Search - Lovin Spoonful :: Best of

The essentialy Lovin' Spoonful hits, but not much more

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 05/28/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although I was surprised that there were only ten tracks on this album, since Rhino usually buffs up their reissue albums with bonus tracks, you do get the essentials with this collection of hits by the Lovin' Spoonful. This folk-rock group was led by John Sebastian, who wrote the original songs, and consisted of guitarist Zal Yanovsky (formerly of the Mugwumps), bassist Steve Boone, and drummer Joe Butler. Recording with Kama Sutra records (dude, it was the Sixties), their first Top 10 hit "Do You Believe in Magic" broke them out of the pack in late 1965. Along with the Beau Brummels and the Bryds, the Spoonful were part of the first significant response by American groups to the onslaught of the Beatles and the British Invasion. This collection for the budget minded provides the original hit versions of "Do You Believe in Magic" (which hit #9 on the Billboard charts), "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice," "Daydream," "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" (#2), "Summer in the City" (#1), "Rain on the Roof" (#10), "Nashville Cats" (#8), and "Darling Be Home Soon" (#15), plus the lesser-known hits "Six O'Clock" (#18) and "She Is Still a Mystery" (#27). Just be aware that this is the budget hits collection from Rhino, which has a much better choice for fans of the Spoonful with their 26-track "Anthology" (which has some choice cuts from Sebastian's work soundtrack work for Francis Ford Coppola and Woody Allen)."