Long overdue, exceptionally well done and priced right to bo
Paul Tognetti | Cranston, RI USA | 07/22/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What more could you possibly ask for? Australian based Raven records has done it once again! To the best of my knowledge there has never been a comprehensive collection of the hits of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Until now. "Kicks 1963-1972: The Anthology" features 21 of groups 24 U.S. charted hits. Naturally, you get the big ones from the groups early years including tunes like "Kicks", "Hungry", "Good Thing" and of course "Him or Me-What's It Gonna Be?" from 1967. But there are also a whole bunch of the Raiders later hits which I enjoyed almost as much. Songs like "Don't Take It So Hard", "Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon" and "Birds of A Feather" were great pop tunes but only modest hits. Also included in "Kicks 1963-1972: The Collection" is the gang's biggest record of all time, 1971's #1 smash "Indian Reservation". And while Paul Revere and the Raiders managed to place two dozen singles on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, they were also a surprisingly successful album group. Between 1965 and 1972, the group boasted 14 hit albums. In fact in 1966 and 1967 three of these albums, "Just Like Us", "Midnight Ride" and "The Spirit of '67" made the Top Ten. This compilation is sprinked with a number of tunes from these and other LP's.
The success of Paul Revere and the Raiders was due in large part to their heavy exposure on American television. In fact, it has been estimated that the Raiders made over 600 appearances on the tube! The vast majority of these appearances occured in 1965--1966 when the Raiders were regulars on Dick Clark's "Where The Action Is" show.
"Kicks 1963-1972: The Anthology" fills a huge void in my collection. The fact of the matter is that none of the other collections that have been available in the past was very good.
Raven has outdone itself once again. The 12 pages of liner notes are first rate and the remastering job is terrific. The disc includes a generous 30 tracks and I got to sample a number of Raiders tunes I had never heard before. Highly recommended!"
Good But Still Lacking
D. Bacon | Shoreline, CT | 05/06/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"True, this collection does include many of their top hits, but it aslo leaves off some of their early hits & other great songs. If you're looking for the ultimate Paul Revere & The Raiders collection, get "The Legend Of Paul revere & The Raiders" dual CD set instead. This collection features their roots & early hits, "Beatnick Sticks" and "Like Long Hair." Both of these were instrumental hits, before the band decided to become a vocal band. It also contains their version of "Louis, Louie," a song they recorded before The Kingsmen (which Columbia Records did not promote, thinking rock was a passing fancy), along with "Louie-Go Home." The dual CD set contains a whopping 55 songs, including "SS 396" and "Judge GTO Breakaway," both comersials they recorded. If you're seeking a collection that feature a wider variety of their sound, get "The Legend of Paul Revere & The Raiders" instead."
If you don't need the Legend of Paul Revere collection...
T. LeBaron | NH | 08/19/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...then this is the one to get. The double Legend of Paul Revere double-disc package features an incredible 55 tracks over two CDs and features a bunch of previously unreleased tunes, and aside from collecting all the individual LPs (which I've done for the most part, give or take one or two very early albums)...that's the way to go. However, if you want a package that's still got all the hits and all the major tracks that belong and you don't need to be overwhelmed, this one's an absolute winner too. All the great Raiders hits are here featuring the unmistakeable Mark Lindsay up front with one of the most underrated voices in all of rock & roll. These guys could match the Stones' energy beat for beat, and if you don't believe me, just give a listen to songs like Good Thing or Hungry or my personal favorite, Him or Me--What's it Gonna Be? These guys are total cutups onstage but that doesn't take a thing away from how GOOD they sound. This is some great American rock & roll the way it should be...energetic and in your face. If you want to hear the truly complete history of this band, get the double disc Legend set...but this collection's 30 tracks will do the job just fine...a jam-packed rock & roll party by some of the best from the 60s!"
THE BRITISH ARE COMING
Richard | Blackpool England | 11/28/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In 1964 Paul Revere & the Raiders,a bar band who'd once recorded instrumentals and lost the Louie Louie race to the Kingsmen,thought if you can't beat 'em join 'em.
Thus followed a ground plan to ape all the English bands who were cleaning up in America.
Revere & the Raiders were better at it than anybody,even with different lineups.
"Steppin'out" the first single to follow the New Direction was a pretty good copy of the Yardbirds,while the Stones provided the inspiration for "Good thing" and "The Great Airplane Strike",which were as good as the records the Stones were then making.
"Louise" was a very obvious Beatles copy,using part of "Drive my car" as a source.
By the time of the Monkees-another set of Beatles mimics-they picked up on the idea of using some of the same writers they'd used and one of the songs "I'm not your stepping stone" was even covered by the Monkees
The group lasted into the 70s,by which time they'd become country rockers,and went out on top with a No 1 single "Indian Reservation",a cover of the song by Don Fardon,who fared better in England.
They had no chart presence outside of America as they never appeared in Britain but they made a slew of great pop records which are gathered here on an album named for their anti drug song "Kicks"
Mark Lindsay,the vocalist,made country records and the band exists today with Paul Revere and whoever turns up,the glory days far behind"
Track Listings (30) - Disc #1
