) - 2:16
10. Night Train - 2:04
11. Little Latin Lupe Lu (Bill Medley) - 2:23
12. Journey To The Stars (Nokie Edwards/Don Wilson/Bob Bogel/Mel Taylor) - 2:25
Personnel:
- Jon "Twogun" Johnson - vocals, drums
- Monte Allison - vocals, organ
- Steve Rogers - bass, drums
- Mac Lewis - rhythm guitar
- Ray Atwater - vocals, rhythm guitar
- David Marlette - vocals, lead guitar
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- Tom Hambridge - producer
Thank you.
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