| The Last Puff | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1970 | |||
| Recorded | Island, London | |||
| Length | 35:15 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Chris Stainton, Chris Blackwell | |||
| Spooky Tooth chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+ [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Record Guide |  [3] |
The Last Puff is an album by British rock band Spooky Tooth, released in 1970.
For the only time in its history, the band was billed as "Spooky Tooth featuring Mike Harrison". The album was released following the departure of co-lead singer and principal songwriter Gary Wright. Wright had left the band in early 1970, following the release of Ceremony in December 1969.
"Something to Say" was co-written by Joe Cocker and appeared on his 1972 album Joe Cocker . Grease Band members Henry McCullough, Chris Stainton and Alan Spenner joined original Spooky Tooth members Harrison, Grosvenor and Kellie to complete the album. The Grease Band members had achieved international prominence the year before, backing Joe Cocker at Woodstock. The album was co-produced by Stainton and Chris Blackwell.
As one reviewer commented, "...Harrison proved more than ready to command center stage in 'Puff'. His interplay with the newly augmented band mimicked the heavy rock-soul vibe Cocker tapped on his debut. That was most obvious in a cover of The Beatles' I Am The Walrus, which provided a thrilling parallel to Cocker's shout-it-to-the-heavens take on "With A Little Help From My Friends" from the year before." [4]
Despite the promise of the album, the band broke up shortly after its release. A year later, McCullough, Stainton and Spenner released the first of two Grease Band albums, while Harrison and Grosvenor both released solo albums.
Henry Campbell Liken McCullough was a Northern Irish guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was best known for his work as a member of Spooky Tooth, the Grease Band and Paul McCartney and Wings. He also performed and recorded as a solo artist and session musician.
The Grease Band was a British rock band that originally formed as Joe Cocker's backing group. They appeared with Cocker during the 1960s, including his performance at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969. The band's name derived from an interview Cocker had read with the American jazz organist Jimmy Smith, who had approvingly described another performer as having "a lot of grease", with "grease" referring to soul. After Cocker formed the Mad Dogs & Englishmen album band line-up, the group released two albums without him in the 1970s.
Spooky Tooth was an English rock band originally formed in Carlisle in 1967. Principally active between 1967 and 1974, the band re-formed several times in later years.
Luther James Grosvenor is an English rock musician, who played guitar in Spooky Tooth, briefly in Stealers Wheel and, under the pseudonym Ariel Bender, in Mott the Hoople and Widowmaker.
Gary Malcolm Wright is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer best known for his 1976 hit songs "Dream Weaver" and "Love Is Alive", and for his role in helping establish the synthesizer as a leading instrument in rock and pop music. Wright's breakthrough album, The Dream Weaver (1975), came after he had spent seven years in London as, alternately, a member of the British blues rock band Spooky Tooth and a solo artist on A&M Records. While in England, he played keyboards on former Beatle George Harrison's triple album All Things Must Pass (1970), so beginning a friendship that inspired the Indian religious themes and spirituality inherent in Wright's subsequent songwriting. His work since the late 1980s has embraced world music and the new age genre, although none of his post-1976 releases has matched the popularity of The Dream Weaver.
With a Little Help from My Friends is the debut album by singer-songwriter Joe Cocker, released in late April 1969. It was certified gold in the US and peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200. In the UK, the album charted in May 1972 at number 29 when it was re-released as a double pack with Cocker's second LP Joe Cocker!.
Christopher Robert Stainton is an English session musician, keyboard player, bassist and songwriter, who first gained recognition with Joe Cocker in the late 1960s. In addition to his collaboration with Cocker, Stainton is best known for his work with Eric Clapton, The Who, Andy Fairweather Low and Bryan Ferry.
Michael Alexander Kellie was an English musician, composer and record producer.
Joe Cocker! is the second studio album by English singer Joe Cocker, released in November 1969. Following the template of his first LP, the album features numerous covers of songs originally performed by Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Leonard Cohen, and future touring partner Leon Russell. Cocker also co-wrote one song, "That's Your Business Now", with Chris Stainton, who was a frequent songwriting partner.
Mike Harrison was an English musician, most notable as a principal lead singer of Spooky Tooth and as a solo artist. He was also the lead singer in The V.I.P.'s, Art and the Hamburg Blues Band, among others.
It's All About is the 1968 debut album by British band Spooky Tooth, released in the United Kingdom by Island Records on 26 July 1968.
Ceremony is a 1969 album by progressive UK rock band Spooky Tooth in collaboration with French experimental composer Pierre Henry. The world premier was on September 2, 1970 at Olympia, Paris, France. The album was dedicated to Béatrice.
Joe Cocker is the third studio album by Joe Cocker, released in 1972 in Europe as Something to Say on Cube Records, and in the USA as Joe Cocker on A&M Records. It contains the hit single "High Time We Went", that was released in the summer of 1971. Joe Cocker signalled Cocker's change of direction into a more jazzy, blues style. The album reached no. 30 in the US album charts. However, although it received a positive response from the press, it made no impression on the British and European charts.
The Mirror is an album by the British rock band Spooky Tooth. It was the only Spooky Tooth album to be released without contributions from Mike Harrison. It also was their last album for nearly twenty-five years, until Cross Purpose in 1999. The Mirror was released in October 1974, one month before group members had permanently disbanded. Members went on to form such bands as Foreigner and The Only Ones.
Spooky Two is the second studio album by the English rock band Spooky Tooth. It was originally released in March 1969, on the label Island Records.
Cross Purpose is the seventh and final studio album by Spooky Tooth, released on Ruf Records in 1999. It was the band's first album in 25 years, following The Mirror, released in 1974.
You Broke My Heart So ... I Busted Your Jaw is an album by Spooky Tooth, first released in 1973 on Island Records. It was the first album to be released after the band re-formed, following their 1970 breakup. Founding guitarist Luther Grosvenor did not rejoin the band, as he had joined Mott The Hoople as a guitarist, adopting the stage name of Ariel Bender. Grosvenor was replaced by Mick Jones, who later co-founded Foreigner while founding drummer Mike Kellie was replaced by Bryson Graham. The album was remastered and re-released with a bonus track on compact disc (CD) in January 2005 by Repertoire.
Witness is an album released by Spooky Tooth in 1973. For this album, original drummer Mike Kellie returned and substantially replaced Bryson Graham. Gary Wright remained the dominant songwriter at this stage of the band's history. Co-lead singer Mike Harrison left the band following the release of the album. The album was remastered and re-released on compact disc (CD) in January 2005 by Repertoire Records.
Live at Woodstock is a live album documenting Joe Cocker's famous performance with The Grease Band at Woodstock Festival on 17 August 1969. It was released officially for the first time in 2009 by A&M/Universal.
Footprint is the second solo album by American musician Gary Wright, released in 1971 on A&M Records. It contains "Stand for Our Rights", an anthem-like song calling for social unity that was issued as a single in advance of the album. Wright recorded the majority of Footprint in London with a large cast of musicians – including George Harrison, Hugh McCracken, Alan White, Klaus Voormann, Jim Gordon, Jim Keltner and Bobby Keys – many of whom, like Wright, had played on Harrison's All Things Must Pass triple album in 1970. Harrison's contributions included an uncredited role as producer, and serve as an example of his support for Wright during the early stages of the latter's solo career. The ballad "Love to Survive" is one of three tracks that feature an orchestral arrangement by John Barham.
