Customer Reviews

Best of

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Spencer Davis Group were one of several excellent British R+B bands of the sixties. Best remembered in Britain for Keep on running (one of the best songs of the sixties, regardless of genre), by the time they started to make an impression in America, they were on the verge of losing their key man, Steve Winwood.

They actually had three #1 records in Britain (Keep on running, Somebody help me and Gimmie some lovin') and several other big hits, including Strong love (not included here), Every little bit hurts (a cover of the Brenda Holloway song) and I'm a man (also a hit in America). A remixed version of Gimmie some lovin' was a hit in America.

In 1967, Steve Winwood quit to form a new band, Traffic. The other band members struggled on for a while, but those recordings are not included here (and are not as good).

This is a nice introduction to the Spencer Davis Group. If you enjoy it a lot, there is a double CD, 8 gigs a week, which contains all the music they recorded while Steve Winwood was a member of the group.

Great music for a ridiculously low price. The sound quality is excellent,
the song selection is just right and I like the retro cover designs. Now
the bad news: They could've printed some photos inside the fold-out
insert instead leaving it white, but the biggest mistake they made was
that they listed only TEN (10) songs on the back-cover, instead of the
FIFTEEN (15) that the CD actually contains.The 10 song they listed
on the back is not even in the correct selection-order, but random. The
correct songlist is (it only appears printed on the disc itself):
1.Gimme Some Lovin' (in the best known "lush" US mix), 2. Searchin',
3.Keep on Running, 4.I can't Stand It, 5.Strong Love, 6. Every Little Bit Hurts,
7.I'm a Man, 8.Back Into My Life Again, 9.Trampoline,10.Somebody Help Me,
11.When I come Home, 12.Stevie's Blues, 13.This Hammer (The Hammer Song),
14.Waltz for Lumumba, 15.Goodbye Stevie.
Unfortunately its rather misleading for the folks at the CD-store, seeing
only 10 songs (through the cellophane wrapper) listed on the back sleeve.
Amazon listed only 10 songs (see above) as well, probably because of
this...

The Spencer Davis Group may be the most underrated group in the British Invasion. The band had a tight, swinging sound, a nice balance between guitars and keyboards, and a tasty selection of musical influences - not to mention rock's greatest white-soul singer (Stevie Winwood). Their albums featured some of the best British blues and R&B, along with pop-rock to rival what the Beatles were doing at the same time (this was pre-"Sgt. Pepper," after all). Perhaps one day the SDG will finally get their due.

The Spencer Davis Group's first lp was released in May 1965, which means the tracks,(some of which are here), were sung by a -sixteen- year-old Steve Winwood, (whose entire output with the band ended by the age of eighteen!). Keep that in mind when you're about to excuse some kid on 'American Idol' for sucking due to youth.

As other reviewers have said, the Spenser Davis group is much more important than its short life on the musical stage would seem to indicate. Aside from being the roots for later superstar Steve Winwood of Traffic, Blind Faith, and decades of solo performing, it was one of the most deeply R & B influenced English bands.

And, in their very short career, they managed to produce two iconic songs and performances, 'Gimme Some Lovin' and 'I'm a Man' which reappear again and again in TV ads and performances by other artists. Steve Winwood still does 'Gimme Some Lovin' in his live shows, and it was one of the hightlights of the original 'Blues Brothers' movie performances.

As a CD, this collection is just a bit thin with only ten average length numbers. I almost think that the group really deserves a set of all their recordings rather than a 'Best of'. But, their best of is a cut above the 'best of' their contemporaries such as Manfred Mann, Them, and even the Yardbirds.

This is a CD, with one song in particular (Gimme Some Lovin') that just gets your blood flowing, and makes you feel good. I recommend it to anyone who loves classic rock, mixed with a little Blues Brothers rhythm.

I liked the song Gimme some loveing its in all the movies i watch it is a cool song