Spooky Two
| Spooky Two | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1969 (UK)[1] / August 1969 (North America) | |||
| Studio | Morgan, London[2] | |||
| Genre | Blues rock[3] | |||
| Length | 37:42 | |||
| Label | Island (UK) / A&M (North America) Festival (Australia) | |||
| Producer | Jimmy Miller | |||
| Spooky Tooth chronology | ||||
| ||||
Spooky Two is the second studio album by the English rock band Spooky Tooth. It was originally released in March 1969, on the label Island Records (licensed to A&M in the United States).[4]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| MusicHound Rock | 3/5[6] |
| The Rolling Stone Record Guide |  [7] |
| The Village Voice | C+[8] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [9] |
Spooky Two received mixed reviews from contemporary critics, including Rolling Stone[10] and The Village Voice. Robert Christgau wrote in the latter publication that, "at its best ('Waitin' for the Wind,' 'That Was Only Yesterday') this group is not significantly poorer than Blind Faith. At its worst ('Lost in My Dream,' 'I've Got Enough Heartaches') it is painfully overwrought."[8]
Mike DeGagne of AllMusic was more positive in a retrospective review: "Spooky Two is this British blues-rock band's pièce de résistance. All eight of the tracks compound free-styled rock and loose-fitting guitar playing, resulting in some fantastic raw music … their smooth, relaxed tempos and riffs mirrored bands like Savoy Brown and, at times, even the Yardbirds … Although Spooky Tooth lasted about seven years, their other albums never really contained the same passion or talented collaborating by each individual musician as Spooky Two."[5]
In Canada the album reached #48 on the charts.[11]
It was voted number 42 in the All-Time 50 Long Forgotten Gems from Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[12]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Gary Wright, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Waitin' for the Wind" | Luther Grosvenor, Mike Harrison, Wright | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Feelin' Bad" | Mike Kellie, Wright | 3:17 |
| 3. | "I've Got Enough Heartaches" | Kellie, Wright | 3:24 |
| 4. | "Evil Woman" | Larry Weiss | 9:00 |
| Total length: | 19:08 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lost in My Dream" | 5:03 |
| 2. | "That Was Only Yesterday" | 3:51 |
| 3. | "Better by You, Better than Me" | 4:12 |
| 4. | "Hangman Hang My Shell on a Tree" | 5:40 |
| Total length: | 18:46 | |
Personnel
[edit]Spooky Tooth
[edit]- Mike Harrison – keyboards, vocals
- Luther Grosvenor – guitar
- Gary Wright – keyboards, vocals
- Greg Ridley – bass
- Mike Kellie – drums
Other credits
[edit]- Jimmy Miller – producer
- Andy Johns – engineer
References
[edit]- ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Melody Maker. 29 March 1969. p. 16. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Spooky Tooth-The Island Years". 4 November 2015.
- ^ "The Top 30 British Blues Rock Albums Of All Time". Classic Rock. Future plc. 23 March 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ Spooky Two at Discogs (list of releases)
- ^ a b DeGagne, Mike. "Spooky Tooth Spooky Two". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
- ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 1249. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
- ^ Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John, eds. (1983). The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. New York, NY: Random House/Rolling Stone Press. p. 481. ISBN 0-394-72107-1.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (18 September 1969). "Consumer Guide (4)". The Village Voice. Retrieved 13 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ^ Gancher, David (20 September 1969). "Records". Rolling Stone. No. 42. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. p. 35.
- ^ "RPM Magazine - November 8, 1969 - Page 19" (PDF).
- ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 27. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
