Them Again is the second album by Them, lead by singer and songwriter Van Morrison. The album was released by Decca Records in the UK on 21 January 1966 but it failed to chart. In the U.S. it was released in April 1966 where it peaked at #138 on the Billboard charts.
| Released | 21 January 1966 (UK), April 1966 (USA) |
|---|---|
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 48:21Decca (UK), Parrot PA 61008; PAS 71008 (USA) |
| Producer | Tommy Scott |
It’s a great record and often overlooked and unfavourably compared to Them’s debut. It is allmost as good. You owe it to yourself to check it out.
Two of the original Van Morrison songs included on the album, “My Lonely Sad Eyes” and “Hey Girl”, can be seen as precursors to the poetic musings of Morrison’s later Astral Weeks album, released in 1968. “My Lonely Sad Eyes” begins with the words, “Fill me my cup, and I’ll drink your sparkling wine/Pretend that everything is fine, ’til I see your sad eyes.” The title implies that the sad eyes belong to the singer but the lyrics address the singer’s love interest. It reminds me of Rolling Stones at their most soulful.
My Lonely Sad Eyes:
The song “Hey Girl” has a pastoral feel to it, enhanced by the addition of flutes and in Brian Hinton’s opinion is a “dry run for ‘Cyprus Avenue'” from Astral Weeks.
Hey Girl:
“…that genuine rarity, a Dylan cover to match the original.”
– Clinton Heylin on the cover version of Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”
It’s all over now, Baby Blue:
Like “Gloria” from the first LP, “I Can Only Give You Everything” was a popular song performed by a number of US garage bands around the country, and was covered by groups like The Iguanas, The Little Boy Blues, The MC5, The Ambertones an obscure garage band from San Jose, CA called The Heros. The song was also covered by English hitmakers The Troggs.
I can only give you everything:
The complete tracklist (UK Release):
Side 1
- “Could You Would You” (Van Morrison) – 3:15
- “Something You Got” (Chris Kenner) – 2:36
- “Call My Name” (Tommy Scott) – 2:23
- “Turn On Your Love Light” (Deadric Malone, Joseph Wade Scott) – 2:18
- “I Put a Spell on You” (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins) – 2:40
- “I Can Only Give You Everything” (Mike Coulter, T. Scott) – 2:43
- “My Lonely Sad Eyes” (Morrison) – 2:27
- “I Got a Woman” (Ray Charles, Renald Richard) – 3:16
Side 2
- “Out of Sight” (James Brown, Ted Wright) – 2:26
- “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” (Bob Dylan) – 3:52
- “Bad Or Good” (Morrison) – 2:09
- “How Long Baby” (M.Gillon) – 3:41
- “Hello Josephine” (Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino) – 2:06
- “Don’t You Know” (T. Scott) – 2:26
- “Hey Girl” (Morrison) – 2:59
- “Bring ‘Em On In” (Morrison) – 3:46
I love this album and my favourite track is
Bring ‘Em On In:
Review from Allmusic.com
by Bruce Eder
The group’s second and, for all intents and purposes, last full album was recorded while Them was in a state of imminent collapse. To this day, nobody knows who played on the album, other than Van Morrison and bassist Alan Henderson, though it is probable that Jimmy Page was seldom very far away when Them was recording. The 16 songs here are a little less focused than the first LP. The material was cut under siege conditions, with a constantly shifting lineup and a grueling tour schedule; essentially, there was no “group” to provide focus to the sound, only Morrison’s voice, so the material bounces from a surprisingly restrained “I Put a Spell on You” to the garage-punkoid “I Can Only Give You Everything.” Folk-rock rears its head not only on the moody cover of Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” but also the Morrison-authored “My Lonely Sad Eyes,” but the main thrust is soul, which Morrison oozes everywhere — while there’s some filler, his is a voice that could easily have knocked Mick Jagger or Eric Burdon off their respective perches. (READ MORE)
The rumor about Jimmy Page’s playing many of the guitar parts on Them Again surfaced in Hammer of the Gods (and also in the liner notes of the 1989 Decca CD release).
– Hallgeir