Revolution! Explained

Revolution! is the seventh studio album by American rock band Paul Revere & the Raiders, on Columbia Records (CS 9521). Produced by Terry Melcher and released in 1967, it reached number 25 on the U.S. albums chart and yielded two top 40 singles. The album cover photo was taken on the porch of a house located at the corner of East 15th Street and Mississippi Avenue in Joplin, Missouri.

This album was remastered and rereleased by Sundazed Records on November 19, 1996, with bonus tracks.

Personnel changes

Revolution! is a transitional album for the band, which underwent a substantial line-up change prior to its release. The rhythm section of Jim Valley, Phil Volk, and Michael Smith all departed and were replaced, respectively, by Freddy Weller, Charlie Coe, and Joe Correro, Jr. The album also featured such session musicians as Ry Cooder, Van Dyke Parks, Hal Blaine and Glen Campbell.^[1]

Critical reception

In a 1967 review, Billboard called the album a "driving package" that should continue the band's "successful chart string." The tracks "Him or Me – What's It Gonna Be?", "I Had a Dream", "Mo'reen", "Tighter" and "Gone - Movin' On" were named album highlights.^[2] AllMusic's Jack Rabid wrote: "If not as consistently a knockout as Spirit of '67, Revolution! is nevertheless right on its heels, containing as it does an even greater degree of pop experimentation within the form." Rabid described singer and songwriter Mark Lindsay as a "minor marvel" and "the glue that holds what would have been a willy-nilly collection together."^[3]

Original track listing

All songs written by Mark Lindsay and Terry Melcher.

Side 1

1. "Him or Me – What's It Gonna Be?" — 2:50
2. "Reno" — 2:24
3. "Upon Your Leaving" — 3:12
4. "Mo'reen" — 2:30
5. "Wanting You" — 2:52
6. "Gone - Movin' On" — 2:34

Side 2

1. "I Had a Dream" — 2:20
2. "Tighter" — 1:59
3. "Make It with Me" — 3:07
4. "Ain't Nobody Who Can Do It Like Leslie Can" — 2:19
5. "I Hear a Voice" — 2:49

Sundazed Records 1996 version

1. "Him or Me – What's It Gonna Be?" — 2:50
2. "Reno" — 2:24
3. "Upon Your Leaving" — 3:12
4. "Mo'reen" — 2:30
5. "Wanting You" — 2:52
6. "Gone - Movin' On" — 2:34
7. "I Had a Dream" (Isaac Hayes, Lindsay, Melcher, David Porter) — 2:20
8. "Tighter" — 1:59
9. "Make It With Me" — 3:07
10. "Ain't Nobody Who Can Do It Like Leslie Can" — 2:19
11. "I Hear a Voice" — 2:49
12. "Ups and Downs" — 2:49 (Bonus track)
13. "Try Some of Mine" — 2:45 (Bonus track)
14. "Legend of Paul Revere" — 3:49 (Bonus track)

Chart performance

Revolution! peaked at number 25 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.^[4]

Personnel

• Mark Lindsay - vocals, saxophone
• Paul Revere – keyboards, vocal ("Ain't Nobody Who Can Do It Like Leslie Can")
• Freddy Weller - lead guitar
• Jim "Harpo" Valley - lead guitar
• Phil Volk - bass guitar
• Charlie Coe - bass guitar
• Mike "Smitty" Smith - drums
• Joe Correro, Jr. - drums

Notes and References

1. Book: Rees. Dafydd. Crampton. Luke. Rock Movers and Shakers: An A-Z of People Who Made Rock Happen. ABC-CLIO. 427. Santa Barbara, California. 1991. 978-0-87436-661-7.
2. 1967-08-17. Album Reviews. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . 79. 33. 0006-2510.
3. Web site: Rabid. Jack. [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r47839|pure_url=yes}} ''Revolution!'' - Review ]. AllMusic. 2011-07-07.
4. Web site: Paul Revere & the Raiders - Charts & Awards - Billboard Albums. AllMusic. 2011-07-07.