GOOD THING - Tribute to Drake Levin - Paul Revere & the Raiders

[GiveItARestSeymour]

The Raiders (and Drake) were underrated, and they belong in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame... NOW!!! The RNRHOF needs to pull their head out of their nether places and vote them IN

[MrJoealesi]

Really nice job here. Ok.. The Raiders weren't as "cool" as the Yardbirds, The Who, Jimi etc., but dang if I didn't have all their albums as well. I still do!!!

[ringoramjet]

great job i wish i had the tenth of your talent

[modfly1]

Thank you for this video. It helped me appreciate even more the guitar rifts and lead portion of this song. Brillant...PR & the Raiders Rule!

[mlkemper]

playing that double neck MOSRITE OF CALIFORNIA sunburst guitar ..great visual effect ..they always knew how to work a crowd ..Freddie Weller lives here in Brentwood Tenn area ..nice guy ..not many people knew it was Drake ..a lot of people gave Harpo the credit ..even though he was good too ..

[peterzang]

This is groovy, man. Drake would be honored!

[B17b25guy]

Superb! A wonderful tribute to a man, and a group that kick started many young men, to one day play in a band. Myself included. Paul Revere and the Raiders

should receive the accolades that have eluded them. They rank with the best bands of the sixties. Where did you get that coat!

[brittonstreet]

THIS is the mix that should have been on the 45. GREAT guitar.

[rockfan363]

Thank you for clearing up his awesome lead work. Been wanting to learn it. What is helping making that yummy crunchy sound with your pick?

[jazzbo89]

@rockfan363 I think I've just got the pick angled and slightly scratching the strings as I attack. The pick is a Dunlop Ultex which is suppose to be pretty similar to a tortoise shell pick. I was trying to get a similar sound to the minihumbuckers Drake used on the recording. Other than pick angle and attack, it was just the guitar straight into the clean channel of a Bad Cat amp. Thanks for watching!

[rockfan363]

@jazzbo89 Thanks man. You are welcome.

[vcx9dfne]

Fantastic! What a good idea and good song to demonstrate!

[mjcamck]

JAZZBO89 - Thank you very much for posting this. I have Raiders CD's but haven't listened in a couple of years. This reminds me how positive & uplifting these tunes are. The collage is well crafted. Your guitar playing, by ear, is VERY impressive. Love your "Raiders" jacket too. Best Wishes & Peace to you.

[hkyoutoob]

@jazzbo89 Fantastic job on your guitar work. How did you figure that out? Did Drake give you a lesson before he passed, or, did you figure it out by ear? It's a relatively complex part, which seems almost impossible to replicate as exactly as you have done. Do you know all the Radiers "hit" tunes, too? If so, do videos of them please. Once again, my congratulations in carrying on with a legend.

[jazzbo89]

@hkyoutoob Thanks for the compliment. I really appreciate it. I just picked it up by ear. Listened to it over and over in the car on the drive to and from work. .The lead part outtro was harder to decipher because of all of the tape saturation. For that, I isolated the channel with the lead part and listened to it through different filters on my recording software, picking it up in pieces. I do know some other Raiders tunes and will try to get some videos made. Fun stuff! Thx again.

[hkyoutoob]

@jazzbo89 Your most welcome! You really did go thru quite a procedure, as you explained. The difficulty it seems is, that the lead guitar part is not "piercing" through out front, so as to make it easily detectable and decipherable, it is kind of buried in the mix, as is in other tunes of the era as well. ..I'm putting in my request now, for the lead guitar break of "Just Like Me" as your next P.R.R. video. Crank it up!

[Happy54Girl]

That was excellent!!!

[skipper8257]

One hell of a guitarist. Great job.

[toysbyus1]

Wow: damn great playing!!! I always liked Paul Revere and the Raiders BUT never realized just how great Drake was...and, to be honest, thought the band was a bit too schmaltzy BUT, these days, I love them...and have so much respect for Drake's skill and talent.

It sucks to get older and see so many of the fellow boomers start to leave us wayyyy to early.

You play beautifully......I pick at my SG Jr. but forget more than I recall......

RIP, Drake........jam on with Jimi now.

Steve

[MommieOD]

I want to echo Phil's thanks for your tribute to a great artist and an example of courage and grace under fire.  Drake is missed by all of us who love the Raiders and the joy they brought us and continue to bring through their music.

[gar669]

many thanks for posting this jazzbo89! My fav PR&R song and you did a splendid job! So nice to see Drake get some recognition. A very underrated guitarist, as were the Raiders as a band. great memories!

[gittahfiend]

The Raiders were BAD ASS!!!!

[Ridgid]

DRAKE WAS THE MAN..!!!

[nitropost]

This hommage was a very, very good thing.

[carvs66]

You are a "pretty fair picker" yourself, jazzbo! Enjoyed this immensely! The accompaning words were heartfelt and very informative!

[sandinator]

touching

[hllknowles]

I loved the comment that someone made about doing the guitar part from Great Airplane Strike....that would be awesome. I love finding out how songs are put together and seeing is how this is one of my favorite songs by my all time favorite group and it's also a tribute to Drake all I can say is thank you....you've made a lott of Raider fans happy.

[SonicWheelRecords]

Beautiful job - and many sweet memories here for me, as well... Tends to choke me up a bit, especially after reading your exquisite, and well-worded tribute to my dear friend and fellow Raider. Thank you for honoring Drake "the kid" Levin so kindly.

– Phil "Fang" Volk

[jazzbo89]

@SonicWheelRecords Hi Phil.. Thanks for taking time to view it. It was a labor of love, believe me. Hard to believe it's been almost two years. Gone but not forgotten. BTW, you cut an awesome record with that Dylan cover. Congratulations.

[seethruvideo]

@SonicWheelRecords - Drake was great and so underrated as a guitarist. Great to read Fang's words above! Man, Fang, you are one of my heros! The Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame needs to sit up and pay attention to you guys and induct you now.

[imrhp]

@SonicWheelRecords Fang! U always take me bak to a "better place".  My brother wanted to be like you!

[GiveItARestSeymour]

@SonicWheelRecords

Fantastic

[wouldntyoulike2know]

Wow!!! You are sooo cool! You really are a great guitarist yourself and what a wonderful tribute to Drake!!! I love all of your Paul Revere And The Raiders videos, I can tell all the hard work you put in them. :)

[conuregirl007]

Clap..clap....clap.....applaus­e....applause!! Nicely done!

[utubesux691]

DRAKE WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

[gsmmax1]

Thanks for this great tribute. I was 12 when they were on fire. I didn't realize he was only 4 years older than me. I've had my whole life to come up with something and these guys were spot on way back then.

[nickjames46]

good job jazz,my faorite raiders song

[tach409]

I freak en love this!

[zuneslave]

I salute you Colonial Rocker! >>>

[widgeteye]

Damn good job.

[GARDNERKSGUY]

Sign the petition for the R&R Hall of Fame! thepetitionsite. com/1/raidersrockhall/ and take out the space before dotcom

[KatseGatcha]

@GARDNERKSGUY, not only did I sign it, I practically wrote them a thesis as to why their sound is Hall-worthy. If they can induct the Dave Clark Five and the Animals, the Raiders' turn must be soon!

[koolbossjock]

Its Saturday Morning 7:05 Pacific time,I just had to hear this song before I left the house.NEVER get tired of this band.Ahhhhhh..I am back in the days of Boss Radio in Boss Angeles in Redondo Bch going out to hang at Wallichs music city.lol I wish.

[jbyesterday]

I was in such a mood to hear this song tonight(hadn't heard it in a long while),& man, was I blown away by your playing. The audio quality of the song filled that need I had to feel it again, & your "spot on" groove gave it a whole other dimensional sparkle without taking anything away from the original. Great job & thanks for posting.

[kynyrdskynyrd]

Very nice tribute. I love that double neck Mosrite he played.

[rvhawkeye]

good job, at least you played live, hard to find a paul revere live set, its all lip synch.

[PAULLONDEN]

Good work !

[bigpig1856]

What a great tribute!! Outstanding guitar work and a great tribute to a great guitarist who never got his just recognition. The guy was amazing and I dare say he was ahead of his time.

[hollies65]

Nice job! Drake was the man!

[harvey1954]

Just havin' some fun. I envy someone who has an actual '59 Strat. Just got my first vintage '74 Strat a year ago. Anyone who steps up for the Raiders is alright by me. They never got the credit for the great discs they did and are one of the few 50s bands that went onto bigger and better things in the 60s, especially after the Beatles showed up.

[harvey1954]

Why is there a headless Redcoat playing a tribute to our Continental Rockers?

[jazzbo89]

@harvey1954 Ha! Great point! Fact is it's the only threads I own that resemble something along those lines. This tunic is more associated with Joe Walsh and Gary Moore from the old days, and The Libertines more recently. Tell you what. Given PR&R singlehandedly fought off the British Invasion, let's say my tribute is a Torie homage to the victors. (something that jackweed Cornwallis couldn't bring himself to do) Maybe eventually I'll snag a proper long coat off ebay. Thanks 4 watching!

[mark8ball]

@jazzbo89 Cornwallis, good reference -- shows you didn't sleep through American History class. Maybe you could trade in your redcoat for one like GW is wearing here in "2010 Dodge Challenger "Freedom" 60-Second Commercial" on YouTube. I'm pretty sure old George was a Raider fan too!

[gittahfiend]

GREAT TRIBUTE !!!

[johnsonkatt]

Thanks for the tribute to Drake....my first rock & roll concert was in June of '66, and I was quite disappointed (with all due respect) that Jim "Harpo" Valley was on guitar instead of Drake. I also believe that the first Brotherhood album was greatly overlooked by all....an amazing depth-of-field that, in all candor, put it right up there with a small handful of first LPs, including Spirit, another under-sung, amazing band from LA. BTW, Al Kooper includes "Good Thing" among his faves!

best~jk

[johnsonkatt]

Thanks for the tribute to Drake, dude....my first rock & roll concert was in June of '66, and I was quite disappointed (with all due respect) that Jim "Harpo" Valley was on guitar instead of Drake. I also believe that the first Brotherhood album was greatly overlooked by all....an amazing depth-of-field that, in all candor, put it right up there with a small handful of first LPs, including Spirit (another under-sung, amazing band from LA).

best~jk

[LooMinn]

Always loved this song. It was that three chord opening that hooked me as a young lad. What a solid arrangement too. Also...never realized (or heard correctly) that the guitar IS continuously laying down such sweet phrases and licks throughout the song. Wow, I feel like such a moron for not being hip to Drake Levin. Thanks for doing this right. Good work!

[mbrand19971]

I really loved the Drake Levin Tributes and he was a awesome guitarist the Raiders had ever had. I wish I would've met the guy or better yet jammed with him. I'm a singer and had such admiration for guitar players.

[Misterhappynyc]

Very heartfelt and well done -- i appreciated Drake and his part in the Raiders' great music and I appreciate this.

[yeahmedude]

Nicely done.

[Dawn1959]

What a great tribute,you rock!!I remember Drake and Fang doing all their moves..,they were a legend!!I love it.Rip Drake and Smitty.

[SFMARGUY]

ummmmm- I loved Drake as much as any Raider fan--but I am pretty sure Jim "Harpo" Valley was the guitarist for Good Thing and Drake had already left by that time;

[auntziggy]

very nice playing and video editing. I enjoy this very much.

[mjcamck71]

Impressively produced tribute. We had a 60's birthday party for my children. The party favors were a video collage of '60's bands including the Raiders on Hullabaloo playing their instruments behind their backs and doing "The Steps." So talented-they made it all look so easy. REST IN PEACE, DRAKE. Thank you for "playing upon this Earth" so we could all get our money's worth. Peace & Love to ALL!

[enjoiskater85]

i no this guys sister. i just got back from dinner with her actuallyXD she was telling me and my mom about how she has his last guitar.

[SSGLew]

The most underrated guitarist in the world, and note for note, arguably the best ax man we ever produced in the States.

[roners64]

Very cool tribute...nicely done! And that 59 Strat in that condition carrys its value quite well! You have the gear and the look...are you in a tribute band or just an avid fan?

[jazzbo89]

@roners64 Thanks so much! No tribute band although I think that would be pretty cool if you could do it right. I'm just a big, big fan.

[roners64]

@jazzbo89 Well its a good band to pay tribute to! You do it well...any chance your in the Chicago area? Also fun finding other musicians to jam with! I saw the post from Phil on here....absolutely understand how he feels about the history of music....And a big thank you for making some of that history for us!

[tdlewis103]

thanks- that was cool.  Great fun to watch the cord changes and impressive picking. They were very unappreciated in there time, but they sure looked like they were having a lot of fun!

[augie699]

Great playing on your part. What type of amp are you playing thru and is your Strat a '54? Thanks.

[jazzbo89]

@augie699 Thanks for the compliment. Amp was a Bad Cat Hot Cat 30 on the clean channel. The Strat is an early 59, before they switched over to slab fretboards mid-year. I've had it since the 70s.

[augie699]

@jazzbo89 Thanks for the reply. Your set up sounds really good and watching you play made me realize how much went into their songs.

[Marquiffe]

Simply brill! Thanks for posting.

[PAULLONDEN]

A Good Thing INDEED !

For a short while, these dudes even matched the Beatles in the PoP stakes.

[Deltoid71]

@PAULLONDEN I'd be willing to say that, as musicians, they were better than the Beatles.

[lg4uf]

awesome....could you try Great Airplane Strike on that nice Fender?

[lg4uf]

awesome....how about Great Airplane Strike, Kicks, Hungry, and Just Like Me on that guitar

[chookiechooks]

Thanks for posting this! I not only enjoyed all the wonderful old photos and footage of The Kid, but liked how you showed us technically what he was doing. RIP Drake. Thank you for you you gave us to enjoy forever.

[TrentMakz]

Nice! I enjoyed the tribute and your guitar playing..and thanks for the history lesson...you turned me on to a band I never paid much attention to as a kid, but now it's time to open my ears to something new (old?) !

[suanla73]

GREATNESS!!!!!

[yukseleyy]

Great playing

Costume is a great touch and the tribute stuff as well

I play this quite often

thanks for posting

Cheers

[shnozzel12]

I grew up listening to Paul Revere and the Raiders...I loved em..really sad and shocked about Drake's death..One of the most underated bands in history...Hungry,Good Thing,Kicks......

[TwiggsWoody]

Great tribute!

[VMATT500C]

Double Neck Mosrite in Vid.?

[jazzbo89]

@VMATT500C Yup. I always wondered what happened to that guitar. Drake had his 63 Epiphone Sheraton until he passed, but I don't know what ever happened to the Mosrite.

[chipc2s]

Wheeeeee!!!! Sweet, man.

[franklinrocks1]

WOW - dude, you are a GREAT player - is fun to listen to the lead on this and watch your fingers - man, keep up the PR & TR stuff - I wish I could play like this!

[jazzbo89]

Thanks for the kind words but the credit goes to Drake Levin for coming up with the part and outtro solo to begin with. Me simply copying his chops is akin to being a trained monkey........ but I gave it my best shot and hopefully captured his style as best as possible. There'll be more to come. Thanks again!

[manzione2009]

GREAT,GREAT Post !!!!!...Hope to see Drakes KICKS Guitar work soon...THANKS AGAIN

[rsensorat3]

Beautiful. To Drake!

[astronomius]

wow, this sounds remixed, just to hear the rhythm guitar - - brilliant. i wish more of the Raiders' music was remixed and resold like this, the fidelity of the early recordings sound a bit muddy

[BlindWillie1]

Great song and great playing. I've just recently rediscoved PR & The Raiders after hearing about Drake's death. Thanks very much for that.

[winkster55]

Great playing...whats the chances you can post a video of you playing without all th eclips put in, I'd love to learn how to play this song!!! Super job!!!!

[jazzbo89]

Thanks for the compliment! Sure, let me find that raw video and I'll see what I can do.

[winkster55]

I just noticed that your the same guy who put up the Kicks bass line....I learned to play it off of you video....now it's in our bands set list...only song I play bass on. Hopefully I can pick up Good Thing.....great song!

[jazzbo89]

Most excellent! Glad my video could be of assistance. The more Raiders music out there, the better. I've got the Good Thing video without the photo overlays up for you.

[koolbossjock]

Its about time someone did a tribute to this band.They were all about entertainment for sure.Their Music sounds as fresh today as it did when it was released.KEEP This Tribute Alive with more of their great music.How bout Him or Me/Hungary Etc.

[jazzbo89]

Thanks! I've got a couple of ideas cooking once I can find the time.

[micksmydad]

took a look at some Raider clips. How refreshing, the sound dance and look! Can't find any tribute bands for these guys. No one could even come close!

[goodthing99]

...awesome tribute. You have really captured in words and video the talent and contributions of Drake.

[RSUEMICHIGANUSA]

What a gift this is to those of us who know the music well but don't play ourselves to see the dexterity and skill behind those familiar lines. Thanks for this and the great photo montage. Such a fine homage! Thanks so very much!

[fearwidge]

As a Canadian, I never saw the "zany antics" cause we didn't get ABC up here. All I got was the Raiders' music. And I STILL haven't heard anything quite like it. Thanks for doing this for Drake (& Fang). And may people one day WAKE UP and install PR&R in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame where they MORE than belong.

[jackieharrisdoorn]

If anyone deserved to meet him, you did jazzbo89.. He has to be smiling down at this everyday day! Your "please read this" BIO for him is so thoughtful and well said.

Thanks for doing this and Thanks Drake and family for your sacrifice in serving our country.