Their First LP – THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP***

My Babe/Dimples/Searchin’/Every Little Bit Hurts/I’m Blue/Sittin’ & Thinkin’/I Can’t Stand It/Here Right Now/Jump Back/Its Gonna Work Out Fine/Midnight Train/It Hurts Me So

Debut album from R & B influenced The Spencer Davis Group featured teenage prodigy Stevie Winwood on vocals. Less than inspirationally titled, Their First LP fails to include any of their hit singles. Albums such as this, with lots of R & B filler, released by groups best known for their pop hits, would decrease substantially from now on. (UK:6)

"It was apparent from their first record that Winwood, with his ferocious soul drenched voice, belying his tender sixteen years, would be the focal point of the group."

"Their First LP established them as a major group. It is basically a reflection of their early repertoire and very heavy on the R & B/soul standards. Dominated by covers, only three of the tunes are originals. Winwood's mid-tempo soul number It Hurts Me So is easily the best of them. Winwood is in fine voice."

"Stylistically, it was American R & B, like most other young British groups were doing at the time, but in comparison to their contemporaries The Spencer Davis Group had a lot more soul in their sound, as can be heard in their renditions of Every Little Bit Hurts and It's Gonna Work Out Fine."

"No one in the 60s had a voice quite like Steve Winwood. At the very young age of 17 on this record, Winwood's voice is a mature, yet raw concoction of legendary rock sounds. This album didn't spawn any hits you'll hear on the radio today, but you can't listen to It's Gonna Work Out Fine and doubt that Steve Winwood is one of the greatest rock voices in the history of music."

"This is neither as good as their best work, nor as good as the best British R & B albums of the era by competitors like Them and The Rolling Stones."

"The Spencer Davis Group were perhaps the greatest R & B group to come out of England during the 1960s. However, their individual albums were cluttered with filler."