Paul Revere & the Raiders

Paul Revere's first group, The Downbeats, which also included saxophonist and singer Mark Lindsay, gained first fame in local dance halls. The owner of Gardena Records agreed to release their record only on condition that the group changed its name - that's how Paul Revere & the Raiders appeared. By mid-1963, they were already the most popular collective in the northwestern part of the Pacific coast of the United States ^[2] .

The first nationwide success was brought to the group by the song “Louie, Louie” (from the repertoire of Kingsmen rivals): it was she who secured the ensemble a contract with Columbia Records . In 1965, at the suggestion of producer Terry Melcher, Paul Revere & the Raiders changed the sound by moving to a tempo rock and roll, which combined the melody of the Beach Boys and the elements of the hard rhythm and blues characteristic of the early Rolling Stones ^[2] .

This new sound first appeared in “Steppin 'Out,” a song by Revere and Lindsay, released by the single in the summer of 1965: here (according to Allmusic ) “they sounded punk like stylish but annoyed white teenagers from the suburbs.” On June 27, 1965, the group debuted on American television, appearing in Dick Clark's new program Where the Action Is . The group appeared before the audience in a new image, the main attribute of which was the costumes of the War of Independence of the United States .

Criticism subsequently very highly appreciated the second album of Just Like Us! : it was released at the beginning of 1966, was noted by the high quality of the material and performing skills, acquired a gold status. The musicians quickly improved and by the time Midnight Ride was released they were already multi-instrumentalists. This album, like the next one, Spirit of '67 , released in November 1966, became gold. One by one the charts included the singles “Kicks” (# 4, (anti-drug song), “Hungry” (# 5), “Good Thing” (# 4) and “Him or Me-What's It Gonna Be” (# 5) ^[5] .

The crisis came in 1968, when the group had to look again for a new sound, and Lindsay suddenly became interested in the possibilities of a solo career (he later released the hit "Arizona"). In 1969, Paul Revere & the Raiders, with their pompous costumes, looked already old-fashioned. In an attempt to free themselves from the old image, the group was renamed Raiders and began to play serious, heavy rock. The result was the Collage album, the material for which was prepared mainly by Lindsay and new member Kate Allison. The group did not acquire a new audience, and only plunged the old one into bewilderment ^[2] . Then, however, a coup was made: the group performed John D. Laudermilk 's song “Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)”: the single climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 ^[5] . But the group failed to consolidate this success, and by 1975 it had lost a contract with Columbia Records. Lindsay stopped working with Revere; the latter did not suspend concert activity, but the latter was now openly parody. Subsequently, all the old records of the ensemble survived numerous re-releases (Sundazed Records, Magic Records, Raven Records).

On October 4, 2014, the band's official website announced the death of Paul Revere. He was 76 years old ^[6] .

Albums

• 1961: Like, Long Hair
• 1963: Paul Revere & the Raiders
• 1965: Here They Come!
• 1966: Just Like Us!
• 1966: Midnight Ride
• 1966: The Spirit of '67
• 1967: Revolution!
• 1968: Goin 'to Memphis
• 1968: Something Happening
• 1969: Hard 'N' Heavy
• 1969: Alias ​​Pink Puzz
• 1970: Collage
• 1971: Indian Reservation
• 1972: Country Wine
• 1982: Special Edition
• 1983: The Great Raider Reunion
• 1983: Paul Revere Rides Again
• 1985: Generic Rock & Roll
• 1992: Generic Rock & Roll (aka Live NOT)
• 1996: Generic Rock 2 (aka Live NOT)
• 2000: Time Flies When You're Having Fun
• 2001: Ride to the Wall
• 2005: Ride to the Wall 2
• 2010: The Complete Columbia Singles