Customer Reviews

The Legend of Paul Revere

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

There is much debate over whether the remixed versions ruin the original sound or just enhance it. Both sides of the argument have some merit in my opinion, the remixes done here do add some clarity and are well crafted, but sometimes at the expense of altering the original "sound" that would be ingrained in your brain if you heard these songs hundreds or even thousands of times in your younger days. Its not quite as bad as some reviews here suggest - e.g.: the guitar in "Kicks" is not obliterated, it was moved to one channel, and the tambourine is, a bit over emphasized, on the other channel. But overall, if you grew up listening to this song repeatedly and were listening unaware to this remixed version, you would probably be wondering what sounded a little bit different about it at first. Some people may enjoy the extra sonic definition, others will not like the change in overall sound from the original.

What's worth the price for this set is the collection of early songs (1-23) on disc one, which are well worth having if you're a fan of early-mid 60s rock N Roll. This is a different sound than Kicks and Hungry, etc., but superb early garage band stuff. Even covers like "Don't You Just Know It," while not as good as Huey 'piano' Smith's hit version, are enjoyable. Most people will not "remember" (or have ever heard) these early songs, so the issue of the "remixed" sound differences won't matter much there. Plus you get the cool car songs SS 396, Corvair Baby and Judge GTO Breakaway in one place.

Note that the version of "Louie, Go Home" on this disc, CD 1, is an earlier and significantly different version than the one contained "Greatest Hits."

So make sure you have a copy of the original Columbia "Greatest Hits" CD for the "original sound" of the major hits, and if that's all you want, that's all you need. If you want to explore more and have some listening fun doing so, this is well worth it.

I purchased this CD thinking that it would be a clean-sounding CD version of the songs I remember coming from my AM radio in the Sixties and Seventies. Wrong! "Kicks" is one of my absolute favorite radio hits from the Sixties. In glorious mono, it comes out of the speakers like gangbusters, and has a sly anti-drug message to boot! The re-mix of this song on this compilation reduces the lead guitar to background noise, replacing it with a tamborine brought forward in the mix. It was all I could do to keep from making this CD a silver mini-Frisbee! Sony messed up this one....big time!

Whoever the Engineer was on this 2ble CD, they must have an IQ of 2020 and the worst hearing ever. The sound on this 2ble album is totally abysmal. I bought this because of all the tracks what I didn't count on was the awful sound. Be smart, by the latest version of their one CD Greatest Hits album, the sound is fantastic on that. Why these morons didn't use that sound on this album is beyond me.

This CD set is the only one I know of that contains all the hits of the Raiders in one place. That's including their first national hit, "Like Long Hair" - my favorite instrumental of all time! The early Raiders did lots of instrumental tracks - their first album was all instrumental - and Paul Revere on piano was the leader. He had those Jerry Lee Lewis boogie chops in his blood, and that sound carries the band up through the mid 60's. the other members came and went, but Mark Lindsay was always there on sax and vocals - check out his growling vocals on the early tracks like "Louie Louie" and "Over You". Five previously unreleased tracks on disc 1 come from the live in the studio sessions for their 1st Columbia album, "Here They Come". These tracks show what a ferocious live band the Raiders were in the 60's. In those days, the Raiders mostly covered other artists' material, the few originals Paul and Mark came up with, though, are just as fun to hear ("Louie Go Home", "Blue Fox", and "Steppin' Out" - their breakthrough hit of 1965). The second half of the first disc features the "Action" era hits, along with a few oddities like "Corvair Baby" and "SS 396". Disc 2 contains the late 60's hits like "I Had a Dream", "Let Me', "Too Much Talk", and "Don't Take it So Hard". By this time, Mark Lindsay was producing the records and writing most of the material, and his star status was reflected in the billing (on records, tv and concerts) as "Paul Revere & the Raiders featuring Mark Lindsay". The psycadelic influence came into the Raiders music, but it always remained accessible and commercial. The early 70's saw a few more hits ("Birds of a Feather", "Country Wine", and their biggest seller "Indian Reservation"), but by 1973 their records were not selling, and Columbia rejected a final album from the group. Three of those unreleased tracks conclude this set (and hopefully someday we will get to hear the others!). One of those tracks, "Angels of Mercy", shows a jazz influence (maybe Mark had been listening to Chicago or BS&T?), while his version of "Tobacco Road" totally reinvents the song as a funky, fuzztone rocker. This CD set is the only comprehensive Raiders collection on the market, so buy it if you are a longtime fan or a new fan just discovering their music!

I originally purchased the set upon it's original release in 1990, over the years I have listened to it may times, continuing to comparing it to many other remastered tracks and cds of its time...always concluding that the tracks (especially disc 1, disc 2 kicks in with "him or me") sounded like they came directly from vinyl,I have today just received the Sundazed Midnight Ride. Let me tell you if you love this stuff as I do, and want to hear the Raiders, pass on this collection, and get the Sundazed, the sound blows "Legend" out the door! I can't wait to get the rest on Sun.

Don't Hate the Reviewer, Hate the CD Set:

Don't get me wrong, I love the Raiders but I will make this short and to the point. First, the sound recording is just plain BAD!!
Secondly, the songs below vary from poor to just bad..Shoulda been allow a death on tape in a vault somewhere.

There are several really good remastered Raider's Greatest Hits compilations. I would avid this one if I were you.

Disc: 1

1. Beatnick Sticks
2. Like, Long Hair
4. Slippin' And Slidin' (Remix)
8. Have Love Will Travel
10. Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On (Remix)
11. Hi-Heel Sneakers
13. Don't You Just know It (Remix)
14. Irresistable You (Remix)
15. Maybelline (Remix)
16. Ooh Poo Pah Doo
22. SS 396 (Remix)
23. Corvair Baby (Remix)
25. Shake It Up (Remix)

Disc: 2

3. I Had A Dream
4. Peace Of Mind
9. It's Happening
10. Judge GTO Breakaway (Remix)
12. Let Me
13. We Gotta All Get Together
14. Just Seventeen
20. Song Seller
21. A Simple Song

Much has been made here about the Remixes on this collection. The truth is that the audio problems go FAR beyond the remixed titles. The whole of the 2nd disc is a washed out, muddy audio mess and it is inconceivable that someone at Sony/Columbia didn't catch it before release. This compilation is about 15 years overdue for a serious remaster.
Some of the titles here can be heard in far better quality on the Sundazed releases, however admittedly a few of those have some excessive overmodulation issues. They are still by far the lesser of two evils. At least the songs PUNCH the way the Raiders need to punch.
As is, the "Legend" CD sits on my shelf gathering many years worth of dust. It's far to painful to listen to.

In the Raiders we have one of the great lost singles bands of the 60s, no doubt about it. And how are they served? Well, you have this collection, which is horribly remastered and, at almost 60 songs, simply too long. Or, you have Midnight Ride, which sounds wonderful, but ends too soon(1967), missing strong songs like Let Me, Peace of Mind, Mr. Sun, Mr Moon, Birds of a Feather, and, most importantly, Indian Reservation.

I wouldn't mind the lengthiness of this collection (these guys were a really good bar band) if the sound was decent. With all the wonderful remastering jobs that have been given to 60s artists in the last decade, isn't it time to give this groups' legacy what the fans deserve - a comprehensive, good-sounding collection?

This is probably the best compiliation of Paul Revere and the Raiders songs. There are so many tracks included that were big hits, and some that only we die-hard fans would recognize. A track on the 2nd CD is called "Don't Take It So Hard." If any Revere fans don't recall the name, you will once you hear the first few notes. You will be amazed at the digital remastering of the song. The bass guitar playing is note-perfect. The remix songs are outstanding! Plus, there's a lot of talk between songs, and its usually Paul being funny! You'll see how he got the nickname of being the "Madman of Rock & Roll." (In one track, the Producer in the sound booth turns on the mike and says, "You guys have got to kidding!" because of their goofing around.) It's really a fun collection and a gotta-have for any Raider fan. It's worth it just for the book inside with the picture of the gorgeous hunk, Mark Lindsay! The best part is that Mark Lindsay and Paul Revere and the Raiders still sound wonderful at their concerts!

I was almost a teenager when Where the Action Is was on every afternoon, and loved these guys and their high energy and sense of humor...very underrated when it came to the actual records they put out...these guys had energy that rivalled the early Stones, and Mark Lindsay had a voice on equal par with Mr. Jagger...just listen to Steppin Out or Him Or Me (What's It Gonna Be) and you'll understand...it's ALL good...the remixes may not be to everyone's liking but if you have a MONO button on your sound system...use it (a lot of those 60s albums had very strange stereo separation like the early Beatles LPs with vocals on one side and instruments and backing vocals on the other). I've read some reviews that absolutely REVILE the quality of the audio mix here, but remember the time most of this stuff came from when we didn't have the sheer ridiculous amount of equipment that exists today. I think they did the songs justice.
Overall...ALL the hits in one place and some stuff you might not have heard but WILL amaze and astound you...one of THE most comprehensive best-of collections, not only for the Raiders but of the rock & roll era, for just 2 CDs this rivals some 4-disc boxed sets! Don't pass this one up...crank it and ENJOY!!!