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. With Gary Wright on keyboards and vocals and lead singer Mike Harrison behind the microphone, their smooth, relaxed tempos and riffs mirrored bands like Savoy Brown and, at times, even the Yardbirds.
With some emphasis on keyboards, songs like "Lost in My Dream" and the nine-minute masterpiece "Evil Woman" present a cool, nonchalant air that grooves and slides along perfectly. "I've Got Enough Heartache" whines and grieves with some sharp bass playing from Greg Ridley, while "Better by You, Better Than Me" is the catchiest of the songs, with its clinging hooks and desperate-sounding chorus.
The last song, "Hangman Hang My Shell on a Tree," is a splendid example of the bandmembers' ability to play off of one another, mixing soulful lyrics with downtrodden instrumentation to conjure up the perfect melancholia. 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.
by Mike DeGagne
1. Waitin' for the Wind (Luther Grosvenor, Mike Harrison, Gary Wright) - 3:45
2. Feelin' Bad (Mike Kellie, Gary Wright) - 3:24
3. I've Got Enough Heartache (Mike Kellie, Gary Wright) - 3:29
4. Evil Woman (Larry Weiss) - 9:07
5. Lost in My Dream (Gary Wright) - 5:06
6. That Was Only Yesterday (Gary Wright) - 3:58
7. Better by You, Better Than Me (Gary Wright) - 3:42
8. Hangman Hang My Shell on a Tree (Gary Wright) - 5:47
9. The Weight (Robbie Robertson) - 3:09
10.Do Right People (Gary Wright) - 4:45
11.That Was Only Yesterday (Gary Wright) - 3:53
12.Oh! Pretty Woman (Andrew Charles Williams Jr.) - 3:29
13.Waitin' for the Wind (Luther Grosvenor, Mike Harrison, Gary Wright) - 3:30
14.Feelin' Bad (Mike Kellie) - 3:19
15.The Weight (Robbie Robertson) - 3:14
Original Album Tracks 1-8
Bonus Tracks 9-15
Repertoire 2005 Bonus Tracks
9. That Was Only Yesterday (Gary Wright) - 3:51
10.Oh! Pretty Woman (Andrew Charles Williams Jr.) - 3:27
11.Waitin' for the Wind (Luther Grosvenor, Mike Harrison, Gary Wright) - 3:28
12.Feelin' Bad (Mike Kellie) - 3:18
The Spooky Tooth
*Mike Harrison - Keyboards, Vocals
*Gary Wright - Keyboards, Vocals
*Luther Grosvenor - Guitar
*Greg Ridley - Bass, Guitar
*Mike Kellie - Drums
1968 Spooky Tooth - It's All About (2005 and 2010 SHM)
Related Acts
1966 The V.I.P's - Beat Crazy (2004 remaster extra tracks edition)
1966-68 Deep Feeling - Pretty Colours
1967 Art - Supernatural Fairy Tales (extra track issue)
1971 Mike Harrison - Mike Harrison
1971-72 Gary Wright - Extraction / Footprint
1974 Mott The Hoople - Hoople (2006 remaster and expanded)
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