With the loss of
Stevie Winwood
,
the Spencer Davis Group
were just another rock band. But that didn't keep them from marching onwards until the end of the decade, with a few more personnel changes. This compilation of 20 previously unreleased tracks is taken from radio/TV broadcasts and studio outtakes, as well as their near-complete unreleased 1969 album,
Letters From Edith
. The 1967-1968 cuts are middling pop-flavored psychedelia that's heavy on the organ-guitar combination, with the odd slice of above-average material (
"With Their New Face On"
) and strange stylistic detour (a couple of
Jimmy Webb
songs). Guitarist
Ray Fenwick
comes to the fore as songwriter on the
sessions. This finds them groping for a style -- some country-rock here, a bit of jazzy funk there, and some lowest-common-denominator psych-prog as well -- without much success, though the jazz-soul instrumental organ showcase
"Firefly"
isn't bad. ~ Richie Unterberger