Paul Revere & The Raiders - Revolution 1967 [Now Sounds] (@320)

 

Paul Revere & The Raiders - Revolution 1967 [Now Sounds]

Revolution! Review by Jack Rabid.

If not as consistently a knockout as Spirit of '67, Revolution! is nevertheless right on its heels, containing as it does an even greater degree of pop experimentation within the form. Suffice to say that this group managed to make the transition from the simple, tough R&B-flavored rock they helped found to the more psychedelic popcraft/acidic majesty that soon unfolded behind the 1964-1965 Beatles' lead. And if Spirit is the Raiders' Revolver, then Revolution! is their less wacked-out Sgt. Pepper. Beginning with one of their most supreme moments -- the rough-and-tumble, aggressive yet amazingly catchy "Him or Me -- What's It Gonna Be" -- the LP takes the same twists and turns as its predecessor through a multitude of entertaining styles, from the sharp laze blues of "Reno" to the quintessential upbeat smack of "Mo'reen" and especially "Gone-Movin' On." Through it all, bandleader Mark Lindsay is a minor marvel. Lindsay may not have been blessed with a classic pop voice croon, but his exciting lower-range grunt and snarl compliments his upper-range prettier voice in a way that adds bushels of unfiltered attitude. His gutsy, versatile style totally blends with the rough edges of both the production and playing, which belies the more gilded pop moments. Lindsay is the glue that holds what would have been a willy-nilly collection together. Truly 1967 was the most magical year in pure pop history. But if many with-it fans have already bathed in the unbelievable sonic pleasures of that year, far too few have given the Raiders their rightful place in this pantheon, even though they certainly held such a place in their time. There can be no reason for this oversight to continue, for here is the evidence once again laid bare.

[Now Music's 2015 reissue of Paul Revere & The Raiders' 1967 album Revolution! trumps the 1996 Sundazed CD by presenting the album in its original mono mix, then replicating all of the bonus tracks from that edition—the Mono 45 version of "Ups and Downs," a stereo mix of "Try Some of Mine" and the unedited "Legend of Paul Revere"—and then stereo mixes of seven of the album's 11 tracks.]

 

 

       Tracklist:

 

1.       Him or Me...What's It Gonna Be?

2.       Reno

3.       Upon Your Leaving

4.       Mo'reen

5.       Wanting You

6.       Gone...Movin' On

7.       I Had a Dream

8.       Tighter

9.       Make It with Me

10.   Ain't Nobody Who Can Do It Like Leslie Can

11.   I Hear a Voice

12.   Ups and Downs (Single Version)

13.   Try Some of Mine

14.   The Legend of Paul Revere (Extended Version)

15.   Him or Me...What's It Gonna Be?

16.   Reno

17.   Upon Your Leaving

18.   Mo'reen

19.   I Had a Dream

20.   Tighter

21.   I Hear a Voice

 

Tracks 1-11 from Revolution!, Columbia CL 2721 (Mono), 1967

Track 12 from Columbia single 4-44018, 1967

Tracks 13 & 14 included on Revolution!, Sundazed SC 6096, 1996

Tracks 15-21 from Revolution!, Columbia CS 9521 (Stereo), 1967

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