Midnight Ride

Magic :) I know it's a little mid-road 60s, but I enjoyed the vibe and learning about the band! :) enjoyed this more than I expected to!

This feels like an album you need to hear mainly because they were big in the 60s - but I don't think they've achieved the timeless status of other bands from that era. You can hear the proto-punk sound here, but the Kinks did it better. There were definitely some good tracks, but it seems a bit like they were a "you had to be there" kind of band. Favorite tracks: Kicks, There's Always Tomorrow, I'm Not Your Stepping Stone, Get It On.

Half Beach Boys, half Velvet Underground, but not as exciting as it sounds. Nothing stands out apart from one song where he describes the parts of a car?

Sounds like early Beach Boys, fun songs, great melodies.

I really enjoyed listening to this one. Nothing groundbreaking, but just good late 60s rock and roll. Will listen again.

Fairly run of the mill 60's rock. This didn't stand out to me in any way. The Monkees version of Stepping Stone is better.

Good one but still pretty average for me

Psychedelic Rock man, it's my true weakness, and this kicks off with a great vibe in "Kicks" that continues on with "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" and "Take A Look At Yourself".

This album had a lot of different styles, that made it hard to distinguish this bands style compared to its contemporaries. All around a pretty good album though. I liked the personality of the lead singer. 3/5

Sounded nice

This is a perfectly nice, jangly 60's record. Lots of nice upbeat songs, with some good variation in music and instruments.

3.5 rounded down.

This was fine. It’s not really breaking any new ground though. This was released in 1966, the same year as Pet Sounds. Now I know it’s not fair to compare it to Pet Sounds, that album was an outlier that was ahead of its time. However, compared to other bands output at the time, including The Beach Boys, but also The Beatles, The Mothers of Invention, and The Monks to name a few, this is pretty weak. This might’ve been noteworthy in say 1962, but there was a big leap in music in the proceeding years, and it seems Paul Revere and the Raiders got left in the dust. I’ll say even for 1962 this would’ve been a pretty average album.

This blows. another beatles/stones sound ripoff.

This is extremely okay. Brutally and immensely unoffensive. A brilliant, timeless, and absolutely astonishing variety of middle-of-the-road pop. Wants to be milquetoast without ever getting there. Jokes aside, if you're in the mood for some good-time mid-sixties pop-rock, go put this on. Stepping Stone is the edgiest thing here, but this isn't about being edgy. Some creepy moments (Girl on the 4th Row, Melody for an Unknown Girl) that didn't age well, hysterical nonetheess. They weren't going for that, but it's entertaining all the same. The perfect example of a "sound" that some cool new West Coast bands are going for (looking at you, Buttertones). Rock and Roll without all the drugs and sex.

Wild ride (no pun intended) on this album. Opens up straight into Kicks. I love the energy here, a little garage rock, a little psych. A similar formula is used throughout at least half of the album and it just works. There's Always Tomorrow takes on a weird trip into twangy upbeat country, but somehow works in a chorus that is pure '60's pop. Weird, but it works. The only times they really lose me are on the slow burners; Little Girl in The Fourth Row and Melody for an Unknown Girl. Im just not a ballad guy.

Good 60s pop album, nothing outstanding but solid album I think earns its place on the list.

This was ok, but not sure why it's here. I read a comment that this list skews heavily toward the late 60s, but there's so much good stuff in other decades! Very blah, nothing interesting, has not held up the test of time. 2*.
Ok, I got less salty as this went along, this is an alright 60s record, 3*.
Highlights: kicks, all i really need is you

Very alright. I can say I liked it, but I’ve heard just about everything on here done better by other artists. I understand why the common consensus is a 3 here. Favorite songs were Kicks and I’m Not Your Stepping Stone.

These guys sound like The Doors, or Sgt. Pepper era Beatles. Pretty solid 60's synth pop/psychadelic rock. Apparently these guys used to dress as civil war reenactors on stage during their shows.

Favourite songs: SS 396, I'm Not Your Stepping Stone, There's Always Tomorrow, Ballad of a Useless Man, "Louis, Go Home", Get It On, Shake It Up, Kicks

Least favourite songs: Melody For An Unknown Girl

4/5

This wasn’t bad. Not really sure what else to say, it didn’t really leave a strong impression. 3/5