You guys want to watch a video of a real pro at work?

[ralpht]

Check out Peter Rivera at Saloon Studios. Pete was always good at reinventing himself and he really knocks it out of the park with his trio featuring Danny McCollum on keyboard and Joe Brasch on acoustic guitar. Pete sheds the entire drum kit for a toned down bass drum, congas, high hat and a couple of cymbals. It all works. Do yourself a favor and check this out.

https://youtu.be/MAsy5y6vq-A

[Motown Eddie]

Check out Peter Rivera at Saloon Studios. Pete was always good at reinventing himself and he really knocks it out of the park with his trio featuring Danny McCollum on keyboard and Joe Brasch on acoustic guitar. Pete sheds the entire drum kit for a toned down bass drum, congas, high hat and a couple of cymbals. It all works. Do yourself a favor and check this out.

https://youtu.be/MAsy5y6vq-A

Just checked out the video of Pete Rivera performing live at Saloon Studios and he's still got it [even when performing without a full drum set]. Thanks for sharing!

[ralpht]

Eddie, I noticed Pete doesn't tape his fingers. All conga players usually do. I wonder how is hands are at the end of the date. Buy the way, thanks for responding.

[motony]

what a great voice.

[ralpht]

Tony, what is amazing is he is singing his songs in the same key as when they were recorded. Usually keys are altered to better fit an aging voice. Not Pete. He keeps blazing away, better than ever.

[1382hitsville]

Indeed, very impressive. Thanks for sharing this find.

He opens with a Tom Baird song, very cool! I enjoyed watching this. Finally some real music.

[ralpht]

Hitsville, an interesting fact on Tom Baird's song "Born To Wander". Harry Balk wasn't happy with the Norman Whitfield mix. He called Russ and me into his office to tell us this and charge us with a remix, but to keep it on the down low because he wanted Norman to continue working with Rare Earth. So Russ and I went into the studio and re-mixed the song. We didn't tell Pete what went down for about six months until a lunch together. He was blown away because he always said how much he liked the mix. What I wonder most is, was Norman aware the mix wasn't his? He never mentioned anything to me, and he was in my office daily.

[1382hitsville]

Ralph, what a great story, thanks for sharing your memories. This makes listening to this even better, with those backstories.

On Apple Music, I've found several versions:

Peter Rivera - Get Ready; re-recorded in 2014 on the label "Dance Plant Records / TMC"
Peter Rivera and Rare Earth - This is Rare Earth; Album from 2012 on the label "Cool Tunes"

It seems your mixed version can be found on the double CD released in 1995, The Best Of Rare Earth, in the Superstar Series, the CD's with the block design.

And also on the Motown UK Spectrum release: Rare Earth: The Collection, from 2004

Also: the 3 CD collection released on Motown in 2005, digitally in 2008: Fill Your Head: The Studio Albums 1969-1974

Finally: also on the 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Rare Earth, released in 2001

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Ralph, I love Pete Rivera's voice. When I bought his autobiography a few years back, I wrote to him to let him know how much I enjoyed reading it and how I've always loved Rare Earth's Motown albums. He wrote back immediately with the nicest letter and a new photo. What a neat guy he is!

Also, Ralph, I've been meaning to mention to you that, a few years back [[when I discovered several Motown albums which had been secretly made available [[with no advertising from Motown) as Amazon downloads, i.e., remaining albums by The Temptations and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles which had never been reissued on CD, as well as countless downloads by other Motown artists), I came across two excellent and unexpected tracks by Pete Rivera of which one was "Is Anybody Out There" produced by you and Russ, and also "Ride The Wind" [[with no producer credits). I loved both upon my first hearing, and immediately bought them both, downloaded them, and burned them to CD. I was gonna include the YouTube audio link here for "Is Anybody Out There" but it wasn't available. The audio link for "Ride The Wind", however, is available, and I'm including it here. Pete sounds great on both tracks.

PETE RIVERA
"Ride The Wind"
https://youtu.be/Lk7jzeuqBXc

Ralph, did you and/or Russ produce this track as well?

Are there any other tracks by Pete that you and/or Russ produced?

[ralpht]

Gary, Pete came in from L.A. to spend a long weekend with Russ and me and we recorded "Is Anybody Out There" At another visit to my Monterey studio he came in with several songs which we recorded demos on. One of the songs was "Ride The Wind", which, in my opinion, is the best song Pete would write. He produced the song in Tacoma. The video is Russ and me discussing the making of "Is Anybody Out There".

https://youtu.be/hkLGlk8vhAw

I know there is a video of the song but I can't seem to find it.

[pj1]

The comment by Mickey from Soulful Detroit @Motown 65 says that he has played it on his radio show. Of course, that was 15 years ago.

[ralpht]

I found it in my Google Drive but can't seem to bring it over.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Gary, Pete came in from L.A. to spend a long weekend with Russ and me and we recorded "Is Anybody Out There" At another visit to my Monterey studio he came in with several songs which we recorded demos on. One of the songs was "Ride The Wind", which, in my opinion, is the best song Pete would write. He produced the song in Tacoma. The video is Russ and me discussing the making of "Is Anybody Out There".

https://youtu.be/hkLGlk8vhAw

I know there is a video of the song but I can't seem to find it.

Thanks for the video, Ralph. I always enjoy your's & Russ' behind-the-scenes Motown stories. If you should find the link for Pete's "Is Anybody Out There", be sure to post it. It's a great recording -- worthy of the Motown community hearing it.

[ralpht]

Gary, it is in my files but for me to load it into the forum, I think it needs to be converted to something first to satisfy the space restrictions that are involved.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Gary, it is in my files but for me to load it into the forum, I think it needs to be converted to something first to satisfy the space restrictions that are involved.

Okay, Ralph. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it'll work out.