<… Read Full Bio ↴Spooky Tooth was an English progressive rock band from the late 1960s.
They formed in October 1967, out of a combination of The Ramrods (1960 - late 1963), The V.I.P.'s (late 1963 - April 1967) and Art (April - October 1967). The line-up changed several times, but typically included the following members:
Mike Harrison (keyboards/vocals)Greg Ridley (bass guitar/vocals)Luther (Luke) Grosvenor (guitar/vocals)Mike Kellie (drums)Gary Wright (organ/vocals)
It was the addition of Gary Wright that signalled the name change from Art to Spooky Tooth.
The song "Better By You, Better Than Me" recorded by Judas Priest is a Spooky Tooth cover. It was taken from 1969's Spooky Two LP which is generally considered to be the best effort by the group. It was the last album release from the original line-up. Ridley joined Humble Pie in 1969 and was replaced by Andy Leigh who went on to Matthews Southern Comfort with ex-Fairport Convention vocalist Ian Matthews. The experimental nature of Ceremony received mixed reviews and following its release Wright also bowed out. The core of Harrison, Grosvenor and Kellie struggled on for one more album, aptly titled The Last Puff, (featuring a cover of "I am the Walrus") completed with friends from Joe Cocker's Grease Band.
They broke up in the autumn of 1970. After solo efforts, Harrison and Wright reformed Spooky Tooth in September 1972 with a different (and frequently changing) line-up. The best known member of these line-ups (March 1973 - September 1974) was Mick Jones (guitar/vocals), later of Foreigner. From February to May 1974, Mike Patto (vocals) replaced Harrison for the 1974 release The Mirror. The group then split again in September 1974.
DISCOGRAPHY
Art
Mike Harrison (vocals), Greg Ridley (bass guitar), Luther Grosvenor (guitar), Mike Kellie (drums)
* 1967 - Supernatural Fairy Tales
Spooky Tooth
* 1968 - It's All About
* 1969 - Spooky Two
* 1970 - Ceremony (with Pierre Henry)
* 1970 - The Last Puff
* 1971 - Tobacco Road (=It's All About)
* 1973 - You Broke My Heart So I Busted Your Jaw
* 1973 - Witness
* 1974 - The Mirror
* 1999 - Cross Purpose
* 1999 - The Best of Spooky Tooth: That Was Only Yesterday
* 2000 - Comic Violence
* 2001 - BBC Sessions
* 2007 - Nomad Poets (DVD)
Times Have Changed
Spooky Tooth Lyrics
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It's plain to see
Things just aren't like they used to be
Blink your eyes
and life may pass you by
Too much happening to wonder why.
The past has gone
Like a stranger at your door
Yet all the people carry on
Their ways of living
And the sins they left behind
All seem forgiven.
Times have changed
It's plain to see
Things just aren't like they used to be
Never ending changes near and far
Makes you wonder really who you are
They've changed it all
We're not so small
Like we used to be.
Yesterday the future was a dream
Now that dream is just a passing thing
Your spirit cries you must realise (sic)
There are greater things to come
All the people carry on their ways of living
And the sins left behind
All seem forgiven.
In the song "Times Have Changed" by Spooky Tooth, the lyrics describe the shifts that have occurred in society over time. The author of the song is reflecting on the passage of time and the changes that have come with it. The first stanza discusses the rapid changes that are happening in the present, with so much going on that it can be difficult to keep up. The second stanza speaks to the fact that even though so much has changed, people continue to live their lives in much the same way they always have, carrying with them the mistakes of the past.
The third stanza of the song takes a more reflective tone, looking at the gradual shift from past to present, where yesterday's dream is becoming today's reality. The author encourages us to look toward the future and understand that there are greater things to come. However, despite this call to action, the final lines of the song indicate that people are still living their lives in much the same way, with their sins from the past seemingly forgiven.
Overall, "Times Have Changed" is a reflective look at societal change and the way that people continue to live their lives despite these changes. It encourages the listener to think about the future and what might be possible, but at the same time acknowledges the difficulty of making real change.
Line by Line Meaning
Times have changed,
The present is different from the past.
It's plain to see
It is evident to everyone.
Things just aren't like they used to be
The way things are now is different from how they used to be.
Blink your eyes
If you miss a moment,
and life may pass you by
You may miss out on life.
Too much happening to wonder why.
There is too much going on to question it.
The past has gone
The past is over and cannot be changed.
and future's come
The future is now and unfolding.
Like a stranger at your door
The future is unknown.
Yet all the people carry on
People continue to live their lives.
Their ways of living
Their habits and customs
And the sins they left behind
Their past wrongdoings
All seem forgiven.
Are no longer held against them.
Never-ending changes near and far
There are constant changes everywhere.
Makes you wonder really who you are
It can make you question your identity.
They've changed it all
Everything has been altered.
We're not so small
We are not insignificant.
Like we used to be.
As we were in the past.
Yesterday the future was a dream
The future was once an unknown possibility that we imagined.
Now that dream is just a passing thing
Now that future is becoming the present and the opportunity to dream is lost.
Your spirit cries you must realise (sic)
Your inner self urges you to comprehend
There are greater things to come
The future holds bigger and better things.
All the people carry on their ways of living
Everyone continues to live their lives as they always have.
And the sins left behind
The wrongdoings committed in the past
All seem forgiven.
Have been let go and forgotten.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY WRIGHT, MICKEY JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philippe Cirse
This music unfolds like a picture book full of stars, where the birds come, spin the farandoles, click the rattles and dance the wizards. The song fill with fervor and the instruments have the roundness and brilliance of chimes ;)