Spin Doctors

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This article is about the band. For the phrase "spin doctor" in public relations, see spin.
Spin Doctors
Origin New York City, New York, USA
Genre(s) Rock
Funk rock
Alternative rock
Years active 1990 – present
Label(s) Uptown Records
Website SpinDoctors.com
Members
Chris Barron
Eric Schenkman
Aaron Comess
Mark White
Former members
Anthony Krizan
Eran Tabib
Ivan Neville
Carl Carter

Spin Doctors is an American jam band/alternative rock group formed in New York City, best known for their 1993 hits, "Two Princes" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," which charted at #7 & #17 on the American pop chart, respectively.

The current members are Chris Barron (lead vocals), Eric Schenkman (guitar and vocals), Aaron Comess (drums), and Mark White (bass).

Contents

[edit] History

The history of the Spin Doctors can be traced back to the late 1980s in New York City, originally as a band called Trucking Company, which included Eric Schenkman, John Popper, and later Chris Barron, who was John Popper's Princeton, NJ high school friend. Popper left this side project to focus on his main gig with Blues Traveler full time. With a name change to 'Spin Doctors', as well as the addition of Aaron Comess and Mark White, the classic line-up was in place by the spring of 1989.

In 1990, the Spin Doctors were signed to Epic Records/Sony Music by A&R executive Frankie LaRocka. The band's Epic debut EP Up for Grabs...Live was recorded live at The Wetlands Preserve in Lower Manhattan, and released in January 1991. (In November 1992, these EP tracks were remixed and supplemented by additional live recordings to form the album Homebelly Groove...Live.) The Spin Doctors were known for great shows, sometimes jamming even more than is evident on these live album releases. They performed some legendary double bill gigs opening for their friends Blues Traveler, with members of both bands all jamming together. The Spin Doctors have many songs from the early club days that were never released, but are cherished by their hardcore fans via bootleg concert recordings.

The Spin Doctors' debut studio album, Pocket Full of Kryptonite was released in August 1991. The band continued to play extensive live shows, gaining grassroots fans, as the album was mostly ignored commercially. In the summer of 1992, the band toured with the first ever line-up of the H.O.R.D.E festival, sharing the stage with fellow jam bands like Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler and Phish. That summer, commercial popularity heated up, as radio and MTV began playing "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" and "Two Princes". The album went gold in September 1992, and then received another boost in sales after the band's appearance on Saturday Night Live in October 1992. Additional videos and singles followed for "What Time Is It", "How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)", and "Jimmy Olsen's Blues". By June 1993 the album was triple platinum. Ultimately it sold over five million copies in the U.S. and another five million overseas, and peaked at # 3 on the Billboard top 200 album chart.

"[Their] popularity is based on universal rock & roll virtues," said Rolling Stone, which put the band on the cover of its January 7, 1993 issue. "The Doctors aren't trying to blaze new trails-they know we've been down this way with the Stones, Curtis Mayfield, and a few of their other touchstones. But the proof-plenty of it-is in the party." The Spin Doctors made an appearance on Sesame Street, singing a modified version of "Two Princes" that emphasized the importance of sharing.[1] In late 1993 they recorded a cover of "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?", originally by Creedence Clearwater Revival, for the film Philadelphia.[2].

The Spin Doctors second studio album, Turn It Upside Down (June 1994), was not quite as commercially successful as Pocket Full of Kryptonite, though it did sell a million copies in the U.S. and a million overseas. The second single, "You Let Your Heart Go Too Fast," was a modest hit (# 42 on the pop chart). This album also featured "Cleopatra's Cat", "Mary Jane", "Hungry Hamed's" and "Bags Of Dirt." The band set out on a three-month headlining tour, and played to immense crowds at Woodstock '94 and the Glastonbury Festival. Shortly after the release of Turn It Upside Down, original guitarist Eric Schenkman left the band in September 1994, citing musical/personal differences, and being weary of the road. Eric was replaced by Anthony Krizan.

Featuring new guitarist Krizan, the Spin Doctors released You've Got to Believe in Something (May 1996). It produced the single and video "She Used To Be Mine". They performed on David Letterman's television show and did some touring, with Ivan Neville joining the band on keyboards. During this period, the Spin Doctors contributed the theme song to Seasons 2 and 3 of the television show Spin City. After touring wrapped up in the fall of 1996, guitarist Anthony Krizan eventually left the band, for reasons that remain relatively unknown. He was later replaced by Eran Tabib. You've Got To Believe In Something did not live up to previous album sales. Ultimately, the band lost their record contract.

In 1998, the Spin Doctors signed to Uptown/Universal and released Here Comes the Bride in June 1999. During the recording of Here Comes The Bride, Mark White left the band. The bass tracks on the album were finished by original band member Aaron Comess. During the tour supporting Here Comes the Bride, Chris Barron lost his voice due to a rare acute form of vocal cord paralysis that severely affected his ability to talk, let alone sing. He was told he had a 50-50 chance of ever talking normally again, let alone singing. Keyboardist Ivan Neville took over vocal duties for a few dates, but the band eventually cancelled the remainder of its tour, crippling sales of the album. Barron's voice came back in early 2000 (first comeback [solo] shows in March 2000), at which point he began performing with his band Chris Barron and the Give Daddy Five. Barron undertook what he calls "a journeyman songwriting experience," composing tunes with Blues Traveler's John Popper and with former BMI executive Jeff Cohen.

The Spin Doctors remained inactive as a band until September 2001, when news about the closing of legendary NYC venue Wetlands sparked the original four members to reunite. On September 7, 2001, the classic, original line-up took the stage for the first time since 1994 to play at Wetlands. It was the final closing week of the club. The landmark show was a great success for the fans and the band. Touring followed in 2002 through 2005, which eventually led to a brand new studio album, Nice Talking to Me, released on September 13, 2005. The single "Can't Kick The Habit" was included on the soundtrack to the movie Grandma's Boy. It received moderate radio airplay, along with the songs "Margarita" and the title track "Nice Talking to Me". Recently their song "Two Princes" was featured on the television show "The Sarah Silverman Program", where comedian Brian Posehn's character, Brian Spukowski, has a five-year-old iPod with only that song on it, which he listens to repeatedly whilst claiming to be an enthusiastic metalhead.

In 2008, the band continues to play one-off live shows in the USA and Europe.

[edit] Band member details

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums (with U.S. sales and international chart positions)

Year Album Chart positions Sales U.S. certifications
U.S. UK NOR
1991 Pocket Full of Kryptonite 3 2 2 5,000,000 5x Platinum
1994 Turn It Upside Down 28 3 16 1,000,000 Platinum
1996 You've Got to Believe in Something — — —
1999 Here Comes the Bride — — —
2005 Nice Talking to Me — — —

[edit] Compilation albums

Year Album Chart positions Sales U.S. certifications
U.S. UK NOR
2000 Just Go Ahead Now: A Retrospective — — —
2001 Can't Be Wrong — — —
2003 Two Princes - The Best Of — — —
2007 Collection — — —

[edit] Live albums

Year Album Chart positions Sales U.S. certifications
U.S. UK NOR
1991 Up for Grabs...Live — — —
1992 Homebelly Groove...Live 145 — —


[edit] Singles

Year Single U.S. UK Ireland Norway Also Contains
1992 "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" 17 23 27 - UK: "Big Fat Funky Booty" and "At This Hour"
1992 "Two Princes" 7 3 5 - UK:"Intro - Yo Mama's A Pajama" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong",Euro: "Off My Line" and "Rosetta Stone"
1993 "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" 28 40 - 2 UK:"Off my line" and "Rosetta Stone"
1993 "What Time Is It" - 56 - - -
1994 "Cleopatra's Cat" 84 29 - - UK:"Uranium Century" and "Stop Breaking Down"
1994 "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" - - - - Euro:"What Time Is It?", "Jimmy Olsen Blues" and "Two Princes"
1994 "Mary Jane" - 55 - - UK:"Woodstock" and "Hungry Hamed's"
1994 "You Let Your Heart Go Too Fast" 42 66 - - -
1996 "She Used to be Mine" - 55 - - -
1999 "The Bigger I Laugh The Harder I Cry" - - - - -
2005 "Can't Kick the Habit" - - - - -
2006 "Nice Talking To Me" - - - - -

[edit] Awards nominations

1994

  • Nominated for American Music Award for favorite pop/rock album. (Pocket Full of Kryptonite)
  • Nominated for a Grammy Award for best vocal performance by duo or group. ("Two Princes")

[edit] References

  1. ^ Soundtracks for "Sesame Street". IMDB. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
  2. ^ Soundtracks for "Philadelphia". IMDB. Retrieved on 2007-06-03.

[edit] External links