Spencer Davis Group Every Little Bit Hurts

[GuyWithNoName67]

I wish the original line-up of The Spencer Davis Group had stuck together. In my honest opinion, they were always a better band than Stevie's next groups, Traffic and Blind Faith. After all, there was nothing pretentious about it; just a diverse melting pot of R&B, blue-eyed soul, jazz, gospel, and occasional folk-country-blues.

[indigorenk]

The spencer Davis Group, one of my favorite bands all time!

[monjoUtube]

Saw Stevie sing this at a B'ham town hall 'all nighter'.  I met Robert Plant on the pavement outside. Somebody might remember what year that was, I know I was still in my teens. I think the Moody Blues were doing that gig too.

[throovest]

@monjoUtube  1961

[brunop541]

Keep on running with these songs. , The Spencer Davis Group, slow songs

was so great,. Like the early Moody Blues songs.

The 60's was not only uptempo.

[ChartreuseKitty]

This CD, 8 Gigs a Week, is worth buying just for "Kansas City" --live--which Steve belts out (at a party?) when someone requests "something uptempo." Incredible thumping piano work too.

[tdavidc80]

think background - like McCartney his father was a dance band musician so they learnt to play everything!!  what di Lennon say 'Ringo isnt even the best drummer inthe group' who did he mean? insredible musicians!

[GuyWithNoName67]

@tdavidc80 He meant McCartney, who played drums on the first two tracks on The White Album since Ringo had left the band at the time, and on "The Ballad of John and Yoko", where both Ringo and George were on vacation at the time.

[speedamod]

Marriott smashed this tune, Winwood is a class act though and both are legends.

[tdavidc80]

45 years since I forst heard it & it is still fresh to me!!

[hssmrg]

Just listened to Brenda Holloway, Winwood and Marriott back to back. They are all great! But the fact that Winwood is accompanying himself on the piano gives him the edge as far as I'm concerned.

[ChartreuseKitty]

@hssmrg You inspired me to do the same. For me, Stevie W package wins--his voice, the slower tempo, piano, drums, and I think Winwood has more soul than Marriot. But the 2005 Brenda Holloway is really fine--very close.

[soaringvulture]

Just heard the Faces before this. I like Marriott better; more soul, harder-hitting.

However, I bet that right this very minute Mr. Winwood could blister your ears and rattle your soul with this tune; that boy grew up and has stayed grown up.

[nostalgiahistoria67]

Totally awesome! I also like Cilla Black's and Brenda Holloway's versions too. A classic!

[supersondessixties]

Good morning, do you like sixties? Listen and pod cast my  program  " great sound of  60' s "  on the  site plumfm. Greeting and made blooper in  rock and roll.

Salut, vous aimez les sixties ? Ecoutez et podcatez mon émission "le super son des sixties" sur plum fm. Salut et faites gaffe au rock'n roll.

[MrModpunk]

Marriot has the passion but this has the S~OUL...Tops all others

[johnmc128]

Good but try listening to Steve Marriot then tell me this is better. NOT a chance.

[Diceydee]

Not that Winwood wasn't brilliant, but I gotta give it to the other Stevie. In retrospect, Marriott was probably greatest white R&B singer of all time. This version is a litttle too choppy for my liking as well, and it's clearly the one that Mick Jones from the Clash was trying to imitate when he did his unfortunate rendition.

[trippleaaaaaaaaaa]

@Diceydee

You obviously never heard of Chris Farlowe aka "little Joe Cook" belt out a tune.

and probably nothing of Robert Johnson, too many people in the mix to make a claim for the "other stevie"

[Diceydee]

@trippleaaaaaaaaaa Please don't tell me what I know and don't know. Because you apparently don't even know that Robert Johnson wasn't white! (I specifically said "white R&B singer").

And Marriott blows Farlowe so far out of the water it's comical. But maybe you've never heard Stevie at his Small Faces heights.

[shanehenning26]

great song

[mouse500bonita]

I saw him when he was performing this song in Club 192/Scheveningen-Netherlands summer 1966. I just had played my gig with The InCrowd before them (Spencer Davis Group.) Stevie's voice was just the same as on this record. So no recording tricks in those days. At that time they worked only with Swiss Taperecorders with ca 4-tracking tapes and a few overdubbings. That was all, nothing more!

Jerry Lee King/The InCrowd from The Hague/Netherlands

[drvinnievegas]

Winwood is one of the best rock & blues singers in the world, but his voice sounds a little tired in the middle of the tune. It no wonder, the way he pushed that amazing instrument around. Ray Charles, once he learned the wonders of multitracking, spliced his classic vocals out of dozens of takes - it's just a studio technique to make the best recording. Winwood's producers (Davis?) always seemed to go for a more raw sound; time & money considerations? Does anyone know?

[quathar]

@drvinnievegas This doesn't really even sound like Winwood - a bit too tinny. Perhaps he was trying something new?

[drvinnievegas]

It's him, all right, and he's always amazing. That's a song originally written for/recorded by a female (was it Brenda Holloway?), and it's in that alto/tenor range, so that's Stevie's territory. It's just startling in this day of over-processed, over-compressed noisy music that these older tracks sound so real, so authentic, so raw. I'll take these anyday!

[051500]

Awesome vocals!!!

[wildrabbitmusic]

He makes a mistake at 1:12, did you notice :D He was too young for this tune. Kid's never been in love.

If you want to show off, it better be perfect... check out The Clash's version. Tender.

[effyleven]

"Kid's never been in love."

Hmmm... funny you should say that. At the time of its release this version was famous for showing emotion and maturity way beyond the years of the singer. This was remarked on in reviews, and has always been what impresses me, too...

But there you go... (shrugs).

[xJayWalkerx]

Small Faces did FAR superior rendition than The Clash.

No one can touch Marriott's powerful soulful voice!

[soulscootie]

Yeah no one can touch Mariiott´s voice and I love their cover,but there´s something very special about The Clash cover,I don´t know what it is...still love both groups

[xJayWalkerx]

it's a matter of musical taste. I've never was into punk too much although I quite appreciate The Clash and I respect their contribution to rock genre. But I'm rather classic rock, R&B, blues, alt. rock, metal oriented so Small Faces and Marriott for me all the way.

Cheers.

[Joethescooter]

The CLASH! Give me a break!

[middle888]

what mistake? I am a grade 8 pianist and a vocalist and noticed nothing... Also I happen to know he has been in love.. :-)

[middle888]

perfectly reasonably chord progression at 1.12. whats your problem wildrabbit music??? think your prob maybe with the songwriter if you don't get his progressions, maybe write a stern word to Mr Ed Cobb songwriter of every little bit hurts. who in his career obtained 32 gold and platinum discs and 3 grammy award nominations.. also wrote tainted love..a guy who clearly has a thorough understanding of songwriting theory.. think maybe the time signature of 6/8 may have confused you a little

[middle888]

the harmonic structure of the Spencer D version is identical to the original Brenda Holloway version.. that was clear to me on listening just once to both versions!! not rocket science... the orignal and the spencer d version just modulates into its relative minor at a1.12 quite basic songwriting stuff really...think the clash probably worked it out 'by ear' and modified it to fit the chord progs they knew.. think you need to take a chill pill wildrabbitmusic!!

[11thedogfather]

come on winwood had total control over this tune at a young age 15 16 soul was his bag fuck theroy the mans an all round ledgend any instrument and vocal

[luvureally]

Brenda Holloway does best version.

[moveonupcb]

small faces version is the best!

[LoveMarriott]

I totally agree.

[moveonupcb]

You have good taste in music. How old are you?

[MCarey0608]

Theory is one thing; harmonic structure another. One can learn "theory" by studying theory books. It's the HARMONIC STRUCTURE of Spencer Davis Group's version of Every Little Bit Hurts that is "off," something any trained musician would recognize in an instant, just as I did. It's difficult to listen to this recording because of the glaring composition errors.

[wovokanarchy]

Steve Winwood is a black man who happened to be born white. Mods rule ok?

[stOOpid68]

we sure DO!!!

[hootersnooter]

A masterpiece!

[MCarey0608]

The recording sung by Brenda Holloway is a "masterpiece," not this rendition. SOMEBODY should have purchased the original music score for this song before laying down the instrumental tracks. The chord structure is off. This version sounds amaturish, as if it were created by a self-taught, untrained "musician" which, sadly, is so common nowadays. I am a highly educated musician, arranger and composer. I know what I'm talking about and what I'm listening to.

[hootersnooter]

Hmmm, highly educated, arranger and composer, well you must be right, and the millions of us who thoroughly enjoyed this version must be wrong!!

Hootersnooter Bmus - Royal College of Music, London 1973

[tbcass]

While I'm not a trained musician I have taught myself all the theory necessary to be a trained musician so I can see this from both angles. You are correct that this version pales next to Holloway's version there is nothing wrong with rearranging the chord structure to suit the individual singer. It's also ok to rearrange a song to establish a new interpretation. It's done in Jazz all the time.

[tbcass]

Stevie Winwood, the singer and organ player was only a teenager when this was recorded. One of the problems with being a "trained" musician is sometimes one gets so hung up on the technical "correctness" that the emotional impact of the song is overlooked. This version has that emotional impact. Music is a communication between the performer and the listener. Without that connection the song is a failure no matter how technically correct.

[tbcass]

I have heard many crude songs by untrained musicians that would put a song bu a university trained musician to shame because of that emotional impact. BTW, I've been a bass player for 36 years and in addition a keyboard player for 26 of those years.

[tbcass]

I prefer the Brenda Holloway version to this not because of the technical perfection but because, to me, she conveys the song in an emotional way that this one almost, but not quite, does.

[middle888]

no technical perfection on holloway version. same chord progs in both..just q question of preference really..

[brya82]

I don't hear anything wrong with this version. The chords sound fine. The singer sounds great. It has that emotional impact that most recordings can only hope for. I've heard the Holloway and Keys versions, and still think Winwood can sing their pants off. Keep in mind that Winwood was only a teenager at the time of this recording. You say you're a professionally trained musician. Well, I see non-trained musicians out-perform professionally trained ones all the time.

[middle888]

eh?? Mcarey0608?? chord structure is same as orignal... one listen is enough to hear that.... clearly Spencer D version is in a different key from original as brenda holloway is a 'girl' and steve winwood is a 'boy'...think the key changes may be upsetting you MCarey....

[johnedwardwhitfield]

@MCarey0608 This version, including the chord changes, is far superior to any other version I've heard. Steve Winwood knew exactly what he was doing when he played it this way, and in my humble opinion it works much better than the awkward chord sequence in Brenda Holloway's recording.

[RobPic914]

@MCarey0608 I don't deny your knowledge on the matter, but to call a musician as talented as Steve Winwood amateruish is shameful. He was in his teens when he played this, it's pretty damn good no matter what age you are. And in answer to your other comment, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being self-taught, the amount that people can achieve by teaching themselves is a lot more admirable than taking lessons and judging others.

[stOOpid68]

Stevies Winwood and Marriott??

legends. 4kn LEGENDS.

*****

in fact we need more *s for stuff like this!

Lee

The Sawdust Caesar.

[11thedogfather]

lv steve marriots take but i think steve winwoods done best cover here ,allways a fav

[hambuns]

I was blown away by this four decades ago, they were an amazing local band and saw them supporting the who at birmingham hippodrome, please bring back venues & gigs like these.