| features in: Album Chart of 1966 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s |
The group’s second LP, issued in January of 1966, squeezed 16 tracks into the grooves, most of which continued to hang on with their own joyous brand of beat group R n B. The set opens up with “Could You Would You” – a direct descendant of their summertime ’65 smash “Here Comes The Night”. This is no bad thing. The stomping “Call My Name” drives a cool beat, and sets the upbeat tone for the masterpiece rendition of “Turn On Your Love Light” which follows. This is pure and utter raw, honest to goodness joy! Written by Deadric Malone and Joseph Scott, this song was first recorded by blues singer Bobby Bland in 1961. It earned Bland a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999, and is listed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll. Them had been playing it in their live sets since 1964 – it was actually a fan's recording of Them performing this song that brought the group to the attention of Dick Rowe and led to a recording contract with Decca Records. For me, it's Them who have delivered the definitive version – their incredibly exciting rendition can't be touched. As if to immediately make a statement that the group could be ready to move away from this R n B template, “I Put A Spell On You” offers a sophisticated, almost jazzy, song writer spin. “I Can Only Give You Everything” gets thing back on a classic garage rock tip. Again, wrestling with a restless energy, “My Lonely Sad Eyes” immediately steps away into fresh and new territory. It’s a Van Morrison original which hints at new cerebral pop sensibility. Again, this is betrayed straight away as the group step back into the easy approach of tackling Ray Charles “I Got A Woman”. It’s not a musical revolution at play here; but it’s completely fantastic all the same, with some terrific sax to accompany Van’s excellent vocals. Side 2 isn’t quite as strong as the first, but this is a relative complaint as the strength in depth for a 16 track LP is impressive. Best of the side for me are “It’s All Over Baby Blue”, an excellent reading of Dylan’s fine song, and the slow paced soul rocker “How Long”. The R n B groovers may have been on the way out in 1966, but it was delivered here by its coolest exponents in 1966…
The Jukebox Rebel
18–May–2008
| Tracklist |
| A1 | [03:15]  Them - Could You Would You (George Ivan Morrison) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
| A2 | [02:36]  Them - Something You Got (Chris Kenner) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
| A3 | [02:23]  Them - Call My Name (Thomas Kilpatrick) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
| A4 | [02:18]  Them - Turn On Your Love Light (Donald Robey, Joseph Wade Scott) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A5 | [02:40]  Them - I Put A Spell On You (Jalacy Hawkins, Herbert Slotkin) Songwriter |
| A6 | [02:43]  Them - I Can Only Give You Everything (Mike Coulter, Thomas Kilpatrick) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
| A7 | [02:27]  Them - My Lonely Sad Eyes (George Ivan Morrison) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
| A8 | [03:16]  Them - I Got A Woman (Ray Charles Robinson, Renald J. Richard) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
| B1 | [02:26]  Them - Out Of Sight (James Brown, Ted Wright) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
| B2 | [03:52] Them - It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Robert Zimmerman) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
| B3 | [02:09]  Them - Bad Or Good (George Ivan Morrison) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
| B4 | [03:41]  Them - How Long Baby (Thomas Kilpatrick) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
| B5 | [02:06]  Them - Hello Josephine (Antoine Domino, Dave Bartholomew) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
| B6 | [02:26]  Them - Don’t You Know (Thomas Kilpatrick) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
| B7 | [02:59]  Them - Hey Girl (George Ivan Morrison) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
| B8 | [03:46] Them - Bring ‘Em On In (George Ivan Morrison) Blues Rock / Soul Rock |
