by Robert Wilkinson
We kick off our musical Sunday toasting the lead singer of “America’s Rolling Stones,” the great Mark Lindsay, who had a birthday March 9. Welcome to Paul Revere and the Raiders!
Mark Lindsay (March 9, 1942) co-founded Paul Revere and the Raiders in 1960 with "Last Mad Man of Rock and Roll," Paul Revere Dick (January 7, 1938-October 4, 2014). Once they were signed by Columbia Records in 1965, the Raiders started a long run of proto-punk garage rock classics.
Called “America’s Rolling Stones,” they had a pounding, driving rock and roll energy fused with R&B along with a dynamic and funny stage show. They were also the very popular house band on the tv show Where the Action Is, and racked up 4 hits in the Top Ten, with front man Mark Lindsey also having a successful solo #1 hit toward the end of the run with “Indian Reservation.”
So today we celebrate one of America’s great live shows! These clips should give you a sense of just how funny and talented they truly were!
First, from Hullabaloo, a lip synched performance of their first hit that went to #11, “Just Like Me.” Here’s another lip synched performance on tv where they’re very young and clearly going through their “antic” schtick. “Just Like Me.” And here’s the studio version! “Just Like Me”
Just before they broke big with “Just Like Me,” they had introduced themselves to the world with this song, which Paul claims they did first, even before the Kingsmen, whose version charted higher. “Louie Louie”
Also before “Just Like Me,” this stomping tune made it to #46 on the charts “Steppin’ Out”
A lip synched performance of their biggest hit, complete with a horse on stage! “Kicks”
Here’s another performance with Mark doing real vocals over a backing track of the great Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil tune that went to #4. “Kicks”
This surfaced this year! From an ABC tv special in 1967, PR&TR lip-synching and goofing around to the studio version of their #6 smash hit “Hungry”
Here’s the uncensored version Columbia wouldn’t release because of the reference to being stoned. “Hungry”
From 1966, a lip synched performance on The Hollywood Palace television show of a tune that went to #20, “The Great Airplane Strike”
Also in 1966, on Dick Clark’s tv show, the guys do their schtick performing “Get It On”
From 1967, Mark, Paul, and the boys lip synching to their hit that went all the way to #4, “Good Thing.” (You can hear why there were comparisons to the Rolling Stones, who were in their Between the Buttons era, with “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and “Miss Amanda Jones.”)
Going back to the 60s, from Where the Action Is, PR&TR giving us their version of the Righteous Brothers’ hit written by Bill Medley! “Little Latin Lupe Lu” and from the same show, their version of the Jerry Lee Lewis classic “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”
Another “live” performance from 1967 of their #5 hit, “Him or Me” (which also could have been done by the Stones.)
From 1967 on the Smothers Brothers Comedy House, a “live” performance of a tune that went to #22 on the charts, “Ups and Downs”
By 1969 they were struggling for relevance. You can see from these two clips they were already off the peak. This is from January 1969, and is at best bubblegum rock and so derivative it makes me wonder who got paid off for it to hit #18. Here's Mr. Sun Mr. Moon" which they followed that Summer with this garage rock piece which was their last Top 20 hit, "Let Me."
Here’s a tv mimed performance with Mark singing to a backing track. ”Mr. Sun Mr. Moon," “Out On the Road,” and “Kicks.”
Before we move into Mark's solo hits, we have a couple of videos from their Summer 1969 European tour with the Beach Boys when the Raiders appeared on Beat Club. First, their hit at that time, "Let Me," and this rocker complete with screaming horns in the background, "Out On The Road." Here's another version of "Out On The Road."
Here’s a 9 minute video from 1979 with Dick Clark featuring Paul Revere and the Raiders. The live performance of their medley is bookended by the band sitting down with Dick and hanging out talking. We’re told it’s the first reunion of the band since their glory days! Medley – “Steppin’ Out,” “Kicks,” “Hungry,” “Good Thing”
Though Mark left the Raiders in 1975, I figured I would include this great 1986 live concert in Reno called “The Last Madman of Rock and Roll!” Here are the individual segments.
Paul Revere and the Raiders concert Pt 2 – “Good Thing,” “Hatman,” “Motown Medley,” and “Kicks”
Paul Revere and the Raiders concert Pt 3 – “Hungry,” “Just Like Me,” “Rock Paulanoff”
Paul Revere and the Raiders concert Pt 4 – “Louie Louie” and “Good Golly Miss Molly”
After finding the different segments, I found the whole 53 minute show in one clip. Paul Revere and the Raiders Live in Reno 1986
Back to Mark! He had two big hits while transitioning out of the Raiders. The first one in 1969 reached #10, and I found a clip from 2010 with Mark out front of his own band giving us ”Arizona.” And from 1970, a tune that went to #25, ”Silver Bird”
He followed that one with his 1971 solo #1 platinum hit, backed live by the band! Indian Reservation (Cherokee People)
Last year I had the studio album The Spirit of ‘67 on one clip, but it’s disappeared. Still, this link will begin the album, and the rest of the tracks will load automatically. The Spirit of ‘67
Here’s a strange 9 minute clip of some antics of a show that never got aired! Mark Lindsay & Paul Revere - Funny clips from 'lost' Raiders show, 1967
This year the interesting intimate tribute site Paul Revere and the Raiders.com takes you to a totally black page. But it may come back up so I’ll leave this “live dead link.” If you want to know more, check out their FB page at Paul Revere and the Raiders on Facebook
So muchas gracias for all the great tunes and shows across the years, Mark! When you and the "Last Mad Man of Rock and Roll," Paul Revere got together, you gave us a bunch of tunes in the great American soundtrack of the 60s!!
© Copyright 2023 Robert Wilkinson
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