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The Lovin'
Spoonful
The Lovin'
Spoonful came out of The Mugwumps (a group which also
fractured into The Mamas & Papas), and comprised of
John Sebastian (vocals/electric autoharp) and Zal
Yanovsky (electric guitar), both ex-Mugwumps, Steve Boone
(bass), and Joe Butler (drums). The Lovin' Spoonful name
came from Mississippi John Hurt's 'Coffee Blues'.
The group first
really began to create interest, when part of the
Greenwich Village folk scene in New York. Their debut
album, in 1965, 'Do You Believe In Magic', was an
immediate hit, and the title track reached no. 9 in the U.S.
Other hits for The Lovin' Spoonful included 'Daydream'
and 'Summer In The City' - the latter being a U.S. number
one in July, 1966.
As endearing as
their music was The Lovin' Spoonful's lack of pretention.
Their influence, however, was pretty impressive - even
inspiring The Grateful Dead to change from an acoustic
group into an electric one. Also, their song 'Nashville
Cats' was a crossover hit - it made the American country
charts, as well as the 'regular' charts.
The original
line-up of The Lovin' Spoonful stayed the same, until
Jerry Yester replaced Yanovsky in 1967, and when John
Sebastian left the Spoonful, in the Autumn of 1968, the
group soon split. Sebastian appeared at Woodstock, and
went on to have a solo U.S. number one with 'Welcome
Back', from the 'Welcome Back Kotter' TV show (featuring
a very young John Travolta) of the mid-1970s. Zal Yanovsky sadly died in 2002, of a
heart attack, aged 58.
The Lovin'
Spoonful were inducted into the 'Rock And Roll Hall Of
Fame' in 2000, and they deserved to be there. John
Sebastian was a genuinely great songwriter, and the
Spoonful's music wasn't always light pop. 'Darling Be
Home Soon', 'Didn't Want To Have To Do It', 'Younger
Girl', and 'Six O'Clock' were deep songs. 'Younger
Generation' was another serious Sebastian song, and
almost a knee-jerk response to the way the free and easy
1960s may have been heading, with even small children
having no innocence. But, The Lovin' Spoonful will
primarily be remembered for their upbeat material, and
'She's Still A Mystery To Me' completed a quartet of
classic uplifting songs, alongside 'Daydream', 'Summer In
The City', and 'Do You Believe In Magic'.
- Paul
Rance, Peace
& Freedom Press.
The Lovin' Spoonful Albums
Discography
Do You Believe In Magic (March, 1966)
Daydream (May, 1966)
What's Up, Tiger Lily (September, 1966)
Hums Of The Lovin' Spoonful (December, 1966)
You're A Big Boy Now (May, 1967)
Everything Playing (March, 1968)
Revelation: Revolution '69 (June, 1969)
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