Spanky & Our Gang - Greatest Hits

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 48:08
Size: 110.2 MB
Styles: Pop rock, Folk rock
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[2:56] 1. Sunday Will Never Be The Same
[2:33] 2. Makin' Every Minute Count
[4:58] 3. Brother, Can You Spare A Dime
[3:13] 4. Like To Get To Know You
[3:05] 5. Lazy Day
[3:06] 6. Prescription For The Blues
[3:49] 7. Sunday Mornin'
[4:01] 8. Stardust
[2:51] 9. Anything You Choose
[2:43] 10. And She's Mine
[3:43] 11. Yesterday's Rain
[2:31] 12. Without Rhyme Or Reason
[2:27] 13. For Lovin' Me
[3:13] 14. Everybody's Talkin'
[2:54] 15. Give A Damn

Digitally remastered by Suha Gur (Universal Music Studios, Edison, New Jersey). This 15-song compilation supplants a 12-song CD of the same name dating from the 1980s, which, in turn, was adapted from an LP from 1969. This time out, in addition to improving the sound somewhat, the producers have de-emphasized the cheerful, faux hippie pop sound of the group (though that is definitely represented) to show off some other sides of their output. All of the hits are here: "Sunday Will Never Be the Same," "Making Every Minute Count," "Lazy Day," "Sunday Morning" (in its hit version, not the interesting but bizarre outtake from the earlier hits collection), "Like to Get to Know You," "Give a Damn," "Yesterday's Rain," "And She's Mine," and "Anything You Choose." The real inspiration (and limitations) of this compilation lie in the other tracks, which include "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" and "Prescription for the Blues," the latter featuring Little Brother Montgomery, who taught Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane the song originally, and their live version of "For Lovin' Me," which features a quote from Sergie Prokofiev's "Lt. Kije Suite." And isn't it amazing how that piece of music manifests itself here and there in popular music, in locales such as this and Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "I Believe in Father Christmas," among others?. On the down side, the producers have removed one gorgeous and playful number, "It Ain't Necessarily Bird Avenue" and "Three Ways From Tomorrow," the latter a brilliant showcase for guitarist/banjoman Lefty Baker and the closest thing to a heavy psychedelic guitar track that this group ever issued. One gets a broader overview of the group's sound, but one wishes that they could've seen fit to work at least those two songs in, if not the third "missing" track, "Commercial." ~ Bruce Eder

John Seiter (vocals, drums); Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane, Nigel Pickering (vocals); Kenny Hodges (guitar); Lefty Baker (banjo).

Greatest Hits

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Spanky & Our Gang - The Best Of Spanky & Our Gang

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:27
Size: 72.0 MB
Styles: Folk rock, AM pop
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[3:01] 1. Sunday Will Never Be The Same
[2:35] 2. Making Every Minute Count
[3:06] 3. Lazy Day
[3:51] 4. Sunday Mornin'
[3:18] 5. Like To Get To Know You
[3:34] 6. Give A Damn
[3:19] 7. Yesterday's Rain
[2:54] 8. Anything You Choose
[2:30] 9. And She's Mine
[3:13] 10. Echoes (Everybody's Talkin')

Spanky & Our Gang is one of the great overlooked bands of the '60s. As in the case of other groups like the Monkees or Paul Revere & the Raiders, their chart success seemingly blinded people as to just how good they were. Like a more baroque Mamas & Papas, their strength was their amazingly constructed harmonies. They also boasted impressive songwriting from sources as diverse as Bob Dorough, Margo Guryan and Terry Cashman, wonderfully brassy lead vocals by Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane and charming blend of hippie sensibilities and old time show biz attitudes. This collection boils their short career (three albums in three years between 1966 and 1969) down to ten tracks and includes all their best songs, like "Sunday Will Never Be the Same," "Lazy Day," "Sunday Mornin'," "Like to Get to Know You," "And She's Mine" and "Give a Damn." It delivers quite a knockout punch, but the short format of the series doesn't allow for much exploration of the different aspects of the group. For a more expanded view of Spanky & Our Gang's talents, you might pick up their 1999 collection Greatest Hits as it has five more tracks, including their wild cover of "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" and a moving rendition of "Stardust." It also has all the tracks this disc does and is roughly the same price, leading one to wonder why the label felt the need to release this collection at all. ~Tim Sendra

The Best Of Spanky & Our Gang

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