Personnel: Mick Jones (vocals, guitar); Mike Patto, Gary Wright (vocals, keyboards); Mike Harrison (vocals); Chris Stainton (guitar, piano, organ, bass guitar); Henry McCulloch, Luther Grosvenor (guitar); Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Andy Leigh, Greg Ridley, Val Burke, Alan Spenner (bass guitar); Mike Kellie, Bryson Graham (drums, percussion); Pierre Henry (electronics).
Audio Remasterer: Ben Wiseman .
Liner Note Author: Mark Powell.
Recording information: Morgan Studios, London, England.
It's reasonable, even logical, to question the need for a two-disc compilation from an early-'70s band that had negligible impact on the British or American charts or either of those country's musical sensibilities. But since 2000's THAT WAS YESTERDAY only covered the years ending with 1970's THE LAST PUFF, there was an opening, if maybe not a need, for a more extensive look at the act that finally called it quits after 1974's THE MIRROR. Also, since the band served as a breeding ground for musicians who went on to greater acclaim elsewhere (bassist Greg Ridley joined Humble Pie, guitarists Luther Grosvenor and Mick Jones followed with Mott the Hoople and Foreigner, respectively, and Gary Wright, who wrote the bulk of the group's material, went on to a solo career), Spooky Tooth is deserving of this comprehensive, 34-track, two-and-a-half-hour collection. Both Wright and vocalist/frontman Mike Harrison were captivating blue-eyed soul singers, the latter nearly the equal of, and very similar to, Steve Marriott. When they sang together and the material was of high enough quality, the effect was of a nascent Humble Pie with more soul and less boogie. Spooky Tooth's brooding, slow-to-midtempo blues-rock, tinged in the early years with more than a little psychedelia, was an intriguing concoction, especially when applied to covers such as their distinctive, and some might argue, definitive versions of Janis Ian's "Society's Child," blues staple "Tobacco Road" and "Evil Woman" (not the ELO song of the same title, but one best recognized through Canned Heat's rendition). A few rare singles and B-sides make an appearance along with a pair of previously unreleased songs circa 1968 on disc one. Disc two follows the latter part of Tooth's historical progression and is, despite no hits, also intermittently enticing. Interestingly, the final four tracks from 1974's unfairly overlooked THE MIRROR where lead singer Harrison was replaced by Boxer's Mike Patto, are some of the most commercial, melodic, and driving tunes the band recorded. A 16-page color booklet filled with excellent liner notes, detailed track annotation, rare photos, and an extensive history of the band help make this set the definitive profile of an act that, with a few more breaks, could have been a force to be reckoned with instead of a footnote to England's '70s blues-rock exports.
Professional Reviews
Record Collector (magazine) (p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]heir power and musicianship has long attracted admirers, from Small Faces' Steve Marriott to Paul Weller."
