These Kansas guys jumped out of the speakers and gave little notice they were about to slice the Red Sea.
Holy Moses.
This came out about the time I started working here the first time around (1986). So my old old Birmingham fans may remember some of these tunes.
They sound a bit like Jason and Scorchers. And the lyrics seem political with some religious overtones. But not sure what about? Am I missing something here?
I did not put you here to suffer
I did not put you here to whine
I put you here to love one another
And get up and have a good time.
Other songs are a little more surprising, if not, if not disconcerting: ‘Big Fat Blond’ and ‘Government Cheese,” which throws this verse at you.
ALBUMS : Alias Pink Puzz (1971);Midnight Ride (1966); Raider’s Indian Reservation 1971); Greatest Hits (1969);
MVC RATING: Puzz (3.5/$$); Midnight Ride(3.5/$$$); Raider’s Indian Reservation (4.0/$$$): Paul Revere and the Raiders Greatest Hits (4.0/$$$)
I can’t say I’ve ever been a huge Paul Revere and the Raiders fan. Their gimmick was they wore Revolutionary war costumes. Maybe they are relevant finally.
Indian Resevation was a big hit as was the anti-drug song, Kicks.
The Raiders could be categorized as the American flip side of the 1960’s British invaders with the Beatles, Stones, Who, Moody Blues, Herman’s Hermits and Chad and Jeremy.
Lead singer had a strong voice. I guess you have to when your main skill is waking a town up. They had an active 30 or longer-year career, with a number of personnel charges.
Why do I have four Paul Revere/Raiders albums? I’m not sure. They aren’t bad but not great either — they do now have a badge of honor as a few of their songs have been put in Quentin Tarantino movies. Tarantino has a knack of finding Billboard 60s and 70s songs to sneak into his movies.
Best album I think is Alias Pink Puzz–a little psychedelic, medium-boil, rock as we move into the 1970s.
ALBUMS: Hot Rocks (1971); Between the Buttons, (1967) Get Your Ya Ya’s Out (1971); Metamorphosis (1975); Dancing with Edward (1974; Sticky Fingers, (1971); Exile on Main Street (1972); Undercover (1987); Tattoo You (1978); Love You Live (1977 ); Black and Blue (1976)
MVC Grade: Hot Rocks (5.0/$$$$$); Between the Buttons (4.0/$$$$); Get Your Ya Ya’s Out (4.5/$$$$); Metamorphosis (3.5/$$$); Dancing with Edward (3.0/$$$) Sticky Fingers (5.0/$$$$$, Exile on Main Street (5.0/$$$$$); Undercover (2.5/$$$); Tattoo You (4.0/$$$$) Black and Blue(4.5/$$$$) Love You Live (3.5/$$$).
What’s that sound all across America of people zipping up their pants, their coats, their purses. Listen: zzzzzzzzzziiiiiiiiiiiiippppppppppppppp!
Oddly makes me feel secure knowing everything is zipped up.
Zip? And what better to zip with: A zipper.
I once bought a $120 pair of jeans marked down drastically because the thingymajigy used to pull up and mesh the zipper teeth, was missing. So I had to use my fingernails or bring a pair of pliers into the bathroom.
CAUTION: Use caution when you make sure you are clamping down on the zipper. A wrong placement and a tight squeeze can cause pain. Just be careful.
So a zipper is one of those words that when you say it out loud it sounds like the name of the thing that goes with the name. Come on you know what I’m talking about …. a word that makes a sound instead of a thought, I mean, not really that so much as it’s a pioneering use of the English language like Zonk! (or is that Zonk?)
What’s a Zonk and what does this have to about zippers? You mean Zonk is the sound a zipper makes? No Keith says, Zonk is like a Three Stooges smack to the head. Usually a smack that rattles you into dumboundedness.
I told Keith Richards that I already told him this was a Rolling Stones review for MyVinylcountdown.com. We need to be on good behavior.
OK, here we go:
Sometimes when the zipper method of merging works, the cars, as if driven by cooperative experts take turns merging, you first, me next, you next. (That’s called the zipper merge on American freeways.)
Well this is what the Rolling Stones did with Rock and Roll. They pulled all these disparate tangs into a big zip. If you don’t believe it, they actually show it on possibly their best album: Sticky Fingers. The original cover has an actual working zipper on the cover.
It’s a safe bet to name the Rolling Stones the best ever in rock evolution and revolution, pulling in the blues, some country, folk and poetic lyricism (Dylan influence).
The Stones did that as well with more of an emphasis on the blues. But that doesn’t mean they became the best blues players of all time.. The Stones became the best rock and roll band of all time because they could play, having internalized that strong mix of rural and urban blues, hooky chorus driven pop and early rock and roll, and let it rip. Or zip.
The Beatles pound-for- pound had better songs, better singing and playing, but the Stones were road ragged warriors. Paul and John had the words and questions. Mick and Keith had the exclamation points.
First you see the Stones and you look at these little punky kids (1960s) and the lead singer with the huge mouth, bodies flailing around and you wondered: Are they putting us on?
But the more your listen, the more you realize Jagger’s voice is perfect to carry this thing off, loud, ripped Chuck Berry and Bo DIddley chords, Watts and Wyman and Richards thrashing about.
And Jagger was singing (and writing along with Richards), songs like Satisfaction, Street Fighting Man, Gimme Shelter, Mother’s Little Helper,
Sorry but the Herman’s Hermit’s were not taking on revolution, the hypocrisy behind the pharmaceutical drug complex, or the advertisers brainwashing techniques.
Here some zippers:
Well this is what the Rolling Stones did with Rock and Roll. They pulled all these disparate things together.
If you don’t believe it, they actually show it on possibly their best album: Sticky Fingers. The Andy-Warhol designed cover has an actual working zipper on the cover. Merge.
I touched on this in an earlier column last week but I wanted to give it a little more attention.
I’ve had Lewy body dementia now for about five years and previously have had that happen to me. But that was once in a blue moon. I’ve had it a few times in my life — orthostatic hypotension — but it happens, you’re dizzy and it goes away. But in some LBD cases it can be a thing to warrant extra attention. These falls are dangerous.
I’m going to do more research, and talk to my doctor about it. But until then I’ve developed some strategy to save myself from flopping on my face. Before I get up from a long sitting or from bed in the morning I start breathing deliberately and deeply. I’m not hyperventilating. I am just aware of taking my breaths.
Sit there poised to get up but don’t — just breathe for another few minutes. Stand up using your arms on you knees or railing. I stop and keep my hands on knees continuing the deliberate breathing.
Here’s the thing. If this is going to happen to you it might happen as long as 10 minutes after the standing up. My faints were all several minutes after I thought any potential episode had been averted.
So the key part of this is time. Keep breathing and now standing lift one leg up (holding onto something) and then another like you are slow marching in place. I also put my hands on my head to open up my rib cage. Don’t get in a hurry. Stay there as long as you feel any cobwebs in your brain. Remember to drink plenty of liquids. I drink water, vegetable drink and sports drinks, usually sipping on one or the other all day long. (Coffee, too, but shhhhh, I don’t belive that’s going to help you on this one. Coffee is helpful to me with Parkinsonian symptoms like body unease, tremor and clearing my mind.
Another key to this thing is bringing more attention to it. Additional news on top of this information includes OH — the dizzy knockout symptom — might also shorten the lifespan of a Lewy body sufferer. After dealing with LBD all week, it was the last thing I wanted to hear. Maybe it is that the OH is killing people with falls at a rate to affect the numbers. More investigation needed and I’m on it.
So, if you see a guy ambling down the street one day, wearing a helmet — that’s me.
