Obit: Drake Levin, Lead Guitar, Paul Revere & The Raiders

[RicoGregg]

Details:

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-drake-levin7-2009jul07,0,2699826.story

 

[Al Timiter]

RIP Drake. Enjoyed watching you and your bandmates on "Where the Action Is" and listening to and dancing to those incredible records. Can anyone tell me definitively if Drake played on "Him or Me, What's it gonna' be?" That's some bitching guitar work there.

 

[radioman148]

RIP Drake. Enjoyed watching you and your bandmates on "Where the Action Is" and listening to and dancing to those incredible records. Can anyone tell me definitively if Drake played on "Him or Me, What's it gonna' be?" That's some bitching guitar work there.

I'd like know that as well. That's my favorite Raiders record.

 

[Al Timiter]

Just remembered: I read somewhere that Paul Revere and the Raiders was the first "rock and roll" act signed to Columbia records...under the strong objection by Mitch Miller.

 

[radioman148]

Just remembered: I read somewhere that Paul Revere and the Raiders was the first "rock and roll" act signed to Columbia records...under the strong objection by Mitch Miller.

Good old Mitch. He sure hated rock & roll in the early days.

 

[firepoint525]

So apparently, Mitch never went the "Ray Conniff" route, and just started singing rock & roll anyway! ;D

 

[RicoGregg]

Just remembered: I read somewhere that Paul Revere and the Raiders was the first "rock and roll" act signed to Columbia records...under the strong objection by Mitch Miller.

Good old Mitch. He sure hated rock & roll in the early days.

I interviewed Mitch Miller for a San Diego station in the mid-70s. I asked him about his thoughts of Rock and Roll, and basically, what he said was that he didn't necessarily hate it, but was very selective in who and what he liked.

I then asked who he did like, and without hesitation, he said Chicago. He said that they were the best thing in Rock, and that they would have been very popular in the Big Band Era. He said that he was a big fan of theirs.

 

[ceaser]

His version of give peace a chance is a piece of work ;D

 

[radioman148]

Just remembered: I read somewhere that Paul Revere and the Raiders was the first "rock and roll" act signed to Columbia records...under the strong objection by Mitch Miller.

Good old Mitch. He sure hated rock & roll in the early days.

I interviewed Mitch Miller for a San Diego station in the mid-70s. I asked him about his thoughts of Rock and Roll, and basically, what he said was that he didn't necessarily hate it, but was very selective in who and what he liked.

I then asked who he did like, and without hesitation, he said Chicago. He said that they were the best thing in Rock, and that they would have been very popular in the Big Band Era. He said that he was a big fan of theirs.

From what I heard Mitch hated Rock when it first started and then softened his stance.

 

[hornet61]

Just remembered: I read somewhere that Paul Revere and the Raiders was the first "rock and roll" act signed to Columbia records...under the strong objection by Mitch Miller.

Good old Mitch. He sure hated rock & roll in the early days.

I interviewed Mitch Miller for a San Diego station in the mid-70s. I asked him about his thoughts of Rock and Roll, and basically, what he said was that he didn't necessarily hate it, but was very selective in who and what he liked.

I then asked who he did like, and without hesitation, he said Chicago. He said that they were the best thing in Rock, and that they would have been very popular in the Big Band Era. He said that he was a big fan of theirs.

From what I heard Mitch hated Rock when it first started and then softened his stance.

Maybe the late John Hammond intervened on the Raiders behalf, he had a lot of Juice by the mid-sixites at Columbia

My hearing has gotten band I can't tell the opening riff to Louie,Louie is piano or Levin on guitar or both?

 

[radioman148]

Just remembered: I read somewhere that Paul Revere and the Raiders was the first "rock and roll" act signed to Columbia records...under the strong objection by Mitch Miller.

Good old Mitch. He sure hated rock & roll in the early days.

I interviewed Mitch Miller for a San Diego station in the mid-70s. I asked him about his thoughts of Rock and Roll, and basically, what he said was that he didn't necessarily hate it, but was very selective in who and what he liked.

I then asked who he did like, and without hesitation, he said Chicago. He said that they were the best thing in Rock, and that they would have been very popular in the Big Band Era. He said that he was a big fan of theirs.

From what I heard Mitch hated Rock when it first started and then softened his stance.

Maybe the late John Hammond intervened on the Raiders behalf, he had a lot of Juice by the mid-sixites at Columbia

My hearing has gotten band I can't tell the opening riff to Louie,Louie is piano or Levin on guitar or both?

Speaking of bad hearing, I wonder if any other old-time rockers like me are having this problem.
When I listen to oldies I often think that I'm hearing a different version than the original, but then I learn that
I'm not hearing all the instruments in the recording that I used to hear.

 

[Silkie]

I don't think that is necessarily your hearing, even if you are losing some hearing. Oftentimes when I am listening to the radio - especially on the Internet - a good deal of the oldies only hit one speaker. You miss vocals and everything else. Probably the same way on the radio too. I'm tellin' ya, even with a little bit of a crackle records just sound better an awful lot of the time. After I got all I wanted out of the Sharp with the 5 CD changer I gave it to somebody and kept my record player - with a CD player connected to the auxillary jack. No prob.

 

[radioman148]

I don't think that is necessarily your hearing, even if you are losing some hearing. Oftentimes when I am listening to the radio - especially on the Internet - a good deal of the oldies only hit one speaker. You miss vocals and everything else. Probably the same way on the radio too. I'm tellin' ya, even with a little bit of a crackle records just sound better an awful lot of the time. After I got all I wanted out of the Sharp with the 5 CD changer I gave it to somebody and kept my record player - with a CD player connected to the auxillary jack. No prob.

You make a good point. Even though my hearing is lousy, the mixes on many of the later CDs were far different than the original 45s.

 

[Silkie]

I don't think that is necessarily your hearing, even if you are losing some hearing. Oftentimes when I am listening to the radio - especially on the Internet - a good deal of the oldies only hit one speaker. You miss vocals and everything else. Probably the same way on the radio too. I'm tellin' ya, even with a little bit of a crackle records just sound better an awful lot of the time. After I got all I wanted out of the Sharp with the 5 CD changer I gave it to somebody and kept my record player - with a CD player connected to the auxillary jack. No prob.

You make a good point. Even though my hearing is lousy, the mixes on many of the later CDs were far different than the original 45s.

Right-o. Somewhere off in the left channel or right channel you hear faint backup. It's ridiculous how new and improved works, no?

 

[radioman148]

I don't think that is necessarily your hearing, even if you are losing some hearing. Oftentimes when I am listening to the radio - especially on the Internet - a good deal of the oldies only hit one speaker. You miss vocals and everything else. Probably the same way on the radio too. I'm tellin' ya, even with a little bit of a crackle records just sound better an awful lot of the time. After I got all I wanted out of the Sharp with the 5 CD changer I gave it to somebody and kept my record player - with a CD player connected to the auxillary jack. No prob.

You make a good point. Even though my hearing is lousy, the mixes on many of the later CDs were far different than the original 45s.

Right-o. Somewhere off in the left channel or right channel you hear faint backup. It's ridiculous how new and improved works, no?

New & improved isn't always better.

 

[Silkie]

I don't think that is necessarily your hearing, even if you are losing some hearing. Oftentimes when I am listening to the radio - especially on the Internet - a good deal of the oldies only hit one speaker. You miss vocals and everything else. Probably the same way on the radio too. I'm tellin' ya, even with a little bit of a crackle records just sound better an awful lot of the time. After I got all I wanted out of the Sharp with the 5 CD changer I gave it to somebody and kept my record player - with a CD player connected to the auxillary jack. No prob.

You make a good point. Even though my hearing is lousy, the mixes on many of the later CDs were far different than the original 45s.

Right-o. Somewhere off in the left channel or right channel you hear faint backup. It's ridiculous how new and improved works, no?

New & improved isn't always better.

Like I said, once I was finished with the Sharp that had a 5 CD carousel changer, I unloaded that and kept the record player (although I should add that it has a dual cassette tape deck for all the Sharp stuff), and have a CD player in the auxillary jack.

 

[Limp73]

RIP Drake. Enjoyed watching you and your bandmates on "Where the Action Is" and listening to and dancing to those incredible records. Can anyone tell me definitively if Drake played on "Him or Me, What's it gonna' be?" That's some bitching guitar work there.

Drake(God rest his soul) played a mean guitar on "Kicks" and "Just Like Me" but it was either Jim "Harpo" Valley or latter replacement Freddy Weller that played the licks on "Him or Me..." 1967 saw a lot of changes for the Raiders when "Action" was abruptly cancelled only after a one and a half year run on ABC.

(I miss that fun show...even today...although The Raiders and other regulars lip-synched their songs on that series.)

Drummer Mike "Smitty" Smith (also gone from us) quit over creative control issues and was replaced by Joe Corello Jr. Bassist Phil "Fang" Volk also left the band for the same reasons and was replaced by Charlie Coe.

 

[Starbucks]

Referring to the greatest 60's band of all time...Drake was gone and came back briefly as Jim Harpo filled in for him until the 3 original band members split to form Brotherhood. ( I don't know what was in their minds when the group was at it's peak.) Jim Harpo was not quite well liked.
Beginning of 68' with "Too Much Talk" is when you saw the whole different band with their new TV show Happening 68' with new additions Freddy Weller, Joe Corello Jr, (who later went into Hamilton, Joe Frank, & Reynolds.) and later "Action" alumni Keith Allison. Charlie Coe was in breifly for 1 album and I think he quit to get married. When Joe left for (Don't Pull Your Love ) in 70-71...original drummer Mike Smith came back during the "Indian Reservation" and "Birds Of a Feather" days. Then he left again after a declining LP in 72 replaced by a new Raider that still tours in concerts, fairs, etc. today.
Mark and Keith were the only hit member tenures hanging around by 1975 as they left Paul with a bunch of new Raiders that have been with him for decades.
But whether they are still alive or no longer with us today, I miss all of them.




Drake(God rest his soul) played a mean guitar on "Kicks" and "Just Like Me" but it was either Jim "Harpo" Valley or latter replacement Freddy Weller that played the licks on "Him or Me..." 1967 saw a lot of changes for the Raiders when "Action" was abruptly cancelled only after a one and a half year run on ABC.

(I miss that fun show...even today...although The Raiders and other regulars lip-synched their songs on that series.)

Drummer Mike "Smitty" Smith (also gone from us) quit over creative control issues and was replaced by Joe Corello Jr. Bassist Phil "Fang" Volk also left the band for the same reasons and was replaced by Charlie Coe.