Spencer Davis Group
I’m a Man (Sundazed)Spencer Davis Group
Gimme Some Lovin’ (Sundazed) The mid-Sixties were the years of the British Invasion, with armies of bands falling in step with the Beatles and Stones and playing raunchy R&B-based pop and rock. The Spencer Davis Group always seems to get lost in the sauce when that era comes up; except for the title tracks of these two reissues (their two major stateside hits), they never made much of a dent in people’s memories. On revisiting this material, there’s a good reason behind that. The band’s originals, like “Keep On Running” and “Searchin’,” are passable Britpop, but covers like “Georgia On My Mind,” “It Hurts Me So,” and “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” are nearly embarrassing in their stiffness. Stevie Winwood’s unmistakable adenoidal yowl is shot through Spencer Davis Group’s songs; coupled with the mannered delivery of the band, this stuff doesn’t age well. It would have been great in l965 or so, but even then, the Stones, Yardbirds, Animals, Faces, and the Pretty Things could absolutely smoke this band as far as rough-edged, raw R&B rock. And that’s not even thinking about the Sir Douglas Quintet and the legions of snotty garage bands that came from the U.S. Sorry, but in a bar fight, the smart money wouldn’t be on the Spencer Davis boys. (Both) 
This article appears in December 14 • 2001.