The Lovin' Spoonful - Greatest Hits | The Lovin' Spoonful | The one and the only: Lovin' Spoonful

The Lovin' Spoonful - Greatest Hits | The Lovin' Spoonful | Okay, I'm a bit biased, but this really IS a great CD

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	The Lovin' Spoonful - Greatest Hits The Lovin' Spoonful Buddha, 2000 average customer review:based on 50 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The one and the only: Lovin' Spoonful

The reviewers who simply group the Spoonful among all the other "good time" bands of the 60s, like the Turtles or the Grass Roots (etc.), simply don't know the musical history of these bands. First of all, the Spoonful, unlike many of these other bands, wrote ALL of their hits (primarily by the composer-ship of John Sebastian). Also: The Spoonful were one of the first of these bands to arrive on the scene, and just about all of their hits were produced in the time span of a brief two year period. The latter factor is probably why the Spoonful aren't better remembered: they split up before many of these other bands came to the forefront. With having had 5 top ten hits in 1966, the Spoonful were probably United States' biggest band that year next to the Beach Boys, and even The Beatles tried to imitate their sound (most notably with the failed effort, imo: Good Day Sunshine). The vocals of Sebastian and guitar playing of Zal Yanovsky were not only originally distinctive but are fun to try to imitate. I should know: their stylings were one of the key inspirations for my own current attempts at making music.

I recommend this as well as their four original albums (including their last album: "Everything Playing"), plus any of the pairings available of their two film soundtracks ("What's Up Tiger Lily?" and "You're a Big Boy Now"). BTW: Now that John Sebastian's infrequent solo releases have been finally re-released, I'd like to recommend the most under-rated of the bunch: what I suppose to contain the most Spoonful-inspired songwriting of the five: "Welcome Back" from 1975. After the Spoonful, Sebastian became a personal, introspective songwriter (following the pattern of the Spoonful song: "Younger Generation"). But "Welcome Back" seems to me his return to writing fun material more general in nature. Welcome Back Hopefully soon, Zal Yanovsky's only solo release will be available also: 1967's "Alive and Well In Argentina."

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Okay, I'm a bit biased, but this really IS a great CD

Having grown up listening to mostly rock-themed mid-70's thru 80's music, you can imagine my surprise when I was literally offered a job doing a morning show on an Oldies radio station some years ago. It was definitely not MY music, at least not what I chose to listen to on a regular basis. However the offer was too good to pass up, and I quickly discovered that unlike music of the past 30 years, the Baby Boomer generation that considered the 60's to be *Theirs* really, REALLY cared about the music and the details surrounding it like no other generation before -- or since. Face it, NOBODY cares on which day of the year Jessica Simpson recorded, well anything...but when you bring to the audiences attention that 'Summer In the City' by the Lovin' Spoonful went #1 for three weeks straight on This Day in R&R History in July of 1966, believe me THEY CARE. I can't exactly tell you why, but it's TRUE.

Ever since the Lovin' Spoonful hit the scene in the latter part of Summer 1965 with 'Do You Believe In Magic' they were a regular staple on the American charts. With their earlier ties to the more folksy Mamas & The Papas (members John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky were both members of the Mugwumps with Cass Elliot & Denny Doherty) to their eventual induction into the R&R Hall of Fame, this was a band that made a serious mark upon the turbulent 60's, and as such seriously affected millions of fans.

Even though they only scored 10 actual charted hits of note, ending with 'She Is Still A Mystery' in Nov. 1967) it is difficult to imagine just how much ground they covered in a very small amount of time. In barely two years, they made such a tremendous impact. Not many American (or British for that matter) bands can take credit for doing so much so quickly. Even though they stuck it out until disbanding in '68, it is difficult to measure their true impact upon the music scene at the time or how they have influenced it since, but one thing IS certain: they DID incite a great number of people to purchase millions of records. Call them pop or bubblegum, but just remember to add the phrase: VERY Successful to that. A truly GREAT American band that gave us fans what we wanted most of all: great tunes at a time when the country needed something, anything to take our minds off the concerns of the day. This collection is almost as perfect a collection as I have seen available. If you are a fan of the Spoonful, you owe it to yourself to include this CD in your collection.

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Pop music that was MUSIC!

The rich textures, hopeful tones, and wonderful melodies of The Lovin' Spoonful reach across generations and this music can still make the rainiest day seem full of sun and hope. The genuine feeling and emotion that comes through in some of the vocal performances is simply amazing and you'll marvel at the fact that popular music was ever this good and at how far it's fallen since the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Lovin' Spoonful understood music in a way that completely eludes most popular music "artists" today.

Besides 26 of the absolute best tracks remastered for excellent sound quality, this CD also contains enough liner notes to bring the listener some insight into the history of the band. Highly recommended!

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Still sounds good

If you used to love the Lovin' Spoonful, you'll particularily love "Do you Believe in Magic". What a great band.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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