The Complete V.I.P.s [IMPORT] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

The V.I.P.s

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 27, 2006)
• Original Release Date: November 20, 2006
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Repertoire
• ASIN: B000K2RD3K
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #289,712 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Complete Recordings Including Several Rarities. Booklet with Authoritative and Extensive Liner Notes by Chris Welch. Includes an Interview with Group Founder Mike Harrison.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars At Long Last The Precursor To Spooky Tooth Appears!, January 7, 2007

By	Christopher L. Dolmetsch (Hurricane, WV USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I should start by stating that this disc should appeal to (1) diehard fans of that extraordinary 1968-1970 version of Spooky Tooth (most of whom probably have these recordings already), (2) to fans of blue-eyed British soul (like the early Spencer Davis Group), and (3) to those curious about the lesser-knowns of the Sixties British Music Scene.

Although the line-up of the Carlyle-based (Brum region) V.I.P.s or Vips changed with some frequency (including Keith Emerson briefly), the mainstays of the group included gravel-voiced Mike Harrison, bass Greg Ridley, and the somewhat under-rated Mike Hernshaw. This group consistently failed to make a true impact on the British charts despite several solid singles including the Spooky-Tooth like "I Wanna Be Free" (1966).

In fact they found their greatest success in France (where most of these tracks were actually released on a series of now-rare EPs) and Northern Germany, where they played at the Star Club in Hamburg and in a series of military-base clubs for British soliders. Just as their luck seemed to be running out, the line-up of Harrison, Ridley, drummer Mike Kellie, and newcomer Luther Grosvenor found favor with Island Records and producer Guy Stevens and thanks to a quick name change to Art and a beefed up quaisi psychedelic sound, recorded a one-off album that began to attract a bit more local attention. In 1968 Chris Blackwell and producer Jimmy Miller introduced American expatriot Gary Wright to the group and the rest, as they say, is history (= Spooky Tooth).

As to these recordings: the sound quality varies considerably. They were definitely recorded under less-than-optimal conditions, and often, it would seem, in a single take with little or no overlays or dubbing. The playing is at times very ragged, and they only occasionally signal the brilliance that was to become eveident in Spooky Tooth's albums like "It's All About" and "Spooky Two." The truth is, one clearly sees the reason for the lackluster response to this band, and why they remained obscure for so long. Still, after years of only being able to obtain their recordings via suspect re-issues (both vinyl and CD) or via the over-priced original European releases, it is nice that the German Repertoire label has done what it so admirably does now, and re-issue the entire output on a single disc.