The Spencer Davis Group - Gimme Some Lovin' (1966)

Originally known as The Rhythm and Blues Quartette, this band first came together in Birmingham, England in 1963 when Spencer Davis (lead vocalist) met with brothers Steve (lead guitar) and Muff Winwood (bass). When they picked up Pete York on drums, the band’s first lineup was complete. Since none of the band members except Spencer Davis enjoyed doing interviews, Muff Winwood had the idea to name the band after him so that the other members “could stay in bed and let him” be in the spotlight. In 1964, with their new name, they were signed to their first record deal; and, by the end of 1965, they had released their first hit, “Keep On Running,” which was a cover of a Jackie Edwards song released previously that same year. After a large amount of success in the coming years, Steve Winwood blind-sided his bandmates by announcing he was quitting the band in early 1967. They later found out it was to co-create the band Traffic. His brother Muff soon left to become the A&R man at Island Records, but despite their recent losses, the band continued on. After a few failed singles leading up into 1968, Pete York left the band along with newer member Eddie Hardin to begin their own work under the name Hardin & York. By 1969, the group decided to call it quits. They reunited briefly in 1973, releasing a couple of lukewarm albums, but broke up again in 1974. Lately, as of 2006, Spencer Davis has been performing with an entirely new lineup, touring both Europe and the US.

Written by Spencer Davis and Steve and Muff Winwood, this song was one of the best-selling songs released by the band. The main guitar riff of the song was borrowed from “(Ain’t That) A Lot of Love,” a Homer Banks song. Two versions of the song were released: the UK version and the US version. The differences were that the UK version lacked backing vocals, was a bit slower, and didn’t appear to “sound as live.” The US version is the one predominately heard today, which is widely believe to be the better cut. Upon the songs release, it reached number seven in the US and number two in the UK. The song has been covered by numerous famous artists and has appeared in many popular television shows and films.



The Spencer Davis Group - Gimme Some Lovin' (1966)

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Lyrics:

(Hey!)

Well my temperature's rising
And my feet left the floor
Crazy people knockin’
'cause they wanted some more

Let me in, baby
I don't know what you got
But you better take it easy
This place is hot

And I’m
So glad you made it
So glad you made it
You got to
Gimme some lovin'
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')
Gimme some lovin'
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')
Gimme some lovin'
Every day

(Hey!)

Well, I feel so good
Everything is gettin' hot
You better take it easy
‘cause this place is on fire

It’s been a hard day
And I have so much to do
We made it, baby
And it happened to you

And I’m
So glad you made it
So glad you made it
You gotta
Gimme some lovin'
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')
Gimme some lovin'
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')
Gimme some lovin'
Every day

Yeah

(Hey!)

Well, I feel so good
Everything is gettin' hot
You better take it easy
‘cause the place is on fire

It’s been a hard day
And nothing went too good
Now I’m gonna relax
I think everybody should

And I’m
So glad you made it
Hey hey
So glad you made it
You got
Gimme some lovin'
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')
Gimme some lovin'
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')

Hey, hey
(Gimme some lovin')
I need ya to gimme- gimme some of your lovin’, babe
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')
You know I need it so bad
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')…

Blind Faith - Can't Find My Way Home (1969)

As you may remember from our post a while back, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce of Cream did not get along ever since their days playing together in The Graham Bond Organisation. While in Cream, the bickering between the two was usually mediated by their bandmate Eric Clapton; but, it eventually took its toll on the band, causing them to split up in1968. In the subsequent months, Clapton found himself frequently playing with Steve Winwood, who had just recently, in January 1969, parted ways with Traffic due to differences in opinion about the band’s musical direction. While jamming on one particular day in early 1969, Ginger Baker sat in to play the drums. Impressed with the chemistry the three of them had together, Winwood presented Clapton with the idea of asking Baker to form a new band with them. At first, Clapton had whole-heartedly decided against it, as he had promised Jack Bruce that if any new projects had been started he’d invite him. But given that Ginger Baker was a part of this new project, Clapton felt it would basically be restarting Cream nine weeks after breaking it up. Winwood eventually persuaded Clapton to ask Baker to join without approaching Jack Bruce at all. In May 1969, the newly formed trio then persuaded bass player Ric Grech to leave his current band, Family, mid-tour and join them in their collaboration. Word of mouth quickly spread to the public about a new “Super Cream” that was being formed. Before the band had even released any material, although they had been recording their first album, they were touring and playing to crowds of up to 20,000 people. Not having penned enough material of their own yet, they found themselves playing a lot of Cream’s and Traffic’s songs. This is exactly what Clapton wanted to avoid. After the release of their one and only album in 1969, the band finished their tour and returned to the UK, where they soon decided it best to split up. Ginger Baker went on to form Ginger Baker’s Air Force; Steve Winwood reformed Traffic with Ric Grech; and Eric Clapton passionately escaped the limelight by playing as a guest of the Plastic Ono Band and Delaney & Bonnie and Friends.

Written by Steve Winwood, this song appeared as the second track on the band’s one and only album, Blind Faith, released in 1969. The album was met with a stark criticism, as it artistically featured an underage nude female model. Although the girl and her parents both consented to her appearance on the album art, rumors circulated that it was Ginger Baker’s daughter or a groupie held hostage by the band. In the United States, an alternate album cover, seen below, was released.



Blind Faith - Can't Find My Way Home (1969)

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Lyrics:

Come down off your throne
And leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I’ve been waiting so long
Somebody holds the key

But I’m near the end and
I just ain’t got the time
And I’m wasted and I
Can’t find my way home

Come down on your own
And leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I’ve been waiting all these years
Somebody holds the key

But I’m near the end
I just ain’t got the time
Oh, I’m wasted and I
Can’t find my way home

But I can’t find my way home
But I can’t find my way home
But I can’t find my way home
But I can’t find my way home
But I can’t find my way home
And I ain’t done nothing wrong
But I can’t find my way home

Traffic - Dear Mr. Fantasy (1967)

Formed in April 1967 in the West Midlands region of England, this band’s most acknowledged lineup featured Steve Winwood, Dave Mason, Jim Capaldi, and Chris Wood. The group’s earliest singles were inspired by The Beatles, but they're most remembered for works fusing psychedelia, rock, jazz, and folk. Windwood, Mason, and Wood often collaborated with Jimi Hendrix and even appeared on Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland in 1968, the final album of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Although the group initially split in 1969 for Winwood to form Blind Faith with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, the group reunited in 1970 and, in some incarnation or another, continued on until 1975. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Coming from their debut album, Mr. Fantasy released in 1967, this song’s lyrics were written by Capaldi and its music was written by Winwood and Wood. Never released as a single, it has since been covered by the Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Jimi Hendrix, and many others. Based on a poem given up on by Jim Capaldi, it was later retrieved and finished up by Steve Winwood and Chris Wood.



Traffic - Dear Mr. Fantasy (1967)

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Lyrics:

Dear Mister Fantasy, play us a tune
Something to make us all happy
Do anything, take us out of this gloom
Sing a song, play guitar, make it snappy

You are the one who can make us all laugh
But doing that, you break out in tears
Please don't be sad; if it was a straight mind you had
We wouldn't have known you all these years

Dear Mister Fantasy, play us a tune
Something to make us all happy
Do anything, take us out of this gloom
Sing a song, play guitar, make it snappy
Yeah

Dear Mister Fantasy, play us a tune
Something to make us all happy
Do anything, take us out of this gloom
Sing a song, play guitar, make it snappy

You are the one who can make us all laugh
But doing that, you break out in tears
Please don't be sad; if it was a straight mind you had
We wouldn't have known you all these years

Traffic - Coloured Rain (1967)

Steve Winwood left The Spencer Davis Group with whom he had been singing with as early as fifteen years old. After quitting, he formed a new band with Dave Mason. Mason would have a great future ahead of him playing and recording with many world-renowned artists.

This song, although never one of their singles or big hits, is a great psychedelic song. The psychedelic nature of the song is exactly where Dave Mason wanted to take the group stylistically; however, the rest of the band wanted to head toward blues and folk, so Mason parted ways.

Luckily this song, and the others on the album Mr. Fantasy, were created and released before the band made their stride toward a new sound without Dave Mason.



Traffic - Coloured Rain (1967)

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Lyrics:

Yesterday I was a young boy
Searching for my way
Not knowing what I wanted
Living life from day to day
'til you came along
There was nothing but an empty space and a pain

Feels like coloured rain
Tastes like coloured rain
Bring on coloured rain
Yeah!

I can see the sail of changing
Filling with surprise
United with a feeling
Bringing love into my eyes
‘til you came along
There was nothing but an empty space and a pain

Feels like coloured rain
Tastes like coloured rain
Bring on coloured rain
Yeah!