Good old-time music is flowing out of a treasure box.
Long awaited three Spanky & Our Gang CDs are re-released in Japan. These include slapstick-comedy style first "Spanky & Our Gang", the second "Like To Get To Know You", and the third "Without Rhyme Or Reason". The latter two have not been released in CD format anywhere in the world.
Spanky & Our Gang was from Chicago. Originally they have four members and after leaving Oz Bach, they became the six-men band, Malcolm Hale (G.), Nigel Pickering (G.), John Seiter (Dr.), Kenny Hodges (B.), Lefty Baker (G.), and Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane (Vo.). They have an amazing story of the beginning of the band. When the Chicago singer Spanky McFarlane came to Miami, he met a hurricane. He escaped from the rain in a chicken house and spend the night singing with the two men who were just in the same room by chance. They were Nigel Pickering and Oz Bach. The name of the group is came from the movie "The Little Rascals ". Their music is so wonderful and charming, we can believe the beginning story of the band.

As they were from Chicago, their style is based on the Prohibition days of 1920's, and is slapstick like Marx Brothers. (The cover photo is also came from the Prohibition.) The sound is the mixture of music. Blues and Folk on the basis, blended with Jug-Band and Jazz and finished with their unique old-time chorus and visual styles. This is more than the "soft rock".
Behind the unique sound, there are skillful staffs, Jerry Ross the producer, the arrangers Jimmy Wisner and Joe Renzetti from Jerry's office, Bob Dorough and Stuart Scharf from the Jazz field.
I may add that the most respectable Japanese musician, producer Tatsuro Yamashita once mentioned his favorite tune "Parade" is influenced from Jim Wisner's work. As the producers are changed from Jerry Ross to Bob Dorough and Stuart Scharf, this album seems to be a conceptual one that we can feel just we are watching a short play. Especially the latter half of it, the series of the songs, "Like To Get To Know You" - "Chick-A-Ding-Ding" - "Stardust" - "Coda (Like To Get To Know You)", has the best musical sense. This witty album recorded the American music history. Must buy!

Writer : Kazumasa Wakimoto
Translator : Katsumi Takahashi