Search - Thee Midnighters :: Midniters - Greatest Hits

1960s East L.A. Latino rock at its best

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 03/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As the best of the '60s Latino rock bands, it's amazing that Thee Midniters' original sides are only now debuting on CD. The band's minor 1965 chart success with "Land of a Thousand Dances" (quickly eclipsed by fellow East Los Angelinos, Cannibal & The Headhunters, and replaced in the public consciousness by Wilson Pickett the following year) barely scratched the surface of their talent.Equally influenced by '50s doo-wop and R&B, and mid-60s rock, soul and jazz, Thee Midniters waxed an impressive array of covers and originals, ranging from ballad standards like "That's All" (famously sung by Nat "King" Cole) to blistering renditions of The Rolling Stones' "Empty Heart" and "2120 South Michigan Avenue" (loosely relocated to "Whittier Blvd.") and socially conscious originals such as "Chicano Power."The band's mix of guitars, organ and horns was built on a rhythm section that laid down wickedly propulsive bass lines and stomping back beats. Lead vocalist Little Willie G. sang everything from down-tempo covers of Jerry Butler ballads and Philly-sound originals to a punky covers of Solomon Burke and grade-A garage rockers, such as "Love Special Delivery." They also wrote Mitch Ryder styled blues-rock and covered Chicago R&B with equal aplomb.This twenty track collection of slow-dances and sweat-drenched rave-ups is not only a fine overview of the band's output, it's a stellar party soundtrack, perfect for dancing the East L.A. favorite, The Slauson!"

Generally regarded as the greatest group in the history of C

Paul Tognetti | Cranston, RI USA | 12/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Prior to sampling this "Greatest Hits" CD my only exposure to the music of Thee Midnighters was their 1965 recording of "Land of A Thousand Dances". I always did prefer Thee Midnighters version to the much more successful Cannibal and the Headhunters recording. At any rate for some reason I never owned this record and it had been more that 30 years since I had even heard this tune. Until tonight. Several weeks ago a friend of mine who does not own a computer asked me if I could locate a copy of "Thee Midniters Greatest Hits" for him on the internet. He had read lots of good things about this group. And lo and behold I discovered this 2002 release from Thump records on Amazon.com. I ordered it for him and tonight I got a chance to hear this material for the very first time. What a revelation!!! Easily qualifies as one of my best finds of 2005!

First of all, since I knew practically nothing about this group, I really did appreciate the thoughtfully done 8 page booklet that accompanies "Greatest Hits". I discovered that Thee Midnighters was a seven man group from East LA that was tremendously popular in Southern California in the mid to late 1960's. Led by vocalist Willie Garcia this group made some incredible music during their rather brief heyday. "Greatest Hits" offers the listener a generous 20 tracks and I think that it is safe to say that you that you will not be disappointed. Much to my surprise, nearly half of the tunes on this disc are ballads. That is not quite what I would have expected but I can assure you that I have no objections. I found myself simply spellbound by tunes like "That's All", "The Town I Live In" and most expecially "Dreaming Casually". For a change of pace enjoy the Midniters rollicking rendition of Solomon Burkes classic "Everybody Needs Someone To Love". If you are someone who enjoys a good instrumental may I recommend "Whittier Blvd"

or better still "Chicano Power". Thee Midniters lineup featured a horn section years before it was fashionable. Finally, I would also recommend to you what is perhaps my favorite tune in this collection "Brother Where Are You?" And I could go on and on. Honestly, there is not a bad track on this disc.

If you are a fans of 1960's music like I am then "Thee Midniters Greatest Hits" should be a welcome addtion to your collection. It is quite apparent to me that this is a group that should have garnered a heck of a lot more attention nationally than they did. Find out for yourself. It is one of those discs you should grab while you have the chance. Highly recommended!!"

I'm glad that these songs are finally available on CD

Mario Silva | Brea, Ca | 05/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thee Midniters have been my favorite group for over 40 years. I was fortunate enough to have seen them in their heyday back in the mid 60s, and also have seen them again within the last couple of months as they have gotten back together to perform live once again after 40 years. They haven't missed a beat. They sound as good as ever, and have added more horns, and additional players whose musicianship is terrific. Little Willie G, their lead singer sounds as good if not better than when he did the original recordings of their music. They've always been a great live performance band. What has always separated them from the other local bands was the ballad singing of Little Willie G. This CD gives ample voice to those ballads. They always seemed to do songs that were a little bit obscure, such as Lenny Welch's "I Need Someone", Jerry Butler's "Giving Up on Love", Nat King Cole's "That's All", Jay Wiggins' "Sad Girl", and Oscar Brown Jr.'s "Brother Where Are You?". Little Willie G did a great job on these and on other ballads on the CD, as well as rocking versions of the fast songs on this CD. It's a shame that they never received the attention of a national stage, but at least now their music is available on CD for more people to experience. I highly recommend this CD, and hope that a lot more people get to hear their music."