Spooky Tooth - Spooky Two (Island 1969) 24-bit/96kHz Vinyl Rip

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 band members' 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. Mike DeGagne, AMG



Track listing:

A1. Waiting For The Wind
A2. Feelin’ Bad
A3. I’ve Got Enough Heartache
A4. Evil Woman

B1. Lost In My Dream
B2. That Was Only Yesterday
B3. Better By You, Better Than Me
B4. Hangman Hang My Shell On A Tree

Personnel:

Mike Harrison – vocals
Gary Wright – keyboards, vocals
Luther Grosvenor – guitar
Greg Ridley – bass
Mike Kellie – drums
Arranged by Spooky Tooth
Recording engineer Andrew Johns
Produced by Jimmy Miller
Mastered by George “Porky” Peckham