Autumn '66 was the third album from the Spencer Davis Group. It includes the chart-topping Somebody Help Me which had reached number one in the UK charts in the Spring of 1966. At this stage, the group was not writing much original material. However, the seventh single When I Come Home marked the songwriting debut (with Jackie Edwards) of Steve Winwood, the outstanding talent in the band.
Many of the songs on Autumn '66 are covers of standards. Take This Hurt Off Me was also covered by The Small Faces, When a Man Loves a Woman is the Percy Sledge song and is ideally suited to Steve Winwood's soulful voice. Indeed Steve Winwood shows that he ranks alongside Steve Marriott and the Action's Reggie King as England's top soul singers at the time.
Autumn '66 is another transitional album like Revolver, the Small Faces (Immediate) or Aftermath in that it represents a crossroads in the career of the band. In this case, it represents a move away from the band's roots in blues towards a more commercial sound as shown in the single Somebody Help Me. There is also a move away from the blues harmonica towards more tracks featuring Steve Winwood's Organ playing. What is clear though is that the band enjoyed making this record.
Midnight Special is a standard that Spencer Davis used to play on street corners across Europe during his days as a student. On the Green Light is a studio improvisation, the green light being the recording light. Together 'Til The End of Time starts the album on a slow note and it represents an excellent showcase for Winwood's vocals. Dust My Blues is another standard and there is also a Yardbirds version of this.
The album finishes with the single Somebody Help Me. This helps to confirm the fact that the Spencer Davis Group made some excellent singles. It ranks alongside Gimme Some Lovin' and Keep on Running.
Tracks
1. Together 'Til the End of Time (Frank Wilson) - 2:54
2. Take This Hurt off Me (Don Covay, Ronald Miller) - 2:48
3. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out (Jimmy Cox) - 3:55
4. Midnight Special (Traditional) - 2:17
5. When a Man Loves a Woman (Calvin Lewis, Andrew Wright) - 3:11
6. When I Come Home (Jackie Edwards, Steve Winwood) - 2:00
7. Mean Woman Blues (Claude DeMetrius) - 3:17
8. Dust My Blues (Elmore James) - 2:39
9. On the Green Light (Steve Winwood) - 3:09
10.Neighbour, Neighbour (Alton Joseph Valier) - 3:22
11.High Time Baby (Spencer Davis, Muff Winwood, Pete York, Steve Winwood) - 2:44
12.Somebody Help Me (Jackie Edwards) - 2:03
13.Gimme Some Lovin' (Spencer Davis, Steve Winwood) - 3:00
14.Blues in F (Steve Winwood) - 3:28
15.I'm A Man (Jimmy Miller, Steve Winwood) - 2:58
16.I Can't Get Enough Of It (Jimmy Miller, Steve Winwood) - 3:45
17.Waltz for Lumumba (Waltz for Caroline) (Steve Winwood) - 4:21
18.Somebody Help Me (Jackie Edwards) - 2:00
19.Gimme Some Lovin' (Spencer Davis, Steve Winwood) - 2:56
20.I'm a Man (Jimmy Miller, Steve Winwood) - 2:39
Bonus Tracks 13-20
The Spencer Davis Group
*Spencer Davis - Guitar, Vocals
*Muff Winwood - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*Steve Winwood - Guitar, Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Vocals
*Pete York - Drums
Spencer Davis Group
1965 Their First LP
1966 The Second Album
Marios,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this. What a great album!
I have always been curious about this album but have never heard it... until now. Many thanks, Marios, for improving my music collection with this gem.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mario :)
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Marios for this.
ReplyDeleteWonderful music. Thanks a lot, Marios!
ReplyDeleteThese Japanese remasters went out of print almost instantly, as did a later repressing a few years later. They're one of the few places to hear the SDG albums as they were originally released. On the downside, each of these albums contained generous amounts of filler -- mostly the cuts that don't feature Winwood. On the plus side, we have what appears to be all the versions of songs that were sweetened for the U.S. market, including Somebody Help Me with overdubbed organ, which I've never heard before, and a stereo remix of I'm a Man, probably the only SDG cut ever released in stereo. Beware: despite the rumours, the cut by "the Anglos" on the first album has nothing to do with Winwood or the SDG. See http://www.winwoodfans.com/cs/csrumor.htm
ReplyDeleteHi Marios,
ReplyDeleteNew links please...
Thank you.
......Spencer....Winwood...Autumn....
ReplyDeleteCoud You reup - SpDaGroup again dead links !
ReplyDeleteAdam Ostrogoth, "The Spencer Davis Group - Autumn '66, fixed
DeleteThanks !
Delete