Spooky Tooth’s journey was an unpredicted one – through changes of direction, an experimental music collaboration with Pierre Henry (and then losing Gary Wright to film soundtrack work), to eventually releasing two albums with none of their original members remaining!
This album finds the band moving into more relaxed territory, sounding at times a little like Traffic (but that is a good thing!).
Guitar
Spooky2 John White is an accomplished bass guitarist. He has played with various groups, such as Humble Pie. Additionally, he has recorded music for television and movies and written and performed multiple original songs – which will soon be released as part of a solo album project he is working on.
White hails from Oklahoma City but now resides in Los Angeles. His musical influences range from Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison to touring with Mott the Hoople. Furthermore, he holds an intense fascination for horror films while mastering guitar, drums, keyboards and vocals.
White has played with several well-known musicians, such as Marilyn Manson. Additionally, he has appeared on multiple movie soundtracks and served as guest musician with Mondo Generator and A Perfect Circle bands; additionally he auditioned for Metallica but lost out to Troy Van Leeuwen.
John White has enjoyed working as a freelance bassist in clubs and recording sessions, in addition to side projects of several bands. John’s passion for music extends far beyond playing bass; it includes performing alongside friends. John has even made guest appearances in music videos!
Spooky Tooth was never easy to pin down musically, as their eclecticism led them into making albums that varied greatly from each other. That diversity was part of what made Spooky Tooth special; always looking to expand their horizons; as witnessed in Witness.
Spooky Tooth’s first half-album features more typical R’n’B and soul with some mild psychedelic flourishes, but their second half took an unexpected turn with religious songs including Greg Ridley leaving in protest and shortly thereafter disbanding of their group.
Mike Harrison and drummer Mike Kellie persevered, recruiting some members from Joe Cocker’s Grease Band to produce 1970’s more conventional The Last Puff album. It sounds strikingly similar to Spooky Tooth but without Gary Wright guiding their soulful direction as previously.
Bass
John White is a bassist known for his complex chording on his fretless bass; this style has been likened to James Hetfield from Metallica. White made his live debut using a BC Rich Warlock from 1998-99 before giving it away to Hard Rock Cafe Ottawa Canada as part of a donation.
Spooky Tooth stands as one of the few rock bands with more than two albums under their name without a member switching over between releases (there have been exceptions like Renaissance), with their debut It’s All About promising folk, country and soul elements alongside classic roots-rock that Britain was already famous for.
Unfortunately, things quickly go south. The unintentionally monotonous heavy music soon grows tedious to listen to and only Gary Wright’s bass work stands out; not the heavyness of Sabbath or Zeppelin but more generic heavy sludge that doesn’t really rock but simply serves to establish their presence and establish themselves.
Spooky Tooth’s second release was an enormous leap forward; unfortunately it was overshadowed by more well-known acts at the time. Songwriting excellence shone through and this album represented an exceptional blend of all that had gone into British roots-rock up until that point.
One drawback of The Last Puff is its overly ambitious concept album approach; The Final Puff acts as the band’s farewell album and represents their dissolution. Still, this record makes for great listening if you enjoy Joe Cocker or other Sixties R’n’B artists from Great Britain.
Vocals
Gary Wright had always been an impressive R’n’B vocalist; this, combined with their nationality and knowledge of R&B basics, ensured they sounded authentic. On this album however, Gary decided to demonstrate that his singing could stand up against anything in rock; so he wrote numerous gospelly soul songs with pseudo-religious electronic effects added on advice of producer Jimmy Miller.
What resulted was an impressive album. Not only was the music itself outstanding, but the band proved they could handle covers admirably; two of their most impressive tunes on this record were radical translations of Janis Ian’s Society’s Child and Bob Dylan’s Too Much Of Nothing that were given added intensity by chorus backing singers and Luther Grosvenor (at his peak performance here) guitar solos.
As with their previous album, this band’s sound was unique within British recording at that time. They did not shy away from trying things that would have been difficult or impossible alone and had an adventurous spirit; they also brought a unique approach to recording that made them one of Britain’s most engaging bands at that time.
This album is truly remarkable and it’s unfortunate that it never reached its potential success. Unfortunately, its light has been overshadowed by bigger and flashier acts; but this should never diminish its place among Led Zeppelin or The Who in terms of importance to British Rock development. A must for those interested in early rock.
Drums
Spooky Tooth drummer Meg White has long been revered for her dynamic drumming style and intuitive expression. On this album she excelled like never before, becoming one of the greatest rock drummers ever. Her powerful yet restrained performance never allowed for too much volume or overplayed the song being performed.
On this album, Ted Nugent’s guitar playing appears to have taken an extraordinary leap forward compared to previous albums; his sound on this album is fuller-bodied than on others and so are its basslines; keyboards have also become more prominent on this record.
The key issue with this album is that it isn’t truly Spooky Tooth; rather, it features Mike Harrison instead of Gary Wright to help write songs. This marks Spooky Tooth’s first record without him, and its absence really shows.
Some songs on this album are impressively impressive hard rockers. Of particular note is ‘Offering’ with its dark gothic riff that fits seamlessly with paranoid vocals and panting noises; its drumbeat and murky background add further atmosphere.
Unfortunately, most of the other tracks on this album are just bad. While ‘Cotton Growing Man’ features some heavy riffs that may appeal to some listeners, most other songs on here are generic blues-rock tunes with nothing memorable about them.
Spooky Tooth’s only album to feature electric piano. Unfortunately, the keyboards weren’t quite up to the task of supporting their sound and doing their best with what was given them. There’s not much new to say about this release, other than it holds historical value for fans of the band.
Spooky Tooth’s most underrated album. Although not quite perfect, it comes close and makes for one of the few worthwhile purchases in their discography. I was shocked that it didn’t chart higher; this deserves to be included among the Top 100!
