Customer Reviews

The Best of John Kay & Sparrow: Tighten Up Your Wig

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This CD would be complete if it wasn't missing "Down Goes Your Love Life" and "Chasin' Shadows" from the original LP. Although it has all of the bonus tracks. Go for the recent Repertoire reissue (...) In 1969, while "Born to Be Wild" was the next big thing, Columbia decided to issue these recordings from 1967. Featuring Dennis Edmonton (better known as Mars Bonfire) and Nick St. Nicholas (who did not join Steppenwolf right off, but came in for the "Birthday Party" LP). Columbia issued only one single off of these tapes in 1967 and did not show interest in issuing anything else. These recordings show the group working out of a blues mold (on Kay's material), a little jazz (Jerry Edmonton sings on "King Pin"), pop ("Down Goes Your Love Life" with, surprisingly,Nick and Goldy McJohn singing!) and even a theremin used on "Green Bottle Lover". Mars Bonfire sings a few tracks ("Isn't It Strange" "Tomorrow's Ship" "Chasing Shadows"), John sings most, and Jerry gets in there. Very interesting to say the least. Not just for collectors, but fans as well. This CD is missing the two tracks from the original LP.

This eighteen track CD is a lot better than I had expected. I've heard of this pre-Steppenwolf band before but I never knew there was an official release out on compact disc. These cuts are from 1966-67 when Sparrow toured the states in search of a record contract. Tunes I was sort of taken with were "Sqaure Headed People", an early version of "Pusher", the psychededlic pop song "Tomorrow's Ship", "Isn't It Strange", the boot-tapping "Goin' To California" and "Can't Make Love To Yourself". Wanted to also mention that original Steppenwolf members - Nick St. Nicholas, Goldy McJohn and Jerry Edmonton {R.I.P.} are here, too. A absolute must-have.

It's true that this cd has only 18 of the 20 tracks that are on the Repertoire release, but it has a better booklet. This one gives recording dates and other studie information lacking in the other booklet and also has better photos of the group. I have both cds!