It Was 54 Years Ago Today, January 29th, 1966, Paul Revere & The Raiders release their “Just Like Us!” album. Although “Just Like Us!” was Paul Revere & the Raiders‘ fourth album overall, it marked a number of firsts. It was their first album to appear since they had become TV stars (and therefore AM radio staples and teenage magazine heartthrobs, especially Mark Lindsay) as a result of their weekly appearances on the ABC TV show “Where the Action Is!”; it was their first album to be produced entirely by Terry Melcher, a powerful influence and significant contributor to their sound; it was their first Top Ten album and their first to go gold.
Actually, it’s only a gradual development from their previous album, the half-live (in the studio) Here They Come! The group still had a tough R&B edge and still favored R&B covers like “Night Train,” “Doggone,” and, by way of England, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “I’m Crying.” (Melcher was already steering a stylistic course for the Raiders between the Rolling Stones and the Animals.) Even the two hit singles, “Steppin’ Out” and “Just Like Me,” were intense, bluesy rockers.
Unlike later albums, “Just Like Us!” highlighted the whole band — guitarist Drake Levin, bassist Phil “Fang” Volk, and drummer Mike Smith each took turns on lead vocals. (That would change as Lindsay’s profile rose in the band.) Each was competent and entertaining, but Just Like Us! was still an album by a group feeling its way from the dancehall circuit to the different and more creative demands of mass popularity.
Here are a couple of lines from the review Billboard Magazine gave “Just Like Us!” in their “Album Reviews” column from their publication issued on January. 29th, 1966: …”the rockin’ group can’t miss with this pulsating discotheque package. Watch this LP hit with impact.” “Just Like Us!” would peak at #5 on the Billboard Album Charts spending 43 weeks on the charts, four weeks in the Top 10. The LP would be certified US Gold (sales of over 500,000) in Jan 1967. One of my fave songs on the LP is the Raiders‘ scathing garage-punk version of the Big Joe William’s “Baby, Please Don’t Go” featuring a scintillating rare lead vocal by by bassist Phil “Fang” Volk.
The Fat Angel Sings 