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Sunday Old School: Spooky Tooth

Sometimes in the Sunday Old School column, we like to go back to the very early days of heavy metal, before the term was even in use. It’s interesting to find out about some of the bands who were first slapped with the “heavy metal” tag, who may not fit in with today’s definition of the genre, but certainly influenced it. This week, we’ll be looking at just such a band, one who’s approach to the hard rock of the time had more attitude than most and whose name is still dropped today as one of heavy metal’s earliest pioneers, Spooky Tooth. The group was formed as The V.I.P.’s in 1963 in the North Eastern English town of Carlisle and initially performed a rhythm and blues brand of rock before changing their name in 1967 to Art. Under this name, they released the album, “Supernatural Fairy Tales” before changing it again soon afterwards to Spooky Tooth.

Under this new moniker, the group soon recorded a new album, “It’s All About,” which hit the shelves in the summer of 1968. The record received some very positive reviews and contained a cover of the Bob Dylan song, “Too Much of Nothing,” as well as another noteworthy cover track in the form of opener, “Society’s Child,” a song by Janis Ian which commented upon the then controversial subject of interracial romance. This was one of only two albums to feature the original Spooky Tooth lineup, the sophomore effort coming a year later under the title, “Spooky Two,” which featured the song, “Better By You, Better Than Me,” which was of course later to be covered by fellow British rockers, Judas Priest and go on to be the subject of a highly controversial court case. Many critics now regard, “Spooky Two” as the band’s best work to date, citing a great sense of passion found throughout the record.

Following the release of “Spooky Two,” bassist Greg Ridley left the band to join Humble Pie, another group which would have a profound impact on the burgeoning heavy metal genre and featured a guitarist by the name of, Peter Frampton. He was replaced by Andy Leigh and the group began to experiment with their music, collaborating with French electronic musician, Pierre Henry on the album, “Ceremony,” which received mixed reviews upon release.

One of the things Spooky Tooth had become renowned for was their use of twin keyboards, with the lineup featuring both, an organist, Gary Wright and pianist, Mike Harrison. However after, “Ceremony,” Wright parted company with the group and the band soldiered on, recording the album, “The Last Puff,” which featured a number of collaborations with Joe Cocker and members of his band, as well as a warmly received cover of the Beatles’ classic, “I Am the Walrus.” They then increased their profile in a somewhat strange pairing, appearing in printed adverts for Birdseye brand vegetables, before deciding to call it a day after a European tour in 1970.

After pursuing solo endeavours, Mike Harrison and Gary Wright decided to reform Spooky Tooth, only two years on from the band’s demise. This new incarnation was notable for featuring Somerset native, Mick Jones on guitar, who would go on to form the hugely popular, Foreigner. Jones was brought in as the replacement for founding guitarist, Luther Grosvenor, who by this point had joined Mott the Hoople. The band released their comeback album, which featured one of the catchiest, and perhaps funniest, titles in the history of rock music, “You Broke My Heart, So I Busted Your Jaw,” in 1973, but unfortunately reviews weren’t particularly kind to the effort.

Spooky Tooth wasted very little time succeeding, “You Broke My Heart…” as another album, “Witness,” was released later the same year. “Witness” saw the return of original drummer, Mike Kellie to the fold but unfortunately marked the last release of the first reformed lineup to include Mike Harrison, who quit the band not long after the record was released. Nevertheless, the album has gone on to be a favourite of Spooky Tooth fans, with some going so far as to say that it’s on par with, “Spooky Two.” A year later, Spooky Two recorded and released another album, “The Mirror,” which was another very well received effort, but was to be their last album for some time, as Spooky Tooth was once again laid to rest in November 1974.

Many of the members of Spooky Tooth went on to perform a number of high profile bands, including the aforementioned Foreigner and Mott the Hoople, as well as Stealer’s Wheel and The Only Ones, amongst others. Gary Wright also scored a huge solo hit in 1978 when he released the song, “Dream Weaver,” a track he re-recorded for the soundtrack of the metalhead favourite, “Wayne’s World.”

However, in 1998, Mike Harrison brought Spooky Tooth back for the second time, along with Greg Ridley, Luke Grosvenor and Mike Kellie, though noticeably, Gary Wright was absent from the band. This third stage of the band recorded a new album, “Cross Purpose” for over a year, before releasing it in February 1999. The record received a mixed response, with the general consensus being that fans of the band would like it, but that it wouldn’t bring in many new listeners.

Following this, the band would break up again and continue to return to the stage sporadically, with the most recent incarnation of the group gracing the stage in 2009. Whether or not Spooky Tooth ever come back with a new album remains to be seen, but fifteen years on from their last release, their legacy lives on and Spooky Tooth remain an important name not just in the history of rock, but as one which helped shape the music we all know and love today that we call, heavy metal.

Spooky Tooth - "Society's Child"

Spooky Tooth - "Better By You, Better Than Me"

Spooky Tooth - "Wrong Time"

Spooky Tooth - "Cotton Growing Man"

Spooky Tooth - "The Mirror"