Spooky Tooth
Spooky Tooth ( German about " creepy tooth ") was a blues-rock band from the UK.
History
The group was founded in 1966 by Mike Harrison ( vocals, keyboards ) in Carlisle under the name The VIPs. For a short time Keith Emerson played with. 1967 the group moved to London and was called for a short time Art
The end of 1967 came Gary Wright ( also vocals, keyboards ) thereto, and the group received its final name. The other members in the first two plates were Luther Grosvenor (guitar), Greg Ridley (bass ) and Michael Kellie (drums). In 1968 the debut album It's All About. The subsequent Spooky Two is considered by many fans and critics as their best work, it contained among other things the song " Better By You, Better Than Me ", which was covered in 1978 by Judas Priest.
In 1969, Ridley Humble Pie and was temporarily replaced by Andy Leigh. In the same year there was a collaboration with electronic musician Pierre Henry that resulted under the title ceremony in an LP in an unusual style. As a result, the group came into conflict over the future musical direction, whereupon Wright left the group.
Together with guitarist Henry McCulloch (later of Paul McCartney's Wings ), Chris Stainton ( piano, keyboards, guitar) and Alan Spenner (bass guitar), the group took in 1970 the successful album The Last Puff on, which include two excellent cover versions contains, namely I Am the Walrus by the Beatles and Son of Your Father by Elton John. After the release of this album was the release of Spooky Tooth, as the band members wanted to put her musical emphasis in solo projects.
In 1972, the group was formed new, most original members (Harrison, Wright and Kellie, who had meanwhile played in Peter Bardens band Camel ) had returned again in 1973. Instead Grosvenor, who had gone to Stealers Wheel and Mott the Hoople then, Mick Jones came who was later known by Foreigner. In 1974, the group split up again. On the last album, provisionally The Mirror, none of the previous type members more was there. In addition to Wright and Bryson Jones Graham played (drums), Mike Patto ( vocals, keyboards, percussion ) and Val Burke (bass guitar, vocals).
In 1998 there were but an album by Spooky Tooth in the original cast of Art in November 2004, the group played together once with Humble Pie when Greg Ridley Memorial Concert, among other things, Grosvenor and Kellie.
In 2004 took Spooky Tooth - unfortunately without the recently deceased founding member Greg Ridley - also using the live CD " Nomad Poets " in Germany. Therefore, this CD she dedicated to him expressly on the inside cover. ( Cast is as follows with guest musicians Joey Albrecht -. . Backing voc, guit, Michael " Bexi " Becker, bass guit, backing voc. . )
In February 2008, the band in the cast Wright, Harrison, Kellie and two guest musicians toured Germany and some neighboring countries.
Style
Spooky Tooth played a kind of blues-rock with numerous stylistic elements of country, pop and psychedelic influences. The sound was mainly determined by the striking vocal harmonies of the singers and the powerful use of the electronic organ and by ingeniously applied ( Hall ) effects ( see, for example, " Waitin 'for the Wind" ). Many Spooky Tooth songs are also significantly influenced by gospel ( "I've Got Enough Heartache ", " Holy Water ", " Ocean of Power" ). Especially the expressive voice Mike Harrison became a trademark of the band.
Played an essential role in the early years her then producer Jimmy Miller, who among other things also in traffic and later at the Stones LPs from '69 ( " Beggars Banquet" and following up to " It's Only Rock N Roll " ) had played an important role.
Discography
Albums (Art )
- Supernatural Fairy Tales ( 1967)
Albums ( Spooky Tooth )
- It's All About (UK) / Tobacco Road ( U.S.) ( 1968)
- Spooky Two ( 1969)
- Ceremony (1970 with Pierre Henry)
- The Last Puff (1970 )
- You Broke My Heart So I Busted Your Jaw (1973 )
- Witness ( 1973)
- The Mirror (1974 )
- Best of Spooky Tooth (1975, Iceland Records Ltd.).
- Cross Purpose (1998)
- Comic Violence ( 2000) = re-release of The Mirror
- BBC Sessions (2001)
- Nomad Poets Live in Germany (2007)
Singles (The VIPs )
- I Wanna Be Free / Don ' t Let It Go (1966 )
- Straight Down to the Bottom / In A Dream (1966 )
Singles ( Spooky Tooth )
- Sunshine Help Me (1968 )
- The Weight (1968 )
- That Was Only Yesterday (1969 )
- Waiting for the Wind ( 1969)
- I Am the Walrus (1970 )
- Son of Your Father (1970 )
- All Sewn Up ( 1973)
Film
- Spooky Tooth - Live in Germany: Nomad Poets. DVD, Soulfood Music Distribution, 2007 ( Production: 2004).