Midnight Ride (album)
Encyclopedia
Midnight Ride is the fifth studio album by American
pop rock
group Paul Revere & the Raiders
. Produced by Terry Melcher
and released in May 1966, the album featured the U.S. top five single "Kicks
."
The album also includes "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
", a song The Monkees
covered and became a U.S. top 20 hit in 1967.
The album is unique in the band's discography in that it contains songwriting credits by all five bandmembers.
Stylistic changes, combined with arguments over which group members were to get their songs included on the band's albums, resulted in lead guitar
ist Drake Levin
quitting the group following the release of Midnight Ride. The album also marked the end of the band's relationship with the Brill Building
music publishing house, where "Kicks" and "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" were written.
albums chart.
The album was certified gold in the U.S. on March 20, 1967.
Music critic Bruce Eder said the album "marked just about the pinnacle of Paul Revere & the Raiders' history as a source of great albums."
The album was described in Billboard
magazine as a "package of hard driving, pulsating rockers."
Serene Dominic of the Phoenix New Times called the album "proof that [the band] squandered not a minute of that massive TV exposure."
It is listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
by Robert Dimery and Michael Lydon.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
group Paul Revere & the Raiders
Paul Revere & the Raiders
Paul Revere & the Raiders is an American rock band that saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s with hits such as "Kicks" , "Hungry" , "Him Or Me - What's It Gonna Be?" and the 1971 No...
. Produced by Terry Melcher
Terry Melcher
Terrence P. Melcher was an American musician and record producer, who was instrumental in shaping the sound of American West Coast rock music. His greatest contribution to the culture of the time was producing The Byrds' innovative hits "Mr Tambourine Man" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and his...
and released in May 1966, the album featured the U.S. top five single "Kicks
Kicks (song)
"Kicks" is a song by American rock band Paul Revere & the Raiders. Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil wrote the song for The Animals, but the band's lead singer Eric Burdon turned it down....
."
The album also includes "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
" Steppin' Stone" is a rock song by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. It was first recorded by Paul Revere & the Raiders and appeared on their 1966 album Midnight Ride....
", a song The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
covered and became a U.S. top 20 hit in 1967.
The album is unique in the band's discography in that it contains songwriting credits by all five bandmembers.
Stylistic changes, combined with arguments over which group members were to get their songs included on the band's albums, resulted in lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Drake Levin
Drake Levin
Drake Maxwell Levinshefski was an American musician who performed under the stage name Drake Levin. He was best known as the guitarist for Paul Revere & the Raiders....
quitting the group following the release of Midnight Ride. The album also marked the end of the band's relationship with the Brill Building
Brill Building
The Brill Building is an office building located at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood...
music publishing house, where "Kicks" and "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" were written.
Release and reception
Midnight Ride peaked at number nine on the U.S. Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart.
The album was certified gold in the U.S. on March 20, 1967.
Music critic Bruce Eder said the album "marked just about the pinnacle of Paul Revere & the Raiders' history as a source of great albums."
The album was described in Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine as a "package of hard driving, pulsating rockers."
Serene Dominic of the Phoenix New Times called the album "proof that [the band] squandered not a minute of that massive TV exposure."
It is listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
by Robert Dimery and Michael Lydon.
Side 1
- "KicksKicks (song)"Kicks" is a song by American rock band Paul Revere & the Raiders. Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil wrote the song for The Animals, but the band's lead singer Eric Burdon turned it down....
" (Mann, Weil) — 2:28 - "There's Always Tomorrow" (Levin, Smith) — 2:39
- "Little Girl in the 4th Row" (Lindsay, Revere) — 2:58
- "Ballad of a Useless Man" (Levin) — 2:08
- "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" Steppin' Stone" is a rock song by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. It was first recorded by Paul Revere & the Raiders and appeared on their 1966 album Midnight Ride....
" (Boyce, Hart) — 2:31 - "There She Goes" (Lindsay, Revere) — 1:47
Side 2
- "All I Really Need Is You" (Lindsay, Revere) — 3:27
- "Get It On" (Levin, Volk) — 3:12
- "Louie, Go Home" (Lindsay, Revere) — 2:41
- "Take a Look at Yourself" (Lindsay, Revere) — 1:48
- "Melody For an Unknown Girl" (Lindsay, Revere) — 1:59
Chart performance
| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 9 |
Credits and personnel
- Bob Irwin - mastering
- Drake Levin - lead guitar, vocals, liner notes
- Mark LindsayMark LindsayMark Lindsay is an American musician, best known as the singer for the group Paul Revere & the Raiders.-Biography:Lindsay was born in Eugene, Oregon and was the second of eight children...
- lead vocals (except where noted) - Terry Melcher - arranger, producer
- Paul Revere - organ, vocals, arranger
- Rich Russell - design
- Mike "Smitty" Smith - drums, lead vocals on "There's Always Tomorrow"
- Phil "Fang" Volk - bass guitar, vocals, lead vocals on "Get It On", liner notes
External links
- [ Midnight Ride] at Allmusic