Towards the end of 1966, Idaho’s Paul Revere and The Raiders capped off a great year in which they had amassed a handful of hit records – probably most notably the classic single ‘Kicks‘ – by releasing the successful, somewhat forward thinking album Spirit Of ’67. It peaked at number nine on the US Billboard chart and the band went on to have a barrelful of big selling tunes, making them instantly recognisable to the American public along the way. Confoundingly, the warm embrace that The Raiders experienced Stateside never even came close to being replicated across the pond. This is quite feasibly one of the great injustices in hit parade history.
It’s difficult to pinpoint what, exactly, Paul Revere and The Raiders were about, listening to Spirit Of ’67 now. By and large, they are listed as ‘garage rock’, and while they do indeed possess that undeniable grittiness that defines the genre, listen closer and you will hear some of the most creative, psychedelic, infectious, soulful grooves of the entire decade packed amongst this record’s eleven strong set. ‘Good Thing‘ and ‘All About Me‘ are dead ringers for the irresistible R & B groove of The Small Faces, while ‘In My Community‘ conjures up memories of The Beatles circa Rubber Soul, and ‘Undecided Man‘ ploughs the same furrow as ‘Eleanor Rigby‘, right down to the eerily similar violin motifs that permeate the work.
Elsewhere, you can see where the seed was planted for Jeff Lynne’s formative years with The Idle Race before he went global with the Electric Light Orchestra. The terrific ‘Our Candidate‘ probably best illustrates such a comparison and really showcases just what a multifariously talented outfit this band really was.
This re-issue features all eleven tracks from the original album, first in mono and then in stereo, after which it tacks an alternative version of hit record ‘Hungry‘ on the end, along with two mono 45s – the infectious ‘(You’re A) Bad Girl‘ and ‘The Great Aeroplane Strike‘. All good songs, granted, but really, who actually plays/needs both the mono and stereo versions? I’ve never quite understood why people obsess about this. Just give me the album once with a disc full of B-sides and rarities and I’m happy. But hey, I’m no musical purist, so who am I to complain? The main thing is that Spirit of ’67 still holds up as a fine work of art today, and anyone who hears ‘Louise‘ and claims they HAVEN’T been singing it non-stop ever since, well, they’re basically just a lying bastard.
Spirit Of ’67 is out now on Now Sounds.
