RIP Mike Harrison (Spooky Tooth, V.I.P.s etc...)

[spacefreak]

Heard that he passed away the 25th. He was such a great singer and unfortunately so underrated.

[progeezer]

RIP Mike.

I always really liked the band and sang "Waitin' On The Wind" in a cover band (the only kind of band I ever played in).

[spellbound]

Sorry to hear this. One of my all-time favorite singers, and Spooky Tooth were a great band. Rest in peace, Mike.

[yoyiceu]

Fantastic singer that should've been much better known. On the same level as Gary Brooker, Steve Winwood, Rod Stewart,Steve Marriott, etc. as an elite British singer. His setback was that the wasn't a composer.

[mogrooves]

One of the great "leather-lunged" UK singers. Caught ST on a bill with JT in '70. Good times.

[yoyiceu]

Sometimes one wonders...there seems to be a of more interest in the death of Bozo the Clown and the guy from MASH than in ne of the great hard rock singers of his time, and in a music-related page no less.

[Zappathustra]

I've only heard up until Ceremony, how does their work stand after this?

[Scrotum Scissor]

I've only heard up until Ceremony, how does their work stand after this?

People differ on that. IMO, Spooky Two was their finest effort by far and the title which should have launched them onto the world stage - instead of simply making them a household name in France, West Germany, Scandinavia and (for some reason apparently) the lands down under. This album essentially catches all assets of the band; the soul'ish hard rock, the vintage progressive outbursts, even the pseudo-gospel so much of Gary Wright's preference. And it basically all works; that break with the Hammond riff before the last verse in "Evil Woman" still makes my hair stand right up on the back of my neck, and the lengthy part with Grosvenor's guitar solo there remains supremely powerful. As with the early Humble Pie, Spookies 1968-71 were a masterfully eclectic combo. As concerns the post-Ceremony releases; I've only heard The Last Puff and I Busted Your Jaw, but they are both fairly uneven and patchy affairs with the odd ray of light. I never got around to hearing any of their reunion stuff.

[yoyiceu]

After the reunion, minus Grovesnor but with Mick Jones on guitar, they became more streamlined, maybe a bit influenced by Bad Company and the like and serving as a precursor to Foreigner, but always with Harrison's (and Wrights) great vocals, and Gary Wright's excellent songwriting, with an spiritual bent what was similar to George Harrison's, his close friend, on whose records he frequently colaborated.
I like both 'Jaw' and, specially, Witness, for Wright's excellents songs. The Mirror, their swan song, features Mike Patto in Harrison's place and its not bad at all, but with lots of synths instead of the ever present ,organ.