Customer Reviews

Greatest Hits

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I first heard Spanky and Our Gang as a very young child. My teenage brother graciously let me tag along with him wherever he went, and usually there was a radio nearby, so I heard a LOT of popular music from the era. In 1967-68, Spanky and Our Gang were all over the airwaves, and I guess they left an indelible impression on me, because to this day their sound is my favorite -- an ethereal blend of voices, horns, strings, poetic lyrics, and a folk-rock beat, all dreamy harmonies and overtones. As with every outstanding band, Spanky and Our Gang's sound was more than the sum of its parts, and this elusive quality shines through in all their songs. (They sound like The Mamas and Papas with lusher arrangements.)

"Spanky's Greatest Hits" preserves this sound, keeping it alive for a new generation. From the complex "Like to Get to Know You" to the sad "Sunday Will Never Be the Same," this CD indeed captures the best of Spanky and Our Gang. Sadly, their lesser-known songs never play on oldies radio stations; this greatest hits CD is a great way to hear such "forgotten" gems as "Three Ways from Tommorrow" once again.

I fell in love with Spanky back in 9th grade. They were (and are) my favorite group from that era.

I didn't know until I bought the album (I own it on vinyl and CD that my favorite tune, "I'd Like To Get To Know You" was actually longer than the part they always played on the radio!

The CD is one hit after another, each evoking fond memories of a time gone by.

While my original Spanky's GH LP is grey from the thousands of plays it's sufferred through, it's great to have these recordings available once again -- this time in the digital domain. This CD mirrors the original LP release with a couple of minor exceptions. On "Lazy Day" the panned-stereo sound of 'children saying hello' is missing. Also, the mix of "Give A Damn" - if I'm not mistaken - is missing the giant guitar strum on the front of it. These minor differences shouldn't stop anyone from considering the purchase of this CD. A more complete anthology exist only on the Rhino record label as a vinyl LP. Spanky is married to a member of The Turtles road crew, and the picture on the cover of the CD is of her with their son, (I believe) Matthew, circa 1969.

The song the "reeled" me into this group was, Like To Get To Know You. I first remember hearing this song at age eight and even then I liked it for its dreamy, almost surrealistic qualities. It is definetely a classic that rarely gets played on the radio. In fact, I think that this group was kind of cheated out of a lot of air play. Maybe radio stations thought they sounded too much like the Mamas and the Poppas, but to me, they had a sound all their own. It was poppy...but not too poppy. It was folksy but not too folksy. To me, this band knew how to be true to themselves and not copy or try and imitate anyone else who was out at the same time.

I like the whole album, but I always press repeat when it comes to Like To Get To Know You. I don't know what it is about that song, but it's beautiful, it's haunting, it makes my heart feel heavy and yet it lifts my spirit. Maybe that's what it was intended to do. I don't know. But I have to stop whatever it is I'm doing when it's playing and I just let soak into my unconscious allowing whatever images may come up to come up. It's a trippy, gorgeous, wonderful song and if you bought the CD for this one song it would be worth it.

Okay, cats...I gotta go.
Take things lightly.

Peace & Blessings.

Well, I'm only 25, so I wasn't even born when these songs were recorded, but this really is an incredible collection. There isn't really a bad song on it. I prefer S&OG to the Mamas and Papas (great though they are) because the songs they perform are better. I love the vocal harmonies, the strings, and the use of different guitar sounds (eg bossa nova style on 'bird avenue'). Basically, this is brilliant, a revelation.

Graduating in 1967, I grew up enjoying Spanky and Our Gang. In my opinion, they can't do wrong. And you can't go wrong listening to this terrific band at their best. They're songs are timeless, and, for me,one of the greatest sounds to come out of their era.

Great original recording by the original artists. Many favorites hits, just like I remember them. Oldies but GOODies !

As harmony groups go, Spanky and Our Gang was quite a combination of talent. All six members contributed vocals to a blend of pop, rock, folk, country, blues, and jazz material. The hits included here were mostly upbeat sunshiny tunes that sounded great on 60's AM radio. Because of their smooth crossover sound and considerable comedic skills, Spanky and Our Gang were featured on many television variety shows of the day.
This Mercury CD is a straight reissue of the original 1970 LP release(some of the tacked on production remix items are missing, though). The three biggies are here: "Sunday Will Never Be The Same", "Lazy Day", and "Like To Get To Know You", as well as lesser hits "Sunday Mornin'"(included in an extended version), "Making Every Minute Count" and "Yesterday's Rain". Don't overlook the wonderful "Give a Damn", a subtle beauty of vocal work and production that was used to promote the cause of the Urban Coalition League in New York. There's a Four Freshmen tribute in "It Ain't Necessarily Byrd Avenue" and the first cover of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'". Also, you get a small glimpse of the Gang's humorous side with the "Commercial".
Of the twelve tunes featured, five are from the debut LP, four from "Like To Get To Know You", and three from the "Anything You Choose" disc. If you want more than the hits, you'll have to explore more of the catalog on LP or Japanese import CDs.
Unfortunately for Spanky and Our Gang, their music was so vocally and instrumentally intricate that most cover groups can't reproduce their sound. Because of that, you don't hear these hits performed very often by others. As a result, they aren't remembered as much as they should be. Too bad, because Spanky and Our Gang were truly one of the more talented and sophisticated groups of the era.

Spanky and Our Gang-originally Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane, Malcolm Hale, Kenny Hodges, Nigel Pickering, Lefty Baker, and John Seiter-were one of the better and more successful folk/soft-rock vocal groups that featured a strong female lead in the late 1960s. This album contains 12 tracks with five songs that charted in 1967 and 1968, including their most well know single "Sunday Will Never Be The Same," and their controversial 1969 conscience-raising "Give A Damm." The liner reprints the front and back covers of the original vinyl album, and also includes a brief historical commentary for each track that was not included on the original album. S&OG fans will remember that this album is unusual for its inclusion of conversational bits that segue between some of the tracks.

If you're over 55, you'll certainly remember this group and this album, and thank PolyGram for releasing the CD that faithfully duplicates the original Mercury vinyl version that you bought in 1970. Don't remember Spanky and Our Gang? If you like sweet harmonies by great vocalists, you won't be disappointed by this album.

There was really nothing this group could not sing. They succeeded at everything they did, jazz, pop, broadway, blues. Sure, Spanky was the lead voice, but all of the group were very talented and willing to experiment. Always to have fun. Vocally I rank them up there with The Mamas and Papas. They were a little more adventurous, but they did not have the great songwriter in their groups like John Phillips. You need to hear "And She's Mine." It is the hit that never was. Transporting.