WIWS Banner

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

With Their New Face On: RPM Collects Spencer Davis Group's "Complete Recordings 1967-1969"

August 30, 2016 By Joe Marchese 4 Comments

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM

Cherry Red's RPM Records has just celebrated the legacy of The Spencer Davis Group with a new 3-CD box set.  Taking Out Time: Complete Recordings 1967-1979 brings together two complete albums with a host of singles, soundtrack performances, BBC sessions and rarities to paint a full portrait of the group's "Mk. II" years in which Eddie Hardin, Phil Sawyer, Ray Fenwick, Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray all passed through its ranks.  This release can be considered an expansion of RPM's 2000 release of 20 tracks from the same period, similarly titled (just) Taking Out Time.

In Andy Neill's excellent liner notes accompanying this set, Spencer Davis recalls, "It was a ridiculous scenario, really...we had a record ['I'm a Man'] in the Top Ten in Britain and a record ['Gimme Some Lovin''] in the Top Ten in America at the same time.  The possibilities were wide open and then suddenly...no band!  Talk about an unreal situation to be in."  Davis formed the group that bore his name in 1963 when the Welsh guitarist invited singer/guitarist/pianist Steve Winwood, Steve's brother and bassist Muff Winwood, and drummer Pete York to join him in a new band.  By late 1965, The Spencer Davis Group had reached the summit of the U.K. pop chart with "Keep On Running," written by Jackie Edwards.  Edwards' "Somebody Help Me" and "When I Come Home" (co-written with Steve Winwood) continued the group's winning streak, reaching No. 1 and No. 12, respectively, on the U.K. chart.  The stage had been set for success in America, too, which was achieved when 1966's U.K. No. 2 hit "Gimme Some Lovin'," co-written by Davis and the Winwoods, went all the way to No. 7 in the United States.  Its follow-up, 1967's "I'm a Man," by Steve Winwood and Jimmy Miller, also went Top 10 in both countries.  Then everything changed.

Steve and Muff Winwood both left The Spencer Davis Group.  Steve went on to form Traffic, and Muff segued into a behind-the-scenes career at Island Records.  Davis and York pressed on, resolved to assemble a new group.  The first recruit was singer-keyboardist Eddie Hardin, and then came singer-guitarist Phil Sawyer.  (The need for a bass player was negated thanks to Hardin's clever use of the pedals on his organ.)  A new Spencer Davis Group was born.

The new line-up made its public debut at the Marquee Club on May 30, 1967, and in July, the single "Time Seller" b/w "Don't Want You No More" arrived in stores.  The United Artists single kicks off Taking Out Time. Fans of the band's original R&B sound would likely have been surprised by the heavily-orchestrated slice of psychedelia.  The B-side, "Don't Want You No More," was more in line with the group's classic sound.  But this line-up would prove to be short-lived, as Phil Sawyer departed in November 1967 in the midst of recording the group's new album.  (Further material from this version of the group would arrive on the soundtrack of director Clive Donner's film Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.  The album had been in development for so long, Steve Winwood appears on it with both The Spencer Davis Group and Traffic!)

Enter Ray Fenwick.  His recorded debut with the group came with the single "Mr. Second Class" b/w "Sanity Inspector."  In June 1968, the appropriately-titled LP With Their New Face On arrived, including overdubbed versions of "Time Seller" and "Don't Want You No More" now sung by Eddie and Ray, respectively.  Other previously-released singles were remixed for the album.  In October 1968, however, another seismic shift occurred when Eddie Hardin and Pete York departed the group over creative differences in the band's increasingly pop-oriented direction.  They would meet a few months later and form Hardin and York.  Dee Murray (later of The Elton John Band) and Dave Hynes joined up, and a final United Artists single, "Short Change" b/w "Picture of Heaven," was released.

One last album emerged from the group's American tour.  Funky (which evolved from the album tentatively titled Letters from Edith) was primarily recorded in New York under the supervision of Lewis Merenstein (Van Morrison's Astral Weeks).  Melding pop, country-rock, soul, progressive rock and an underpinning of the blues that had always been at the band's core, Funky sounded far-removed from all previous releases.  It was inauspiciously issued on CBS' Date imprint in the United States and remained unreleased in the United Kingdom.  By the time of the album's completion, Nigel Olsson had replaced Dave Hynes.  After an October 1969 tour, the band called it a day, even as Murray and Olsson were beginning to rehearse with Elton John.

Funky is featured on Disc Two alongside some one-off oddities, such as German language versions of 'Hair" and "Let the Sunshine In" from the Broadway musical Hair, as well as a single credited to The Murgatroyd Band featuring the group's theme song to the children's television show Magpie.  Among the (previously issued) outtakes is a rendition of Jimmy Webb's "The Girls Song" (also recorded by Jackie DeShannon and The 5th Dimension and a demo of "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In."    The third disc rounds up six alternates from the Mulberry Bush sessions as well as a live version of "Dust My Blues" from 1968 and fifteen BBC performances recorded in 1967-1968.  This compilation marks the first official release of the BBC tracks.

Taking Out Time is packaged in a compact clamshell case, with each disc housed in its own mini-LP sleeve.  A 24-page booklet features Andy Neill's liner notes (drawing on fresh interviews with surviving band members) and full credits, plus a BBC sessionography.  Simon Murphy has remastered at Another Planet Music.  You can order RPM's 3-CD set at the links below!

The Spencer Davis Group, Taking Out Time: Complete Recordings 1967-1969 (RPM RPMBX533, 2016) (Amazon U.S. /Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

  1. Time Seller (Mono) (Fontana single TF 854, 1967)
  2. Don't Want You No More (Mono) (Fontana single TF 854, 1967)
  3. Taking Out Time
  4. Every Little Thing
  5. Virginals Dream
  6. Looking Back
  7. Picture of Her
  8. Just Like Me
  9. Possession
  10. Second Class (Mono) (United Artists single UP 1203, 1967)
  11. Sanity Inspector (Mono) (United Artists single UP 1203, 1967)
  12. After Tea (Mono) (United Artists single UP 2213, 1968)
  13. Moonshine (Mono) (United Artists single UP 2213, 1968)
  14. With His New Face On
  15. Second Class
  16. Alec in Transitland
  17. Sanity Inspector
  18. Feel Your Way
  19. Morning Sun
  20. Moonshine
  21. Don't Want You No More
  22. Time Seller
  23. Stop Me, I'm Falling
  24. After Tea (Previously Unreleased Stereo Mix)

CD 2

  1. (Aquarius) Der Wassermann (United Artists German single 67129, 1968)
  2. Let the Sunshine In (United Artists German single 67129, 1968)
  3. Short Change (United Artists single UP 2226, 1968)
  4. Picture of Heaven (United Artists single UP 2226, 1968)
  5. I Met a Woman
  6. Letters from Edith
  7. Raintree River
  8. What a Way to Die
  9. Firefly (Funky)
  10. Magical Day
  11. I Guess I'm Wasting My Time
  12. Misguided (Poor Misguided Woman)
  13. And the Gods Came Down
  14. New Jersey Turnpike
  15. Magpie The Murgatroyd Band (Decca single F 13256, 1971)
  16. Twice a Week - The Murgatroyd Band (Decca single F 13256, 1971)
  17. I'm Lost
  18. Pools Winner
  19. Groove Extra
  20. The Girls' Song
  21. Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (Demo)
  22. Feel Your Way (Backing Track)

CD 3

  1. Feel Your Way (Alternate)
  2. Morning Sun (Alternate)
  3. Taking Out Time (Alternate)
  4. Picture of Her (Alternate)
  5. Just Like Me (Alternate)
  6. Possession (Alternate)
  7. Don't Want You No More (Live 18.12.67)
  8. Interview (Live 18.12.67)
  9. Second Class (Live 18.12.67)
  10. Time Seller (Live 18.12.67)
  11. Feel Your Way (Live 17.1.68)
  12. Taking Out Time (Live 17.1.68)
  13. Time Seller (Live 17.1.68)
  14. Moonshine (Live 11.3.68)
  15. Interview (Live 11.3.68)
  16. After Tea (Live 11.3.68)
  17. Feel Your Way (Live 11.3.68)
  18. Dust My Blues (Live 24.6.68)
  19. Interview (Live 24.6.68)
  20. With His New Face On (Live 24.6.68)
  21. Second Class (Live 24.6.68)
  22. Dust My Blues (Live, Empire Pool, Wembley, 24.3.68)

CD 1, Tracks 3-9 from Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, United Artists SULP 1186, 1968
CD 1, Tracks 14-23 from With Their New Face On, United Artists UA 1192, 1968
CD 2, Tracks 5-14 from Funky, Date TES 4021, 1970
CD 2, Tracks 17-18 first released 1997
CD 2, Tracks 19-22 first released 1994
CD 3, Tracks 1-6 alternate versions of tracks from Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, United Artists SULP 1186, 1968, first released 1997
CD 3, Tracks 7-21 previously unreleased BBC sessions
CD 3, Track 22 first released 1994

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: The Spencer Davis Group

Avatar photo

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

Connect With Joe: FacebookTwitter

You Might Also Like

  • Hardin and York AnthologyListen, Everyone: Cherry Red, Grapefruit Collect Hardin and York Albums
  • Ray Fenwick Playing Through the ChangesShine It on Me: Cherry Red Celebrates Guitarist Ray Fenwick on New Anthology
  • Halcyon DaysLook at the View: Cherry Red's New Strawberry Imprint Collects Mod, Pop, Psych, and Freakbeat on "Halcyon Days"
  • On the Detroit BeatI'll Be Doggone: Ace Collects U.K. Motown Covers From The Hollies, Dusty, Cilla, and More

Comments

  1. Andrea says

    August 31, 2016 at 7:21 am

    Is RPM to be trusted? Because honestly I don't trust Cherry Red as a rule.
    Are we 100% sure this has been remastered from the actual tapes?

    Reply
    • Andy says

      September 23, 2016 at 12:48 pm

      Why would you not trust Cherry Red?

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        September 24, 2016 at 3:34 am

        I'm a bit doubtful, honestly, about this actually being a remaster from the original tapes. Same goes for Edsel or other small labels who have been known to settle for whatever digital files they could put their hands on. It's not easy and it's expensive for a small label to obtain the actual tapes.

        That's way I asked Joe to confirm if this is the case.
        Since we got no answer - I guess there goes our answer....

        Reply
      • Avatar photoJoe Marchese says

        September 24, 2016 at 10:28 am

        Hi, Andy. There is no reason not to "trust" Cherry Red - especially because Cherry Red is set up as an umbrella for numerous labels, each one of which has its own parameters and purview. Cherry Red is 110% reputable.

        As far as Andrea's concerns about sources, that information is not made freely available pertaining to most releases. I have no insider information as to the source of the tracks on The Spencer Davis Group reissue. (That said, the original Amazon description for the release clearly mentions "rarities for which tapes have been archived" and the sound of this release certainly seems to back that up.) The true test should be your ears, and how it sounds to you.

        RPM's track record (an excellent one) speaks for itself. Additionally, I can vouch personally that not every independent label has to "settle" for inferior sources or digital files. That's patently untrue. Does it happen sometimes, even to the best labels? Sure. (Edsel and/or its remastering engineers has, with commendable transparency, admitted when this has unfortunately been the case for certain titles. Edsel is, again, a very reputable organization.

        There's no reason to hesitate based on hearsay or suspicion if you're interested in picking up this (terrific) release.

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • Crazy Horse All Roads Lead Home
    All Roads Lead Home
    Crazy Horse
    March 31, 2023
  • The Who With Orchestra Live at Wembley
    The Who with Orchestra Live at Wembley
    The Who
    March 31, 2023
  • The Birth of Bop
    The Birth of Bop: The Savoy 10-Inch LP Collection
    Various Artists
    March 31, 2023
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,573 other subscribers

Popular

  • Rush Signals 40th
    Chemistry: Rush Revisits "Signals" For 40th Anniversary posted on March 22, 2023 | under News
  • Elton John Honky Chateau Cover
    Release Round-Up: Week of March 24 posted on March 24, 2023 | under Release Round-Up
  • Stream Solar
    The Weekend Stream: March 25, 2023 posted on March 25, 2023 | under The Weekend Stream

Comments

  • small faces here come the nice2
    Return To Itchycoo Park: Small Faces' "Here Come The Nice" Deluxe Box Set Arrives In January [UPDATED 12/3] 84 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 3, 2013 | under News
  • the beatles u s albums box2
    British Invasion! The Beatles Unveil "The U.S. Albums" Box Set in January 69 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 12, 2013 | under News
  • Rolling Stones in Mono
    Out of Their Heads: Stones Plan Mono Box Set 47 comments | by Mike Duquette | posted on August 10, 2016 | under News

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popblerd
  • Popdose
  • Record Racks
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Viva La Mainstream
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Resonance Records
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • SoulMusic Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me, Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2023 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy