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The Biggest Thing Since Colossus (1969)

Where the lyrics of The Biggest Thing Since Colossus take you, and where it was really made.

Fleetwood Mac backed Otis Spann on this 1969 album, yet drummer Mick Fleetwood did not play on it.

Key places

Recorded at Tempo Sound Studio, New York City (1969)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The album was recorded at Tempo Sound Studio in New York City. The point marks the city centre, not the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Biggest Thing Since Colossus: album by American blues musician Otis Spann, released in 1969
• Spann's backing band was made up of members of Fleetwood Mac, who were touring in America at the time
• Ten tracks, all written by Spann except where credited otherwise
• Track list: "My Love Depends on You" 5:22; "Walkin'" 2:54; "It Was a Big Thing" 3:26; "Temperature Is Rising (100.2°F)" 6:13; "Dig You" 3:04; "No More Doggin'" (Rosco Gordon) 3:00; "Ain't Nobody's Business" (Jimmy Witherspoon) 5:15; "She Needs Some Loving" 3:08; "I Need Some Air" 4:40; "Someday Baby" 3:02

Background

• Spann had been involved in recording the Blues Jam at Chess album
• A rapport formed between Spann and the British band during that work
• That rapport led to the band taking part in Spann's new album

Recording

• Recorded at Tempo Sound Studio, New York City
• Spann's friend and longtime associate S.P. Leary played drums, as agreed beforehand
• Mick Fleetwood did not take part in the recording
• Guitarists Peter Green and Danny Kirwan and bassist John McVie contributed to the sessions
• Spann played piano and sang
• Producer Mike Vernon; engineer Warren Slaten; coordination by Richard Vernon

Cover

• Sleeve design and photography by Terence Ibbott

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in London in July 1967 by Peter Green after leaving John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, with Mick Fleetwood on drums.
• The name combines Fleetwood's surname with bassist John McVie, who joined in 1967.
• Early line-up was primarily a British blues band; "Albatross" reached UK No. 1 in 1968.

Members

• Core members over time: Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham.
• Buckingham and Nicks joined at the end of 1974 and drove the band's global success.

Career

• Rumours (1977) is one of the best-selling albums of all time and won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1978.
• The band has sold more than 120 million records worldwide.
• Received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 1979 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
• Received the MusiCares Person of the Year award in 2018.
• Christine McVie died in 2022; Stevie Nicks later said she saw no reason to continue the band.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album was released in 1969
• It is notable because Spann's backing band was made up of members of Fleetwood Mac, who were touring America at the time
• Spann had been involved in the recording of the Blues Jam at Chess album, and the rapport he built with the British band led to their participation on this record
• "Walkin'" was released as a single in some countries, with "Temperature Is Rising (98.8°F)" on the B-side; this was a different version from the one on the album
• "Blues for Hippies" was recorded at the sessions but was not included on the album
• An expanded double CD, released in 2006 under the title Otis Spann, The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions, is a separate edition that gathers all tracks from the sessions, the single "Bloody Murder", and both single and album versions of "Temperature is Rising"

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Spann had worked with the British band on the Blues Jam at Chess album, and the connection they built there carried over to this record.
• Spann and his friend S.P. Leary had agreed beforehand that Leary would play drums, so Mick Fleetwood was not needed for the sessions.
• The single "Walkin'" used a different version of "Temperature Is Rising" as its B-side, one that differs from the version on the album.
• The song "Blues for Hippies" was recorded during these sessions but left off the album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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