I watched these guys on "Where the Action Is", collected all of their 45s (even "SS 396"/"Corvair Baby") and always believed they could do more with four chords than anyone else around. That said, their albums really weren't all that good (I had three), so an anthology like LEGEND OF PAUL REVERE hasn't appealed to me. What I wanted for years was a thorough collection of the 1963-72 45s together with some of the more interesting album cuts.

This is very nearly that ideal collection. The mastering is pleasing and on the whole, a job well done. Thank you, RAVEN!

Quibbles: IMO the band's strongest single release was "Good Thing (still gives me chills) b/w "Undecided Man" and both of those songs should be here. "Undecided Man" was The Raiders' answer to The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" - Mark Lindsay singing over a very agitated string quartet of staccato violins and a pronouncedly legato cello. It's unique and brilliant. Also, "Do Unto Others", the flip side of "Peace of Mind", should be here. To make room, I'd omit "Ballad of a Useless Man" and "Why, Why, Why". Both are filler and I'd want nothing which sounds like filler.

PS. Anyone remember the picture sleeve for "Too Much Talk"? It was a photo of the U.S. Capitol dome!! How fab was that?

This has every single that made the top 40 and more by Paul Revere & the Raiders. The single greatest collection of songs by this group on one CD. Great sound quality and liner notes, you can't ask for anything more.

This is one cd that has enough of everything that encompasses the history of the music of Paul Revere & The Raiders for anyone who knew them or simply wants to get to know them and the good time, fun loving type of music they played- VERY upbeat! Would be too cool to have a dvd history type set made of many of their appearances with Dick Clark or on Hullabaloo, etc during the 60's as they made over like 600 appearances during that decade alone and were pure ENERGY to watch!

Only complaint if you want to call it that, is the first song is like their first garage band type ensemble of Louie, Louie which is very raw and could probably be removed from this collection; but it is their first "hit" of sorts and all the rest of the songs are in excellent arrangement and sound and quality otherwise, and the louder you boost your volume, the better it sounds like being at a real concert on every song!

My kids even love hearing this music today which thrills me to see, as it was clean fun, pure energy, and unforgettable musical arrangements and vocals that you will never forget listening to the song and there will NEVER be another decade like the 60's in music ever again sadly in this nation.

ESSENTIAL ALBUM!!! If you want only one disc by the Raiders this is the one to get. It has all the significant hits and a few of the best album tracks. It's on the Australian label, Raven, and, go figure, is the single best disc on this American group. This cd has a total of 30 tracks so you're getting a lot for your money. This collection has one song, "Louie, Louie", from their debut Here They Come. There are three songs, "Just Like Me", "Steppin' Out" & "Action", from their second album Just Like Us!. There are four songs, "Kicks", "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone", "Louie, Go Home" & "Ballad of a Useless Man", from their third album Midnight Ride. There are five songs, "Hungry", "The Great Airplane Strike" (the single version, actually), "Good Thing", "Why? Why? Why? (Is It So Hard)" & "Louise", from their fourth album The Spirit of '67. There are five songs, "Him or Me- What's It Gonna Be?", "Mo'reen", "Gone- Movin' On", "Tighter" & "I Had a Dream", from their fifth album Revolution! There is one song, "Peace of Mind", from their sixth album Goin' to Memphis. There are two songs, "Don't Take It So Hard" & "Too Much Talk" (both songs are actually the singles versions), from their seventh album Something Happening. There are two songs, "Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon" & "Cinderella Sunshine" (both are actually the singles versions), from their eighth album Hard 'n' Heavy (With Marshmallow). There is one song, "Let Me!" (actually single version), from their ninth album Alias Pink Puzz. There is one song, "Just Seventeen", from their tenth album Collage. There are two songs, "Indian Reservation" Their only #1 hit) & "Birds of a Feather", from their eleventh album Indian Reservation. Finally, there are two songs, "Country Wine" & "Powder Blue Mercedes Benz", from their twelfth album Country Wine. There is one more song, "Ups and Downs", that wasn't on a studio album though it was included in the Raiders' Greatest Hits.

There's very little that I can disagree with pertaining to the selection of songs. Every major hit is here, a few of their best album tracks are here. (Just from a personal standpoint I could put together a two disc set of the Raiders that would be mind boggling!) I would have loved to seen "1001 Arabian Nights" (Spirit of '67) & "Do Unto Others" (B-side from a single) here at the expense of a couple of songs that are here. This is just about as complete as a single disc collection can be. There are five Top 10 singles, there are six more songs that made the Top 20, three more songs that entered the Top 40 & six more songs that made the Top 100(is that REALLY a hit?). There are four songs not included here that did make the charts but not a one of them are worth quibbling about.

All in all, this is an excellent compilation; it has a song from almost every studio album that they released. How much more comprehensive can it be? I actually prefer this compilation over the Legend of Paul Revere compilation. It's a two disc set but there are a lot of songs there that the casual fan of the Raiders wouldn't be interested in. This is The one collection to get!

P.S. For those that are interested I've included a list of Raider songs that I would like to see put together in the comments section that's included in this review.

...then this is the one to get. The double Legend of Paul Revere double-disc package features an incredible 55 tracks over two CDs and features a bunch of previously unreleased tunes, and aside from collecting all the individual LPs (which I've done for the most part, give or take one or two very early albums)...that's the way to go. However, if you want a package that's still got all the hits and all the major tracks that belong and you don't need to be overwhelmed, this one's an absolute winner too. All the great Raiders hits are here featuring the unmistakeable Mark Lindsay up front with one of the most underrated voices in all of rock & roll. These guys could match the Stones' energy beat for beat, and if you don't believe me, just give a listen to songs like Good Thing or Hungry or my personal favorite, Him or Me--What's it Gonna Be? These guys are total cutups onstage but that doesn't take a thing away from how GOOD they sound. This is some great American rock & roll the way it should be...energetic and in your face. If you want to hear the truly complete history of this band, get the double disc Legend set...but this collection's 30 tracks will do the job just fine...a jam-packed rock & roll party by some of the best from the 60s!