Arizona

When Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & the Raiders fame made his solo debut in 1969, he explained that the album did not reflect "a change in [his] musical tastes, but rather an extension of them." Arizona, produced by Jerry Fuller, moved in the direction of adult pop, with songs by John Denver ("Leaving on a Jet Plane") and Rod McKuen ("Love's Been Good to Me"). The dynamic title track, with its hushed verses and bombastic chorus, became a Top Ten hit and Lindsay's most successful solo single, while the album's lone original composition, "Man From Houston," adopted an enticing country flavor. "First Hymn From Grand Terrace" and "Miss America" performed better on the adult contemporary than pop charts, which gives some indication of the album's tone. Lindsay's album isn't far removed from his contemporaneous work with the Raiders, but bears a certain similarity to Bobby Sherman. His stab at becoming a hip but broadly appealing mainstream vocalist met with only a couple of years of moderate-to minor success before petering out, only shortly ahead of the Raiders' own commercial demise. ~ Greg Adams