Album Notes

NEWS! Hip-O Select/Universal (www.hipposelect.com) just released a 4 disc BOX SET Spanky and Our Gang The Complete Mercury Recordings!!! AND on 20th Century Masters Series, widely available, Spanky and Our Gang The Millineum Collection.

Spanky "Elaine" McFarlane is lead singer of 60s folk rock hit makers Spanky and Our Gang. The act had many hits and a tremendous impact on music history despite the relatively short time the band was together. They were the first act to successfully meld sketch comedy and music for the television medium appearing on all the popular variety shows of the day. Their memorable segments ("Sunday Will Never Be The Same," "Lazy Day," "Like To Get To Know You," "Sunday Morning," "Give A Damn," "Leopard Skin Phones") can be found on video compilations of the Ed Sullivan, Hollywood Palace, Johnny Carson's Tonight, and Smothers Brothers shows.

In 1968, with Director John Urie, Spanky and Our Gang filmed one of the very first music videos! The 14-minute film was intended for television "appearances" but was never released due to the untimely deaths of Gangers Malcolm Hale and Lefty Baker.

In the mid 70's, Spanky and Our Gang was reincarnated as a "country" band with the Gang's trademark harmonies. They released one record on Epic, what many fans consider their best album, "Change." Unfortunately, this title has yet to be released on CD.

When Mamas and Papas founder, John Phillips, decided to tour again with co-founder Denny Doherty and his daughter actress Mackenzie Phillips, Spanky was his first choice for singing Cass Elliot's parts. For over a decade Spanky toured the world with various lineups of Mamas and Papas.

In 2003 Spanky, with co-producers Bobby & Leslie Sahlen, put together a Limited Edition CD compilation of unreleased live and demo goodies from several groups Spanky has shared the stage with since the early 1960s. There are three awesome cuts from the "Change" album era, a couple from The New Wine Singers, and a 5 song set with Little Brother Montgomery at Chicago's legendary Mother Blue's nightclub. Also included is a 1999 recording of "I Love How You Love Me" with friend and accompanist of 40+ years, Guy Guilbert.

Spanky and Our Gang, (original and latest "Gangers") can be seen on the PBS American Soundtrack Series "This Land Is Our Land: The Folk Rock Years 2" premiering nationally December 2003.