Track Listing

1. Daydream
2. Summer In The City
3. (Sittin' Here) Lovin' You
4. Coconut Grove
5. Darling Companion
6. Darling Be Home Soon
7. Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind ?
8. Do You Believe In Magic?
9. Jug Band Music
10. Lonely (Amy's Theme)
11. Nashville Cats
12. Never Goin' Back
13. She's Still A Mystery
14. Six O'Clock
15. Wild About My Lovin'
16. Rain On The Roof
17. You Didn't Have To Be So Nice
18. Younger Girl

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28155 in Music
• Released on: 2004-09-06
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Customer Reviews

Do NOT buy this compilation...
I have been a Spoonful fan from the day that they released their first single in 1965. They were clearly one of the top bands amongst US post British invasion folk-rockers: a solid, tight unit with a versatile lead guitarist, strong vocals from both John Sebastian and Joe Butler and the melodic, catchy, good-time tunes that John Sebastian could churn out so easily.
So these eighteen tunes are very good... no question about that.
However, FOR THE SAME PRICE, you will find, on Amazon, a TWENTY-SIX-track compilation titled "Greatest Hits" on Buddha Records. You might miss "Lonely (Amy's Theme)" but, in return, you get nine other tracks that are not included on "Very Best Of The Lovin' Spoonful": ("You Baby", "Full Measure" (a Top 100 single, "Didn't Want To Have To Do It", etc). Many people have posted positive reviews regarding the Buddha release so ... check them out as well as the title list before buying. Happy listening !

Generous CD introduction compiling The Spoonful's best.
John Sebastian's songs sum up that innocent part of the sixties just before the multi-coloured sights and sounds of psychedelia began to take over. The Lovin Spoonful were the most popular group in America in 1966 with hit after hit of charming and simplistic folk/blues based pop music. Unlike their contemporaries The Byrds, Sebastian knew what made young people tick within a three minute tune, hence songs about young romance, growing up pains, and hot Summer days were very much in evidence, but always combined with a tongue-in-cheek twist.

Not surprisingly the group were asked to record songs for two comedy films during this period, 'What's Up Tiger Lily?' and the coming of age classic 'You're A Big Boy Now'. It's good to see that featured songs are included; 'Pow' from the former film and 'You're...', 'Darlin' Be Home Soon', and the instrumental 'Lonely (Amy's Theme), from the latter, are available on this CD.

Relish the early Spoonful sound of the hits 'Do You Believe In Magic', 'Daydream', and what better tune sums up hot sweaty days in the smoke than the No1. single 'Summer In The City'. In addition there are some beautiful, lazy songs like 'Younger Girl', 'You Didn't Have To Be So Nice', and apparently one of Paul Weller's favourite songs, the spine-tingling, 'Coconut Grove', in which the melody and lyrics 'Tonight we'll find a dune that's ours, and softly she'll speak the stars', will break even the hardest of hearts.

After guitarist, Zal Yanovsky left in 1967, the Spoonful struggled commercially, but this CD takes into account their later flops, which is just as well as the John and the boys were still in top form. 'She's A Still Mystery' showed a more mature edge to Sebastian's songwriting, the young girls he once chased, now grown up, he now finds to difficult to understand; 'Boredom', the ultimate pastiche of life on the road, 'I feel about as local as a fish in a tree', and the cynically amusing 'Money' with the background sound of a typewriter scroll being returned at the end of each bar.

After Sebastian left in 1968 the death knell began to sound for this once incredible group, and as a result only the country-tinged 'Never Goin' Back' features from this period, plus John's first solo single 'She's A Lady'.

I love The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Kinks, but there's no other band who I return to so much as The Lovin' Spoonful. I believe that this CD is a generous introduction into the band and I would recommend it to anyone who loves short, snappy, uncomplicated pop songs.

Great folk-rock group of the late sixties
The Lovin' Spoonful were formed (as were the Mamas and Papas) following the break-up of a folk-rock group in the sixties called the Mugwumps that only lasted a few months.

In Britain, they are mainly remembered for Summer in the city (a top ten UK hit and an American chart-topper) and Daydream (a number two hit in both Britain and America), though they also had some minor UK hits. They were far more successful in America, where they had many more big hits, beginning with their first single, Do you believe in magic, an American top ten.

One of their songs, Nashville cats, takes an affectionate look at country music's musicians. The group never ventured into country music themselves, though Dolly Parton did a fine cover of Lovin' you on her Here you come again album and John Sebastian (lead singer of the Lovin' Spoonful) was a guest on the same singer's Treasures album in the nineties.

The original version of Lovin' you is included in this compilation. Some other great songs to be found here include You don't have to be so nice, Did you ever have to make up your mind, Younger girl and Darling be home soon.

Yet perhaps the most interesting song is Younger generation, which takes an amusing look at the problems of growing up and how attitudes change as one gets older.

The good-time music of the Lovin' Spoonful sounds as good today as it ever did. There are many compilations around though there is very little difference between the track listings of most of them. If you enjoy good-time sixties music, this is for you.