Midnight Ride

Unfortunately, by 1966, the British had already come. I'm sure this was good in its time, but outside of "Kicks" and "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" I don't remember anything that stood out (and I tried listening to it 3 times). Much like the New Wave albums - I like Psych Rock, but I don't think I need to hear EVERY record in the genre before I die.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’m somehow having to talk my way into bumping one way or the other, though I’m leaning towards a 5.

Genuinely, I’m surprised at how varied that was for 1966 – the influences of just about everyone else in the genre is pretty apparent here, especially when it comes to the Beatles, the Beach Boys, & the Doors, but with flashes of the Rolling Stones & Johnny Cash in there. This album jumps from spot to spot, and yet the energy the band brings is pretty consistent, making this whole thing feel like a strong, cohesive record. There’s some big highlights here; “Kicks”, “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone”, “Get It On”, & “Louie, Go Home” are probably my top songs after a first listen. “Get It On” in particular feels well ahead of pace for 1966, even if it’s a cover. Overall, there’s not a bad track here, and for a 29 minute album, this thing is packed pretty damn well, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Why the hell am I even considering bumping it down to a 4, then? As always, a bunch of little piling nitpicks for me that just build up. “Little Girl in the 4th Row” is probably the weakest track here, and that “Little” in the title certainly doesn’t help much. The harmony has a nice Beach Boys-y tone to it, but the track feels a little slow & it just doesn’t really go anywhere. “Ballad of a Useless Man” has a great instrumental & good lyrics, but the disconnect with the vocals having a twangier, country tone (especially frustrating with “Steppin’ Stone” right after) just nags at me a little bit. “All I Really Need Is You” is a cool track, especially with the surprise beat switch at the 2 minute mark that feels ahead of pace for the time, but the vocal structure is too loose, too Dylan-y, & loses a lot of coherence by the third verse. It’s a good track, it just probably needed a little more work to really tie it together.

Past that, I have the extreme nitpick that some of these tracks should’ve ended on an actual finish instead of a fadeout, but given that my issues boil down to 1 mediocre song, 1 that needed work & some production choices that I just disagreed with, can I really bring myself to bump down an album that I enjoyed this much? No, not really – the floor here is definitely a 3, especially if you’re not into the amalgamation of ‘60s styles present on this thing, or if you just get sort of bored for whatever reason. I’ll bump this up from a 4.5 to a 5; if there was another dud track on here, I’d probably be at a 4, but this is a quick burst of energy that just feels great to listen to for my ears. If anything, I’m still riding the intense percussion from “Get It On”, so maybe in the future this could go down, but right now, I feel inclined to bump it up. Fun stuff for 1966.

Pretty nice to listen to.

Har likt flere av låtene på albumet her lenge, men aldri hørt hele. Det er et par sterke låter her, såklart "Kicks" og interessant å høre hvor ulik deres versjon av "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" er fra The Monkees. Ellers plasserer de seg i mid tier av alle album som gjorde 1966 til et sterkt musikkår, rett og slett fordi det er for mange fillers på album og lite som skiller dem ut.

Often sounded like the Beatles, sometimes the Beach Boys. Not bad

Midnight Ride isn't an album i have too much to say about but it is still a pretty solid album for what it is. It still does seem to be one of the many albums in the psychedelic rock movement that was going on a lot during the 1960s and because of that, it has the general sound of a psych-rock album. The songs here aren't the most diverse things around but they do enough to set themselves apart from each other. The songs here sound pretty good and the album just breezes by without feeling like it's going by at a pace that's overly fast. I wouldn't say it's a great album but it does what it does pretty well.
Best Song: Kicks
Worst Song: Ballad of a Useless Man

I liked it but it felt very de-revere-tive of the Rolling Stones until the penultimate song, SS 396 which is literally just a Beach Boys song.

Straightforward early rock and roll. Nothing particularly inspired, but also pretty inoffensive.

Always a sucker for mid 60's R&B. Paul Revere & The Raiders was the American answer to the British invasion, although they don't really sound that American besides the name. The nice part about albums from this era is that you can easily compare them to one another, since they all cover each others songs. I'm not your stepping stone was done better by The Flies, but this version is still fun. I like the album, not the best from the era but good nonetheless.

Go drive through mountains and listen to this. Nice time.

Has everything I want from a mid-60s rock album. It feels a tiny bit dated but considering its age it's remarkably fresh still. Lots of variety.

Going into this, I had never heard of Paul Revere & The Raiders or their album Midnight Ride. But with the late '60s artwork and vibe, I was curious to give it a listen.

Midnight Ride is a fun and energetic rock and roll record that captures the spirit of the '60s. At times, it channels a very Beatles-esque sound, which was a pleasant surprise. Standout tracks for me were “There She Goes” and “Get It On”—both catchy and full of that classic vintage charm.

That said, not every song hit the mark. A few tracks felt like filler, with “Melody for an Unknown Girl” standing out as the weakest—it just didn’t hold my attention and felt out of place with the rest of the album's energy.

Favourite song: Get It On

Least favourite: Melody for an Unknown Girl – it’s just a bit dull.

Album artwork: I really love the cover. It sets the tone well and has that cool, retro appeal.

Overall, Midnight Ride is an enjoyable slice of '60s rock, even if it’s a bit uneven at times. Definitely worth a listen if you're into that era.

Unimpressive.

Como la mayoría de esta lista, es rock, y como la mayoría de esta lista, es bastante mid. No me parece ofensivo, pero debido a la continua repetición de este tipo de discos le voy a quitar a este una estrella.

Canción destacada: I'm not your stepping stone

Very average rock and roll record. Sounded a lot like British Invasion even though these guys are from Idaho.

I liked this!

Catchy and just my sort of thing

4 ⭐️

Firmly middling. I really wish I could give it a 2.5/5, but, I suppose I'll have to trust my gut here. There's some songs that have some catchy groove to them, but the rest just fall by the wayside. Vocals are nice, though.

last track walked so bob ross could run

Made their name as a Minor Threat cover band, but basically a Chuck Berry tribute act getting trippy off the mildest grass the 60s had to offer. I like the sound: organs, bright chiming guitar, busy drums, some bolero style trumpet - but they're not doing anything distinctive really. This era is wildly overrepresented, just including the Nuggets compilation would save so much space, this is much more of a track on a compilation band than an album on a canonical list band. 'Melody for an Unknown Girl' is one of the most insipid cringey things I've ever heard.

Favorites: kicks, all I really need is you

Classic - what could have been!