Spicks and Specks (song)
| "Spicks and Specks" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bee Gees | ||||
| from the album Spicks and Specks | ||||
| B-side | "I Am the World" | |||
| Released | September 1966 (Australia) February 1967 (United Kingdom) | |||
| Recorded | July 1966 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock, beat | |||
| Length | 2:52 | |||
| Label | Spin (Australia) Polydor[1] | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Barry Gibb | |||
| Producer(s) | Nat Kipner | |||
| Bee Gees singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Spicks and Specks" is a song by the Bee Gees, written by Barry Gibb. When the song was released in September, 1966, the single reached No. 4 on the Go-Set Australian National Top 40,[2] (No.1 on other Australian charts)[3][4] and when the song was released in other countries in February, 1967, it reached No. 28 in Germany, No. 2 in The Netherlands and No. 1 in New Zealand.[1]
Recording
"Spicks and Specks" is dated to early July by the memory of Geoff Grant (Geoffrey Streeter) who played the trumpet. Grant recalls working three nights in a row on four songs including this track, "I Am the World", "All by Myself", and "The Storm". There were no charts; Barry sang what he wanted live, and Grant copied it. Some of the artists whose disks came out in August recall hearing "Spicks and Specks" being worked on or completed, further confirming that early July is the approximate date of the song's recording. "Spicks and Specks" was a ballad around a strong piano beat.[4]
Release
The single entered the Sydney charts at the end of September and stayed in the top forty for nineteen weeks, peaking at number 3. It appeared on the Go-Set National Top 40 for sixteen weeks, where it reached number 4 early in November.[2]
Personnel
- Barry Gibb – lead and backing vocal
- Maurice Gibb – piano, bass, electric guitar
- Russell Barnsley – drums
- Geoff Grant – trumpet
- Steve Kipner – backing vocal
- Robin Gibb – backing vocal
- Nat Kipner – producer
Charts
| Chart | Year | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| Australia Go-Set Charts[5] | 1966 | 4 |
| Netherlands Dutch Top 40 Charts[6] | 1967 | 3 |
| Germany Media Control Charts[7] | 1967 | 28 |
| New Zealand Recorded Music NZ Charts[8] | 1967 | 1 |
| Japan Oricon Singles Chart[9] | 1967 | 56 |
Cover versions
 |
- The Dissociatives' version of "Spicks and Specks" was used as the theme song of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's music-based quiz show Spicks and Specks (2005–2011).
- Status Quo covered the song on their debut album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo.
- Richard Hewson Orchestra, with Children from Corona School, recorded in 1970 a non lyric version, included in Melody's (movie) soundtrack (1971).
- The Searchers covered the song on their album Second Take in 1972.
- The Puhdys song "Wenn ein Mensch lebt" is based on this song; it was recorded for the 1973 East German film The Legend of Paul and Paula, for which it would have been impossible at the time to secure the rights to the Bee Gees' song. Other songs in the film are also derived from specific western pop songs.[citation needed]
- Karel Černoch performed the Czech version of this song named "Sto kouzelnejch slok".
- Barry Gibb performs this song as part of his Mythology Tour.
In popular culture
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- The song is used at the end of The Walking Dead's fifth-season episode "Forget".
- The title is borrowed by a popular music quiz on Australian TV, with most rounds are titled after songs, or are otherwise music-related.
References
- ^ a b [1] Archived 2013-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Go-Set National Top 40 charting:
- Debut at No. 37 on 19 October 1966. Nimmervoll, Ed (19 October 1966). "National Top 40". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- Peaked at No. 4 on 9 November 1966, for two weeks:
- Nimmervoll, Ed (9 November 1966). "National Top 40". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- Nimmervoll, Ed (16 November 1966). "National Top 40". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- Final (16th) week in chart at No. 29 on 8 February 1967. Nimmervoll, Ed (8 February 1967). "National Top 40". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- ^ "Barry Gibb". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
- ^ a b Joseph Brennan. "Gibb Songs: 1966". Retrieved 2015-11-30.
- ^ "Go-Set Australian Charts". Go-Set: The Teen and Twenties Newspaper. 16 November 1966. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Bee Gees - Spicks & Specks". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Bee Gees - Spicks and Specks". officialcharts.de. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "flavour of new zealand - NZ listener charts 1967". Flavour of New Zealand. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Songs Written by the Gibb Family on the International Charts - Part 1" (PDF). brothersgibb.org. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
