AMG Review of Best of the Spencer Davis Group [EMI America]

Bruce Eder
All Music Guide

Anyone who has suffered through Capitol Records' domestic Best of the Spencer Davis Group, and also doesn't want to spring for the double-CD import, should look to this 14-song collection from British Island Records. All of the best-known songs are here -- "I'm a Man," "Gimme Some Lovin'," "Every Little Bit Hurts," "Keep on Running," "When I Come Home," "This Hammer," etc. -- in loud, robust, and richly textured sound. The organ, piano, drums, and guitars fairly leap out at you, and Winwood's vocals never sounded better or closer than they do on this CD. The double CD is a better deal and sounds superior to this collection, but it also has a lot more dross on it. The real crime is that there isn't a decent-sounding domestic best-of, but this one will do.