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Gimme Some Lovin’

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Not bad for a 72 year old……..

Amazing that this song is over 50 years old and still sounds fresh.

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  4. The UK and US versions are markedly different, with the more familiar (and better?) version, with the call and response (“Gimme Gimme Some Lovin'”), on the US version.
    Reached no. 2 in the UK, but if you’re going to be no. 2 you might as well be no. 2 to “Good Vibrations.”

    Those three SDG LPs have never really been given the respect they deserve.
    Have they ever had a proper 2-cd Deluxe edition?

    • Oh that’s interesting, I didn’t know that.

      It must be the US version I am familiar with as I am sure I am used to hearing the call and response on the chorus.

      We used to play this in a wedding/function band I was in, and it was one of the few songs I could get excited about and really enjoyed playing.

      • Letting the drug-addled Jimmy Miller loose on the single didn’t improve it IMO. Extra vocals and the non-musician’s instrument of choice, the tambourine (x6, I’m guessing). Appalling.

        Probably the only case of extra production I’m familiar with. Any others?

    • I wonder what extra tracks there might be.
      I suspect there’s not much, if any, unreleased studio material, as they were touring almost non-stop in ’65, ’66, ’67, with only quick forays into the studio for recording their 3 albums and sprinkling of singles.
      The excellent “Eight Gigs A Week – The Steve Winwood Years” double CD set has everything released at the time bar the A-side of a Germany-only single “Det War In Schöneberg”. All the tracks from their three UK albums and the single A’s and B’s that weren’t on those albums are present, plus 2 unreleased live tracks and a few strays. 51 tracks in all. Highly recommended.
      There’s probably live stuff knocking around, mind you.

      • They had great b-sides, and “Eight Days A Week” is the first port of call for the Stevie years … thing is, by its nature it means the three albums are buried a bit and, of course, all the sleeve art is lost.

        • Yes. A (slight) pity the tracks aren’t in original album order. Most of the B-sides were on the albums so a vinyl box set of the 3 albums plus one of strays & extras and maybe one or more of live stuff would be a good call.

          I’ve always preferred the UK single version of “Gimme Some Lovin'” to the overdubbed US version, but it’s personal taste, innit. Always loved the B-side “Blues In F”.

    • I had a little round up recently of albums from the 60s by several bands where I only had compilations or odd tracks. I was disappointed with all of them (particularly The Animals), apart from the ones by the Spencer Davis Group. The production on some 60s albums was appalling, particularly when you hear how good the production was on the singles by the same band. I guess that just reflects the times and where the emphasis was.

  5. Another admirer of Steve Winwood, and his genius entry to music at 17. Barring a few late 80s infelicities, every phase of his work has its merits. He has musical bones and the funk. Massively undrr-appreciated.

    • I think his output from the superb Arc of a Diver onward was mostly excellent – proper tunes, played very well and often with Stevie playing most if not all the instruments. I think it was the rather clinical 80’s production that jarred, but even so, it was generally degrees above most of the 80’s dross.

  7. Great stuff! A strong song that that sounds even better from an old 45 on a Ferguson radiogram turned up to ten. I think they did a great job, especially given the telegig limitations.

    • I met Spencer a couple of years ago at a village hall gig in Whimple, Devon. Someone I know was/is writing a book about him and had him staying overnight, so put this on. I was sat about a metre away from the great man all evening and had a long chat afterwards – an absolute gent. He signed my copy of a programme from the first gig I ever went to, which was the Who and the SD Group in 1966, and he rather wistfully commented to me that he would have loved to have done a 50th anniversary reunion with the band, but Steve would never have done it. Unusually, all of the band are still with us, but he told me that Muff Winwood also hadn’t played a note of music since the original lineup split. One of my greatest evenings.

  13. There should be a hall of fame for precocious rock stars who displayed mature talent at a very young age:

    – Steve Winwood, as noted above
    – Kate Bush, writing songs from about 12, then 16 years old when she attracted the patronage of David Gilmour, debut album at 19
    – Mike Oldfield, signed to Transatlantic at 15, joined Kevin Ayers at 17, released Tubular Bells just after his 20th birthday
    – Stevie Wonder
    – Michael Jackson
    – em, Little Jimmy Osmond?

  14. How about Zak Hobbs? Now but 21, at 15 he was second guitar in the Rails. Ok, alongside Uncle James and Auntie Kami. Currently tutoring guitar online with Uncle Teddy and Gramps.
    He can play, um, quite well…..

  16. A sure sign of esteem must be it’s appearance on the Blues Brothers Soundtrack. In among artists like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, and most of The MGs, there nestles a bunch of lads from Birmingham (not Birmingham, Alabama).
    Selling their music back to them? Indeed.

    It’s one of those tracks – you think you’ve heard it enough, but the moment that Hammond kicks in you just can’t stop whacking the volume up

  17. I Listened to the whole of John
    Barleycorn a few weeks ago and wondered if this was one of the most undersung ‘great’ albums. Rarely appears in the best of lists (did it even get a mention in the recent AW poll?). Every track is superb – if nothing else the best album by a mile that Stevie has made

      • I agree, especially JBMD. I like Traffic and enjoy listening to their albums but the production on JBMD is appalling. The drums in particular sound more akin to someone thumping a wet duvet with a fish slice than someone playing a kit of drums.

        • May I make so bold as to demur? I’ve never noticed anything wrong – or even fishy – about the drum sound on that album. It sounds like someone – possibly J. Capaldi – is playing a real set of drums. You could argue about the mic placement, but it sounds like what it is – a 1970 UK rock album. Like a lot of others recorded that year.

            • ooh, whip it on me!

              Listening to JBMD now and I can hear what Pencil means. The snare isn’t tuned for maximum thwack and is a touch distorted. All part of its charm in the age of analogue.

            • I don’t have any. Just like I didn’t have when it came out. I doubt anybody was furrowing their youthful brows about the poorly-mic’d drum sound back then. Nobody I knew was listening to records like they’re listened to today – sound first. I don’t think it matters much, certainly not enough to spoil your enjoyment.

              • You’re quite right HP.
                I am often guilty of trying to find the best master / hi res stream / mix etc. etc. and guess what …. I forget to sit back and enjoy the music.
                Invariably, most things sound better on vinly though.

                • A love for music and an interest in sound just goes hand in hand for me. I like to hear into music. I want transparency. I want to hear transients and decays. I want good imaging. I want a soundstage that’s as broad as it is long that’s as deep as it is high. Good sound reproduction doesn’t detract from music it just means you hear more of it. Why eat tinned meat when there is Kobe beef on the menu?
                  My comment was a purely objective one based upon what I can hear in terms of the reproduction of JBMD across the various formats from vinyl to CD red book standard to MQA and in both it’s original mastering and it’s remastered state the production across the board is crap. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy listening to it, I do but just I because I enjoy listening to it doesn’t mean it’s not badly recorded. Well recorded music and a care for now it’s reproduced is hardly a new preoccupation. Take a listen to Blue Note recordings from the mid 1950s. If you don’t care and enjoy listening in whatever way you choose then good for you whatever makes you happy.

                  • Hi Pencil Squeezer.
                    As you know we both bought the latest Bluesound streamer recently, and, like you I am very pleased with it.
                    I am currently trying out Qobuz as my streaming service and this is the one which I think will be the keeper for me.
                    However, playing different tracks and making comparisons ( see my comment above ), I have found that Hi Res doesn’t necessarily mean it is the best way to listen t a particular album.
                    Example: “Fresh Cream”. In Hi Res it all sounded present and correct but strangely flat and a bit meh !
                    Then playing the remastered Mono mix in CD quality, the difference was astonishing.
                    Much more involving, fantastic soundstage. In short, the sound of a heavy 1960’s Blues Band pinning you to your armchair the way it should do.
                    On the the other hand “ Blood on the Tracks”
                    sounds simply stunning in Hi Res.
                    So the answer is to try All different versions until you find one that suits your ears ( but note to self “Remember to listen to the music”).
                    Keep on enjoying your Streamer PS.
                    Which service did you decide on by the way ?

                    • I agree. I tried Qobuz but hit a snag with it. My Node 2i and the Qobuz os refused to play nicely. I have no idea why and after a bit of frustrating faffing about online with Bluesound and Qobuz I ditched it in favour of Tidal. They have a very tempting offer of three months for £3 so all is good. I hasten to add that the frustration with Bluesound and Qobuz was not due to their lack of help it was just a singular problem that their combined efforts couldn’t solve so I moved on.
                      I have had much the same experience as you with hi-res verses I6bit/44.1 only with the added spice that is MQA.
                      With me it was Hejira and The Hissing Of Summer Lawns. These are both on offer as MQA quality as well as 16bit/44.1 on Tidal. I selected MQA and hit play. I wasn’t impressed. It was good but not as stunning as some other MQA stuff I had listened to. Now the Node 2i as you are aware is MQA certified which means it’s able to unfold all of an MQA file unlike some other DACs. Anyway my amp also has a DAC onboard, an ESS Sabre chip access to which I am also hooked into via an SPDIF Coax cable so just for shits and giggles I tried playing them via that instead and despite it only being able to unfold the first part of the MQA it sounded better. By better I mean clearer, less muddled in the top end and through the midrange. It is true that the two DACs sound different across the board. The Burr Brown DAC in the Node 2i is slightly warmer sounding than the ESS Sabre Chip in my amp which is sharper more glassy. This as you know is not entirely down to the different chips it’s also down to the output stages and power supplies too.
                      I find all this most interesting and I am now exploring the world of external DACs with avidity.

                    • I do watch Darko’s stuff and read his blog now and again along with a few others. I know what I want so it’s just the small matter of saving up for it. I am intrigued by some of the plethora of Chinese DACs that seem to be appearing on an almost daily basis and on the face of it offer remarkable value for money in particular the Denafrips Ares 2 which is not a chip based DAC but has R2R architecture. That interests me but probably not enough to dissuade me from what I have my heart set on. When I can finally afford what I want It will be the only external DAC I will ever buy so nothing else will do.

  18. Matter of degrees. I played Marley’s Babylon By Bus The other day. The double album from Kaya/Exodus period and argued by many to be superior to the earlier Live album.
    After a bit I remembered why I play it rarely. It just sounds flat and after a while I got bored. It wasn’t the music it was the dullness of the sound. I am not a sound obsessive. I have many bootlegs that I enjoy greatly but with some records the sound definitely does influence enjoyment.

      • I think I like hi-fi to be of a REASONABLY decent standard, but I’m definitely no audiophile. “Mid-fi”? I am probably the target market for the lowest end stuff you get in Richer Sounds – like a £100 amp, that kind of thing. I’m quite glad I’ve never really experienced a high end hi-fi system, because it would probably be an expensive hobby to get hooked on!

        And having said that, I’m fine with lower quality for convenience on occasion. In-ear headphones when walking about, car stereo, Amazon Alexa thingy for music while cooking or washing dishes….

        • I’m a recovering audiohead. I had a bad habit of upgradeitis through the 80s and into the 90s. I had more money available to me then. Now I save what I can after paying bills, buying food and keeping my paper and paint stocks replenished. The only other things I spend small amounts on are books and CDs.
          I limit my hi-fi upgrades to every five or six years nowadays and I’m currently in upgrade mode after living with reasonable budget kit for some time and having saved enough to make some useful changes, I decided to replace my amp and some cables and I’ve added a streamer. I haven’t quite finished yet, one more item I’m still saving for then this cycle of upgrades will be done. The thing about good kit is it encourages you to listen to more music simply because it sounds so exquisite, so now I find myself sitting up later and later just listening. When the hour becomes unsociable I put on my headphones and continue listening.
          I live a very simple life and this is my only extravagance. I don’t have a mortgage, I have zero debts. I don’t own a car, I don’t take holidays, I don’t frequent pubs or restaurants, I don’t gamble, take drugs or even drink at home anymore. My needs are few so I save my money and spend it on pieces of kit once every five years. That’s my thing for others perhaps it’s something else. All’s good, whatever brings joy.
          I tell you what though the music sounds absolutely sublime.

          • I hear you Pencil – SWIDT
            I have multiple sytems – 3 fully kitted out sytems in the house, (SONOS for the non streamer) and a few sets of speakers and classic retro amps ,sansui, Marantz receiver etc. I’m probably midway between Pencil and Artie.
            Listener fatigue is a real thing and good kit is the antidote.

            • Good sound doesn’t have to cost the earth. My rig is not hugely expensive compared to some. It’s certainly possible to put a more than decent system together for as little as £500 if you know what you are doing and are prepared to put the effort in. Of course it’s not going to sound anything like a rig costing more, you get what you pay for at least up to a point but it doesn’t have to cost silly money. If you love music and are the sort of individual who sits down purely to devote yourself to listening and just listening rather than it just being on in the background whist you are doing something else then why not listen to it by the best means available to you? I’d describe myself as a music first audiophile with the format coming last of all but for the record (no pun intended) I’m a digital guy. I like CD and streaming. I like the inky blackness that digital can produce, that absolute silence from which the leading notes appear and the infinitesimal decay of notes sinking back into nothingness. No rumble, no hiss, no static. It gets me juiced daddio.

                • I’ll show you mine if you show me yours…
                  A Bluesound Node 2i streamer hooked up to a Cambridge Audio CXA 81 integrated amplifier with Chord Company RCA interconnects and a Chord Company SPDIF Coax cable. A Marantz 6005 CD player connected to the amp with Cambridge Audio Pacific RCA interconnects. All the individual pieces are on sorbothane isolation pads.
                  My speakers are Dali two way front ported floorstanders spiked through the carpet to a concrete floor and positioned two feet from the rear wall. The speaker cables are QED Silver Anniversary XT terminated with banana plugs. Happily the room acoustics are not bad. Lastly for late nights I use a pair of Grado 325e headphones in which case the room is of course completely irrelevant.
                  The whole lot cost a little over £3000.
                  Deciding was easy as I know what kind of sound I like. I do my research online and whenever possible by using my ears, always trust your ears. Forget bench tests. Stats are useful but not the best guide to getting good sound. They are a starting point not an end point. The end point is you and what you hear and if what you hear is what you are listening for.

                  • Never found a good room for doing a/b comparisons. invaraibly they end up having to reconnect leads by which time the immediacy has gone. I have marantz amp and cd player, project turntable with OM2 cartridge and local krix lyric floor standing speakers in the big room with moster cable. Have never been that fussed on turntable so long as it runs to the right speed, prefer to spendf the money on the cartridge. Ditto connects and speaker cables. Every year I cut the cables and reconnect – bare cable into the speaker terminals.

                    Front room Arcam SACD player. Does sound excellent, SACD discs even better though hard to get and pricey. Arcam D class amp, supposedly inbuilt streaming which is why I bought it but only accepts Tidal, that french one and apple – none of which I use. The sound is a bit too smooth for me and everything takes a bit too long to respond .A retro turntable CEC but another decent OM cartridge. Monitor audio bookshelf speakers mounted onto studs on the wall and a REL subwoofer. I was sceptical about getting one but I dont notice it except if I turn it off which is perfect.
                    Down the holiday shack I have a 70’s NAD stormtrooper of an amp, a 70’s sugden class A amp and AMW seventies Aussie speakers using KEF components. The turntable is a sherwood knock off of the classic technics turntable. The best for sound are probably the sugden but hopelessly limited for inputs and the AMW speakers but they are big beasts. Consolidation is going to be a fraught time.

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