Spiffys, The

Band members               Related acts

- Steve Fagan - vocals, trumpet (1967)
- Mike Imeson - bass (1967-68)
- Mike May - vocals, keyboards (1967-68)
- John Milner - vocals, drums (1967-68)
- Larry O'Connell - bass (1967-68)
- Tom O'Conner - vocals (1967)
- Dick Otto - drums (1967)
- Rich Petrino - vocals, sax, percussion (1967-68)
- Larry Purdy - vocals, guitar (1967-68)
  

 

- none known

 

 

 

 

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  The Spiffys

Company: no label

Catalog: no catalog

Year: 1967

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: minor edge and corner  wear; name written in ink (small print) on back cover

Available: 1

Price: $120.00

 

 During the mid-'60s virtually every school in America had it's own band scene. Among those schools - the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland.

Formed by Annapolis plebes, The Spiffys actually started playing Academy dances and local colleges in 1958, though with an ever-changing lineup, it took them almost a decade to actually record. 

Having convinced the Academy to finance an album as a publicity venture, 1967's "The Spiffys" was reportedly recorded in a single six hour session at the U.S. Navy's Photographic Center in Washington D.C. As you'd expect from what amounted to a frat band, musically the debut consisted mostly of enthusiastic, if largely unoriginal popular covers. Backed by horns, material such as "Gloria", "Knock on Wood" and "Satisfaction" came off as decent mid-'60s beach music.  Elsewhere, the only original number, Fagan and Purdy's upbeat soul stomper "No Pain" was actually one of the set's highlights. Perhaps unintentional, "Baby, Let's Wait" followed by "Hold On, I'm Coming" made for a hysterically mixed up message.  Sure, the band's reach occasionally outstripped their talents (check out their jarring cover of Johnny Rivers' "Poor Side of Town"), and nothing here will drastically change your life, but down a couple of beers the results sound surprisingly impressive. Only available through the Academy's midshipmen store, 1,500 copies were pressed, retailing for $1.00 a pop. Today an original copy will set up back by at least 100 times the original price. (Curiously, the liner notes list nine members, while the group photo shows eight folks. Who's missing?)

"The Spiffys" track listing:
1.) Baby I Need Your Lovin' (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier - Eddie Holland) - 
2.) Gloria (Van Morrison) - 
3.) The You Can Tell Me Good-Bye (J.D. Loudermilk) - 
4.) Knock on Wood (Eddie Floyd - Steve Cropper) - 
5.) Walk Away, Renee (Brown - Calili - Sansone) - 
6.) Satisfaction (Mick Jagger - Keith Richards) - 
7.) Along Comes May (Aliver) - 
8.) Midnight Hour (Wilson Pickett - Steve Cropper) - 
9.) No Pain (Steve Fagan - Larry Purdy) - 
10.) Baby, Let's Wait (Sawyer - Burton) - 
11.) Hold On, I'm Coming (David Porter - Sam Hayes) -
12.) Poor Side of Time (Lou Alder - Johnny Rivers) - 

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  The Spiffys 68

Company: no label

Catalog: no catalog

Year: 1968

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: minor edge and corner  wear

Available: 1

Price: $120.00

 

 With Fagan and O'Conner having graduated and gone active duty (Otto was reportedly dismissed from the school, leaving Milner to take over drums), the band returned to the studio in 1968. Unlike the debut, the band's cleverly-titled follow-up "Spiffy's '68" was recorded over the span of a single 12 hour session. Reflecting changing popular musical tastes, with the exception of an awful cover of "Testifyin'", the album effectively dropped the band's beach music repetoire. In its place, exemplified by material such as The Classics IV "Spooky", Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (a suitable selection given its nautical theme), and a cool, jazzy reading of The Doors' "Light My Fire", the album found the band tackling a more rock oriented set. As before, the lone original, Purdy's "Dreams" is one of the standout efforts. This time around 2,500 copies were pressed. Again only available through the Academy, the LP's become a sought after collectable.

"Spiffy's '68" track listing:


With the graduation of Milner, Petrino and Purdy, The Spiffys subsequently called it quits.

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