fbpx

News

Spooky Tooth / The Island Years: An Anthology 1967-1974 / box set

The Island Years is a new comprehensive anthology featuring the work British rock band Spooky Tooth who released seven studio albums between 1968 and 1974.

This new box set features all of those long players and even steps back a year to 1967 to make room for Supernatural Fairy Tales, an album recorded by an earlier incarnation of the band called Art.

The Island Years is available as a nine-CD box set or an eight-LP collection. All of the albums feature rare bonus material and the anthology ends with a full concert from April 1972, recorded in Germany. In total, there is over 30 previously unreleased recordings.

The vinyl box set contains the eight Spooky Tooth / Art albums in replica packaging. None of the bonus tracks are on the records, but you do get a download card which gives you access to all the additional material on the CD set including the live concert.

The vinyl set includes an Art promotional poster while the CD box comes with a 48 page book.

The Island Years: An Anthology 1967-1974 is released on 27 April 2015. See below for a detailed track listing.


spookytooth
9CD box / click to enlarge

9CD Box Set

spooky_vinyl
8LP Box / click to enlarge

8LP Vinyl Box Set


CD Box Track listing

supernatural

CD 1: Supernatural Fairy Tales (by ART)
Originally released as Island ILP 967 in December 1967

  • 1. I Think I’m Going Weird 3:18
  • 2. What’s That Sound (For What It’s Worth) 2:48
  • 3. African Thing 4:05
  • 4. Room with a View 3:40
  • 5. Flying Anchors 2:42
  • 6. Supernatural Fairy Tales 3:36
  • 7. Love is Real 3:19
  • 8. Come on Up 3:02
  • 9. Brothers, Dads and Mothers 3:30
  • 10. Talkin’ to Myself 1:40
  • 11. Alive, Not Dead 2:14
  • 12. Rome Take Away Three 2:59

Bonus tracks:

  • 13. Love is Real 2:43
  • 14. I Think I’m Going Weird 3:16
  • 15. Room with a View 3:37
  • 16. Flying Anchors 2:49
  • 17. Supernatural Fairy Tales 3:36
  • 18. Talkin’ to Myself 1:42

Previously unreleased stereo mixes – Pye Studios, 15th December 1971

itsallabout

CD 2 – It’s All About
Originally released as Island ILPS 9080 in 1968

  • 1. Society’s Child 4:30
  • 2. Love Really Changed Me 3:33
  • 3. Here I Lived So Well 5:06
  • 4. Too Much of Nothing 3:57
  • 5. Sunshine Help Me 3:02
  • 6. It’s All About a Roundabout 2:43
  • 7. Tobacco Road 5:33
  • 8. It Hurts You So 3:03
  • 9. Forget It, I’ve Got It 3:26
  • 10. Bubbles 2:49

Bonus tracks:

  • 11. Sunshine Help Me (original version) 3:18

Recorded 13th October 1967 at Pye Studios, London – Previously unreleased]

  • 12. Weird 4:10

B-side of single – Released as Island WIP 6022 in December 1967]

  • 13. The Weight 3:08

A-side of single – Released as Island WIP 6046 in 1968]

  • 14. Do Right People 4:45

B-side of single – Released as Island WIP 6046 in 1968

  • 15. Love Really Changed Me (single version) 3:17

A-side of single – Released as Island WIP 6037 in February 1968]

  • 16. Luger’s Groove 3:56

B-side of single – Released as Island WIP 6037 in February 1968

  • 17. It Hurts You So – Mono mix 3:02

Previously unreleased

  • 18. Sunshine Help Me 2:08
  • 19. Too Much of Nothing 3:57

BBC Radio One “Top Gear” Session 21st February 1968 – Previously unreleased

  • 20. The Weight 3:15

BBC Radio One “Top Gear” Session 30th September 1968 – Previously unreleased

spookytwo

CD 3:  Spooky Two
Originally released as Island ILPS 9098 in 1969

  • 1. Waitin’ for the Wind 3:29
  • 2. Feelin’ Bad 3:17
  • 3. I’ve Got Enough Heartaches 3:24
  • 4. Evil Woman 9:00
  • 5. Lost in My Dream 5:03
  • 6. That Was Only Yesterday 3:51
  • 7. Better by You, Better Than Me 3:36
  • 8. Hangman, Hang My Shell on a Tree 5:40

Bonus tracks:

  • 9. Feelin’ Bad 2:53
  • 10. I Can’t Quit Her 3:00
  • 11. Blues Town 3:32

BBC Radio One “Top Gear” Session 30th September 1968 – Previously unreleased

  • 12. When I Get Home 4:17

MONO version – Recorded at Morgan Studios, London 13th November 1968 – Previously unreleased

  • 13. Something Got into Your Life 3:28

Recorded at Morgan Studios, London 13th November 1968

  • 14. Waitin’ for The Wind – First mix 3:35
  • 15. Lost in My Dream – First mix 5:47
  • 16. Better by You, Better than Me – First mix 4:07

Mixed at Morgan Studios, London 12th February 1969 – Previously unreleased

  • 17. When I Get Home 5:24

Extended stereo version. Recorded at Morgan Studios, London 13th November 1968 – Previously unreleased

  • 18. Pretty Woman 3:28

MONO – Recorded 1st July 1969 at Island Studios, Basing Street, London. B-side of European single – Released as Island WIP 6058 in 1969

ceremony

CD 4: Ceremony: An Electronic Mass (Spooky Tooth & Pierre Henry)
Released as Island ILPS 9107 in 1969

  • 1. Have Mercy
  • 2. Jubilation
  • 3. Confession
  • 4. Prayer
  • 5. Offering
  • 6. Hosanna

Bonus tracks:

  •  7. That Was Only Yesterday (mono single version)

A-side of European single – Released as Island WIP 6058 in 1969

  • 8. Waiting for the Wind (mono single version)
  • 9. Feelin’ Bad (mono single version)

A & B-sides of German single – Released as Island 388 862 UF in 1969

  • 10. Have Mercy (first version)
  • 11. Shine a Light on Me

Recorded at Island studios, London during sessions for “Ceremony”. Previously unreleased

lastpuff

CD 5: The Last Puff
Originally released as Island ILPS 9117 in 1970

  • 1. I Am the Walrus 6:22
  • 2. The Wrong Time 5:07
  • 3. Something To Say 5:49
  • 4. Nobody There At All 3:58
  • 5. Down River 4:47
  • 6. Son of Your Father 3:52
  • 7. The Last Puff 3:37

Bonus tracks:

  • 8. Son of Your Father (single version) 3:36

A-side of single – Released as Island WIP 6060 in 1969

  • 9. I am the Walrus (mono single version) 5:22
  • 10. Hangman Hang My Shell on a Tree (mono single version) 5:41

A & B-sides of European single – Released as Island 6014 023 in 1970

  • 11. Nobody there at All (mono single version) 3:45

 A-side of promotional only single – Released as Island WIP 6084 in 1970

  • 12. The Wrong Time (first mix) 5:12

Mixed by Glyn Johns at Island Studios, Basing Street on 8th May 1970. Previously unreleased

  •  12. The Weight 3:14

Remixed by Bob Potter at Island Studios, Basing Street on 13th July 1970. Featured on the US album “Tobacco Road”. Released as A&M Records SP-4300 in 1971

brokemy

CD 6: You Broke My Heart…So I Busted Your Jaw
Originally released as Island ILPS 9227 in 1973

  • 1. Cotton Growing Man
  • 2. Old As I Was Born
  • 3. This Time Around
  • 4. Holy Water
  • 5. Wild Fire
  • 6. Self-Seeking Man
  • 7. Times Have Changed
  • 8. Moriah

witness

CD 7: Witness
Originally released as Island ILPS 9255 in 1973

  • 1. Ocean of Power
  • 2. Wings on My Heart
  • 3. As Long As the World Keeps Turning
  • 4. Don’t Ever Stray Away
  • 5. Things Change
  • 6. All Sewn Up
  • 7. Dream Me a Mountain
  • 8. Sunlight of My Mind
  • 9. Pyramids

Bonus track:

 

  • 10. All Sewn Up (alternate mix)

Mixed at Island studios on 8th February 1973 – Previously unreleased

mirror

CD 8: The Mirror
Originally released in the USA as Island ILPS 9292 in 1974

  • 1. Fantasy Satisfier
  • 2. Two Time Love
  • 3. Kyle
  • 4. Woman and Gold
  • 5. Higher Circles
  • 6. Hell or High Water
  • 7. I’m Alive
  • 8. The Mirror
  • 9. The Hoofer

CD 9: Spooky Tooth Live in Germany (1972)

  • 1. Waiting for the Wind
  • 2. I Am the Walrus
  • 3. The Wrong Time
  • 4. Cotton Growing Man
  • 5. Old As I Was Born
  • 6. Better By You, Better Than me
  • 7. Tobacco Road
  • 8. Evil Woman
  • 9. Sunshine Help Me

All previously unreleased

Recorded at the Wesser-Ems Halle, Oldenburg, Germany on 7th April 1973 on the Island Mobile studio


spookytooth
9CD box / click to enlarge

9CD Box Set

spooky_vinyl
8LP Box / click to enlarge

8LP Vinyl Box Set


SDE helps fans around the world discover physical music and discuss releases. To keep the site free, SDE participates in various affiliate programs, including Amazon and earns from qualifying purchases.

10 Comments

Subscribe
Notify of
10 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Thom Anderson

tracks listed on this page as previously unreleased are not listed as such on the actual box set

plus…
When I Get Home / Something Got Into Your Life switch places

Jim Collins

Too bad they couldn’t include a version a version of Ceremony without all the electronic noise added. Underneath that stuff is a great Spooky Tooth album.

Paul Curran

That made me smile :-). In fact, Mike (Harrison) once told me he thought Pierre Henri had added that electronic nonsense in the loo. Stockhausen (electronics guru and contemporary of Henri’s) wasn’t over-impressed with the Ceremony end product either when I got wasted with him one night; although he wasn’t quite so disparaging. Apparently, Island sent Spooky Tooth’s masters over to Henri in France where he then added his electronic extravaganza – without consulting the band. First time they heard the end result was when the album hit the streets! Hard to believe, but then lots of weird stuff was happening back then. Anyone know different?

Paul Wren

I’m with you Simon – I never use my digital download options when buying viny. In fact, vinyl is all I buy and listen to.

Simon F

Holy moly, this is nice. This very nice. But which to go for? Love vinyl but loathe downloading stuff or CD’s with all bonus tracks…. Hum….. Fingers crossed if this does well hopefully Island/Universal will do a similar box for Free. Here’s hoping….

Paul Wren

The vinyl box set is eight albums and no bonus tracks at all. At £133. Price per album at £17 is not that unreasonable. The prices of original early album pressings and subsequent re-issues are very expensive, later albums a bit more reasonable. You could easily spend £300+ buying mint condition copies of the first three albums. It would be nice to know how limited the vinyl box set is, or isn’t! I think it will be possible to buy it for less via Ebay or similar in due course.

Bob

Do you know if these CDs are remastered?

Liam Bastick

Have I missed something here? Are they using osmium rather than vinyl or have they put the decimal point in the wrong place regarding pricing? Why is there such variation in pricing of recent box sets? Hopefully the prices will come down.