Groovy 60s rock/pop: #9 "Kicks" Paul Revere and the Raiders (1966)

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Anyone around in the 1960s will remember Paul Revere and the Raiders with their distinct colonial uniforms. They frequently appeared on American Bandstand and similar shows. In 1958, the band was formed in Boise as the Downbeats led by organist Paul Revere and were an instrumental group. The name changed to Paul Revere and the Raiders in 1960 and they relocated to Portland in 1962. It took years to breakthrough but under producer Terry Melcher’s guidance and with lead singer Mark Lindsay, Paul Revere and the Raiders became popular. “Kicks” was written for the Animals by famed husband and wife team Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill. Eric Burden rejected it so the Raiders recorded the song for the “Midnight Ride” album. “Kicks” reached Billboard #4 despite its anti-drug message sparking controversy. Some thought the song was pro drug and the countercultural reviled the group as establishment. By the late 60s, popularity waned so the band reinvented itself as just the Raiders and scored a #1 with “Indian Reservation” in 1971. Lindsay left in 1972. Freddy Weller sang lead with the group prior to his solo country career. Revere kept the band going until his 2014 death. Dismissed as pop, Paul Revere and the Raiders became admired by new wave/punk groups. The Damned and Everclear are among those covering them.