Search - Spooky Tooth :: Spooky Two

A little gem, lost in the stars. Excellent tracks!

B. Marold | Bethlehem, PA United States | 07/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"`Spooky Two' is, of course, the second album by `second British invasion band' Spooky Tooth who came to us with Traffic, Procol Harum, Yes, The Moody Blues, and King Crimson, just at the time when the great first wave bands such as the Rolling Stones, the Who, and the Kinks were peaking. With all this going on at the same time as the American rock Renaissance, it is easy to see how Spooky Tooth can be lost in the shuffle.



I would probably have never noticed them at all if it were not for their final album, `A Genuine Tong Funeral' which I sincerely believe is the second greatest Rock idiom composition in a traditional genre, after the Who's `Tommy'.



But getting back to `Spooky Two', it is a very good album which has the misfortune of coming out among dozens of other very good albums which sound very much alike. One hallmark of the `second British invasion' may be `fusion', with the most obvious landmark work being Procol Harum's `A Whiter Shade of Pale' based on a work by Johan Sebastian Bach. One of my other favorite examples is Rod Stewart's performance of `Ol' Man River' on Jeff Beck's first solo album, `Truth'.



Spooky Tooth has its share of fusion elements on this album, but they borrow more heavily from choral music, most especially gospel influenced choral music than from the Yes/King Crimson/Procol Harum/Emerson, Lake, and Palmer borrowings from symphonic works.



Most of the tracks on this CD reissue of the 1969 LP are written or co-written by Gary Wright who went on to a modestly successful solo career after the `Tong Funeral' LP (which, the last time I looked, is, unfortunately not available on CD).



If you happen to be making a collection of major 1960's performers' recordings, I recommend this one and their last conventional album, `The Last Puff'.

"

A 6 star mystery...

Wildman Fischer | 01/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is as good as any album of the late 60s to mid 70s and beyond rock albums, but just never really got the attention. I'll never fully understand why...maybe because there were so many established groups about at the time this was released and Spooky Tooth had no big names? I bought the album based on the name and the fact that I had heard "Evil Woman" played on an 'underground' FM rock station back at the time this album was released. Based on that one song, I figured this album would be worth the $4.99 (yep, that's what the vinyl cost in 1969) if only for that song...boy, was I totally surprised to hear that "Evil Woman" was about the 3rd or 4th best cut on the album! Add to the mystery that this was basically their only above average album--so, if you didn't get this album first, you'd probably not want to buy anything else Spooky Tooth released including this album! Anyway, this is without question a 60's rock album that everyone who loves that genre of music must have! Kind of the "perfect storm" of rock albums (without question, Tooth's perfect storm!); it has all the necessary elements for unique greatness. To be honest, this album was so good that somebody actually stoled it from me! So, as soon as the CD was available, I grabbed it. If you are reading these reviews and have enough interest in this album to even consider buying it JUST BUY IT! You'll never ever regret it. My only regret is that I didn't wait for the remastered version...but who knows, I may spring for that version too in time."

Great Blues Rock With a Heavy Delivery...

Mark Gatzke | Plant City, FL USA | 11/30/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My introduction to Spooky Tooth was through a local cover band in the early seventies that performed Waitin' For The Wind. I was completely enthralled with it and picked up the album expecting more like it. As it turned out, that particular song is somewhat of an anomaly compared to the rest of the album (Evil Woman being the only other heavy hitter). I was pleased nonetheless as it introduced me to their unique brand of music, and it has maintained its place over the years as one of my favorite albums. Its appeal has a lot to do with their ability to integrate obvious influences into a signature sound. What made them special rather than derivative involves subtle qualities that are hard to articulate. They had the advantage of distinctive vocals, which always helps, but their music also had a unique quality that separated them from similar bands. I would attribute that to a functional collaboration, a willingness of the stronger talent to accommodate the weaker, which made their music very engaging and varied. If that's the case, it was also a double edged sword. Over time they became their own worst enemy with experimental ambitions that kept fans guessing and ultimately frustrated. Regardless, Spooky Two represents the best of what they hoped to become, an inspired effort that belongs in any respectable rock music collection."