Spooky Tooth were formed from the group Art (vocalist Mike Harrison, guitarist Luther Grosvenor, bassist Greg Ridley and drummer Mike Kellie) who came to the attention of Chris Blackwell. He suggested adding American-in-London keyboard player Gary Wright – and Spooky Tooth were born. Offering a heady brew of heavy blues and soul and being much loved by the underground in the late 60s, they are ripe for rediscovery.
Each of these re-issues faithfully replicate the original Island Records UK releases and is pressed onto heavyweight 180g vinyl.
Released 28 June 2024
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Side 1:
1. Society's Child
2. Love Really Changed Me
3. Here I Lived So Well
4. Too Much of Nothing
5. Sunshine Help Me
Side 2:
1. It's All About a Roundabout
2. Tobacco Road
3. It Hurts You So
4. Forget It, I Got It
5. Bubbles
Recorded at Olympic and produced by Jimmy Miller, their debut album, It's All About today is like hearing a missing link: Powerful soul-tinged rock, suffused with an incredible sweetness, on their originals and judiciously selected covers. Released in June 1968. It contained a version of Bob Dylan's basement tape Too Much Of Nothing, a blistering take on the Nashville Teens Tobacco Road and, of the originals, the Jimmy Miller-Gary Wright co-write It's About A Roundabout could almost be northern soul with its driving beat. It's All About is a lovely, often surprising, album to revisit.
Released 28 June 2024
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Side 1:
1. Waitin' For The Wind
2. Feelin' Bad
3. I've Got Enough Heartache
4. Evil Woman
Side 2:
1. Lost In My Dream
2. That Was Only Yesterday
3. Better By You, Better Than Me
4. Hangman Hang My Shell On A Tree
Released in March 1969, Spooky Two was heavier and less quirky than the group's debut. If a listener needs to understand what Spooky Tooth were about, they should revel in the mastery of their version of Larry Weiss' Evil Woman (the only non-original on the album) which had been covered by Guy Darrell and the Troggs before the group came to record it. A heavy, nine-minute blues, it established Luther Grosvenor (later to be 'Ariel Bender' in Mott The Hoople) as one of the great British guitarists of his era. Of the originals, Gary Wright was establishing himself as the group's main writer – hear the Cream-inspired drama of Lost In My Dream and the storming Better By You, Better Than Me, which was later to be covered infamously by Judas Priest. Mike Harrison's voice is on fine, fine form throughout. Spooky Two is one of THE great British rock records of the late 60s.