RIP: John Spinks (Guitarist, The Outfield)

[Proglodite]

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/outfi...n-spinks-dies/

Play Deep has always been one of my all-time favorite albums, due in no small part to Spinks' guitar work. Very sad I never got to see them in concert.

Peter

[the winter tree]

I'm very sad to hear this. I knew he battled a nasty form of cancer a few years back. I met him back and 2003 and he was a very friendly, humble guy.

He penned some of the best summer and good time songs ever. There were many sides to his writing. He was a very underrated songwriter.

[Scott Bails]

Ahh, man. I loved these guys. They wrote some great, melodic songs over the years. Like winter tree, I had heard that he had cancer years ago, but hadn't heard any updates in a while.

[Gruno]

Sad.

“He worked hard with many days in pain to finish the ‘Replay’ album,” the Outfield’s statement continues. “There were times when he could barely pick up his guitar, but he refused to give up, knowing he would disappoint fans.”

I rather enjoy their Replay album. Stand out track for me is:

[GuitarGeek]

I didn't know it until a couple decades later (because I didn't know it was the same girl until the advent of Wikipedia) but I actually had a crush on the girl in the Your Love video for awhile when I was a teenager.

I never had any of The Outfield records, but I liked the videos. I thought Your Love and All The Love In The World were both really good songs. And I dug the Schecter Tele style guitars that Spinks and the auxiliary guitarist in those videos played.

[luvyesmusic]

I know he claimed to be in a competing/similar band, somewhat like Iron Maiden and had to change direction when they got signed and he didn't. Maybe it was just a soundbite?

The two or three songs from Play Deep were everywhere and still hold up nicely on a nice, happy summer day. I'll toast an already open beer to John. Someone and his music/playing, I will never forget. Here's tp John Spinks!

[the winter tree]

I second that toast! I highly recommend their first 5 albums. " Voices of Babylon" and "Play Deep" are probably their finest records and John wrote them all. DIAMOND DAYS is probably their most overlooked album and has some real gems.