Chart entered : 5 November 1964
Chart peak : 47
Number of hits : 10
( Annoying to miss this one ! - M )
To Birmingham, and a
group that may well have slipped under the radar but for one vital aspect.
After all, Spencer
Davis, Muff Winwood and Peter York would have been just another
blues-influenced beat band, had it not been for Winwood's younger brother,
Steve, who was blessed with an extraordinary voice. Surely, his presence was
what lifted them from the crowd and persuaded Chris Blackwell to sign them to
his fledging Island label.
Though only
17-years-old by the time he made their debut on vinyl, the younger Winwood was
already sounding like a Midlands Ray Charles, with his skills on both guitar
and organ offering a wider palate for the group (named so, apparently, because
Davis was the only one who enjoyed dealing with the media) to play with.
The group's first
single had been a cover of blues legend John Lee Hooker's "Dimples",
which was always going to struggle to compare with the original - Hooker being
a master of the form.
"I Can't Stand
It", written by one Steve McAllister (who he?) was only a slight
improvement. It's carried purely by Winwood's nervy vocals, his age making the
sentiments of female-induced-anxiety certainly more believable. However, it's
not a total shock that it wasn't a huge hit. Blackwell would soon use his
Jamaican connections (being born and raised on the island) to link the group up
with material that would make them a major act for the next couple of years.
D.C.Harrison
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