Customer Reviews

The Lovin' Spoonful - Greatest Hits

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Wow! I almost didn't buy this collection after reading other amazon reviews and how similar it was to the Rhino CD, but boy good thing I did. First off, this compilation is not only cheaper than than the Rhino package, but sound wise it blows the doors off the Rhino package. Did Rhino take their compilation from old records? This thing sounds amazing, I don't know any other way to describe it. The package says it was taken from the original master tapes for the 1st time and boy does it show. I can't say enough about the sound because being a long time fan, I have always been dissapointed with the way that their CD's have sounded. Great liner notes from Ben Edmonds of Cream & Mojo magazine with lots of information I never knew. I hope Mojo has a big feature planned soon. As far as the tracks go, yeah it's the best of the Lovin Spoonful what more could you want? Don't be fooled friends, this is the must own Spoonful package! Let's hope Buddha reissues the entire LS catalog this way.

The Lovin' Spoonful seldom makes anyone's short list of great sixties bands. Their legacy has been cheapened by Buddah Record's exploitation of their back-catalog in an endless stream of ill-conceived "greatest hits" collections that are of abysmal quality. But that's not all... In the summer of 1966, guitarist Zal Yanovsky and bassist Steve Boone were arrested for marijuana possession in San Francisco. In exchange for immunity, Yanovsky and Boone assisted the police in setting up Bill Love, manager of the popular 60's comedy improv ensemble, the Committee. The Lovin' Spoonful became a "nark" band and were forever banished from the musical underground. It's unfortunate because the Spoonful and John Sebastian's music may never be examined on it's own terms, without regard to the band's pariah reputation in the 60s.

It was John Sebastian that was the focal point of the Spoonful. A talented multi-instrumentalist, Sebastian had a keen melodic ear and the lyrical talent of a tin pan alley master, like Ira Gershwin. Sebastian brought the best traditions of American folkways to Top Forty radio. "Wild About My Loving" is a variation on a song played by the legendary Mississippi Sheiks an African American ragtime and blues band. "Nashville Cats" sings the praises of yellow Sun records from Nashville. "Jug Band Music" is about, well, jug band music. Sebastian certainly broadened the scope Top 40 music playlists. In addition, Sebastian songs like "Summer In the City" and "Daydream" were in the best traditions of American tin pan alley songcraft. After ill conceived several tries, Buddah Records has finally released a complete remastered collection of the Spoonful's greatest hits. Within this context, the Spoonful rise about the "nark" band fiasco, to deliver the goods.

Sebastian and the Spoonful had pretty much run their course by 1968 but left a stellar string of hit singles. Sebastian was offered a fourth slot in Crosby,Stills and Nash, which he declined and went on to be the whimsical tye-dyed poster boy for Woodstock. He wrote the theme to the "Welcome Back Kotter" television show which probably assures him that he will never have to work a day job. He is still a regular on the tour circuit and still a delight on the concert stage (I saw him in Boston a couple of years ago.)

One of the truly worthwhile things about the Internet (and Amazon's review forum) is that music lovers can exchange ideas, trivia, opinions and remembrances about their favorite artists. So it has been fun for me, a lifelong Spoons fan, to read others' contributions here. Like Peter Castanos, I am also a devotee of Bill Inglot and Rhino. They will always have my thanks and admiration for the CDs they issue. But I always thought Rhino's Spoons anthology sounded pretty rough. It was clear to me after I heard it that Rhino did not have access to the original tapes, and I think Inglot did the best he could with what he had. So, this new Buddha collection is the one to buy. Like Peter, I A-B'd the two. But unlike Peter, I think the sound on this one is much more than a slight improvement over Rhino's effort. I can hear nuances in Joe's singing and drumming, Zally's guitar licks, Steve's bass lines and piano playing, and John's singing and strumming that I've never heard before. As with Sony's remastered Byrds CDs, listening to Buddha's remastered Spoons CD is akin to hearing the songs for the first time. If your CD collection lacks music by the Lovin' Spoonful, and the band's hits are all you desire, then get this CD. It's essential listening. I'm still going to buy all the original Spoons CDs if and when they're released because the band created too many other good songs ("Fishin' Blues," "Butchie's Tune," "Let the Boy Rock and Roll," "Boredom" to name but a few) to stop with this hits collection, but this one will stay in my CD player till then.

It's official. The Lovin' Spoonful were inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2000. And What does Buddah do to celebrate the label's most successful act? It clones the Rhino Anthology that's been available for the last ten years! Granted, Buddah claims these songs are recorded from first-generation masters, but the difference in sound quality is negligible.

Both anthologies contain 26 songs. So what's the difference? Very little. Twenty-three songs are duplicated on Greatest Hits. Where Anthology includes "Good Time Music" (from an Elektra sampler before the Spoonful recorded their first album), "Fishin' Blues" and "Me About You" (from the Joe Butler-led Spoonful--and their final chart single at No. 91), Greatest Hits offers instead "Wild About My Lovin'," "On the Road Again" and "Darlin' Companion." The differences between the two releases make Greatest Hits virtually unnecessary if you already own Anthology. Sure there are new liner notes, and some terrific photos from Henry Diltz, whose work has graced many of the Spoonful's original albums. But is that enough? I don't think so. This should have been a 2-CD set. And if it couldn't have included any previoulsy unreleased material, it could have offered some live versions from the band's mid-Sixties prime. At the very least, a two-disc set would have been more comprehensive and more valuable to die-hard fans. We can only hope that Buddah will see fit to release the Spoonful's entire catalog either as two-fers or loaded with bonus cuts.

If you're looking for one cd collection that has "the hits" and the best memories of "The Lovin' Spoonful" this "Best Of" is the one. Twenty six trax and each opne an enjoyable experience of "magic". From "Do You Believe in Magic?" and "Daydream" to "Lovin' You" and "Darlin' Be Home Soon".
This collection includes two of my personal all time favorites of The Spoonful: "Rain On The Roof" (caught up in that summer shower . .. maybe we'll be caught for hours . . .waitin' out the rain) and "Darlin Companion"! I first heard John sing as a duet with Mama Cass Elliot (possibly a carry-over from "The Mugwumps?). This song brings back a great memory of them both together . . .and it's a great neat song to boot.
This cd brings back many many happy memories of younger years. But it's much more than that. The songs and music are timeless and hold up well over these decades. It sounds as good or even better now, today, than it first did a-way back then. My thanks go out to "The Lovin' Spoonful" for this great album of truly wonderful songs and music.

the sound quality of this disc is superb,tracks like"rain on the roof" and "she's still a mystery" and "darling be home soon"have improved dramatically,as late as early '97 the masters had been m.i.a according to a john sebastian interview i read so this newly mastered from the original tapes cd is most welcome from one of my fave 60's groups with out all that psychedelia and navel gazing that became so trendy and that's why i still enjoy listening to the spoonful their stuff has held up well because they were popular but never trendy.pure pop with lashings of good 'ol jugband ,blues and country music,the spoonful were a veritable education in american roots music in a hummable package.the essay is only perfunctory,they obviously don't want to open old hassles so it's just an exercise in back slapping,it's the only reason i didn't give this cd 5 stars,but people don't buy cd's for the writing,you buy them for the listening and mid 60's american rock does get better than this cd.

Out of the several compilations I've seen of the Lovin' Spoonful repertoire,this 26 track collection just may be your best value.Specially for the price.Keep in mind these are the 'original' versions of the beloved power pop AM radio gems that no summer would be complete without.Tunes like "Daydream", "Jug Band Music", "Summer In The City"(Spoonful's best), "Nashville Cats", "Six O'Clock" and "Darling Be Home Soon" are sure to bring back some pleasant memories. A must-have for all oldie fans.

This great collection supercedes the fine collection put out by Rhino a decade ago. The sound quality is a vast improvement on the original release by Rhino. While both albums are equal in terms of the amount of tracks (and the great liner notes), Greatest Hits has the edge simply because the original master tapes weren't available to engineer Bill Inglot when he put together the original collection. That's not to slight Inglot; he's a terrific engineer who has worked wonders in the past. He just didn't have the advantage of the original mastertapes to work with.

Differing slightly in terms of the track line up (an early rarity is featured on the Rhino disc along with the b side of the band's last single which isn't available anywhere else), Greatest Hits substitutes two album tracks for two rarities included on the Rhino disc. The original Rhino release sounded muddy and indistinct compared to this collection. You Didn't Have to Be So Nice and Daydream both benefit substanially by the improved sound.

Always an under rated band, The Spoonful finally got their overdue recognition when they were inducted into The Rock'N'Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. The Spoonful managed to create an impressive body of work within a short span of time (they were together with Sebastian as a member for less than four years). Recognition has eluded the band for far too long. Greatest Hits (along with the re-release of Daydream and Do You Believe In Magic) has gone a long way towards redressing that imbalance.

The Lovin' Spoonful - Greatest Hits has quite a bit of their very best on a single CD compilation album. The sounds of The Lovin' Spoonful were distinct and very good to hear; and this album proves it! The quality of the sound is quite good and the artwork is very nicely done as well.

"Do You Believe In Magic?" starts the album with a fine hit from The Lovin' Spoonful; their sound is great! The electric guitar work makes this so good and they sing and harmonize to perfection! "Do You Believe In Magic?" amazes me with its great rhythm and they perform this with a lot of soul and feeling. "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" is another tune you'll probably recognize when you hear it; this excellent number from The Lovin' Spoonful rocks well and the percussion enhances the number while marking the beat at the same time. They sing this number very well, too. "Daydream" is one of my very favorite tunes by The Lovin' Spoonful; this number has an excellent folk rock flavor to it and the harmonica and whistling really make this number shine. I really like "Daydream" a whole lot; and I predict that you will, too.

"Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?" is an amusing song about a young man who wants two girlfriends--but it seems that he has to choose between the two and "settle" for just one of them as his girlfriend! The melody is quite catchy and memorable and many young men--and women--can relate to this song sooner or later in their lives. Excellent! "On The Road Again" has a flavor that reminds me of early rock and roll; and The Lovin' Spoonful make this a major highlight of this album. How's about that electric guitar? "Summer In The City" was yet another huge hit for The Lovin' Spoonful; they sing and play this wonderfully. I remember this song getting lots of airplay when it first hit the airwaves; and it still sounds great today!

"Nashville Cats" has another folk rock flavor mixed in with traditional country and this combination makes "Nashville Cats" a rather strong number with a bouncy, upbeat melody that I really enjoy every time I hear this song. "Coconut Grove" has a wonderful slow moody feel to it that draws in the listener and "Coconut Grove" is definitely one of the best songs ever made by The Lovin' Spoonful. "You're A Big Boy Now" again mixes folk rock and a country sound to make another fine number; "You're A Big Boy Now" has great guitar work as the band members sing this very well.

"Money" is a fine tune that I could never forget; and the sound effects are very special. There's also "Younger Generation;" and the CD ends with The Lovin' Spoonful performing "Never Going Back." "Never Going Back" is a strong number and it leaves you wanting more from this awesome group.

The Lovin' Spoonful really gave us so much while they were together; and this CD will be a joy for their fans. People who enjoy classic pop and folk rock will enjoy this music as well.

In the summer of '65 I turned 14. It was virtually impossible not to be mesmorized by the sounds eminating from my little Radio Shack transistor radio. The Beatles were at the height of their popularity and Motown was churning out one memorable tune after another. I went on vacation with my parents for two weeks in mid-July and when I returned a couple of hippies I had never heard of---Sonny and Cher--had several records on the charts!! It was difficult to decide which 45's to buy with the limited resources from my paper route. It was about this time that two rockers from Long Island teamed up with two folkies from Greenwich Village to form what would become the Lovin' Spoonful. They would become one of my all-time favorite bands. The debut single "Do You Believe In Magic" quickly raced up the charts and became a Top Ten smash. Over the next year and a half the group would place another 6 tunes in the Top 10. The biggest of these, "Summer in the City" reached number one for 3 weeks in August 1966. To me, the amazing thing about the Spoonful was that no two tunes sounded the same.
Lead singer John Sebastian was also an incredibly gifted songwriter. The evidence of this can be found throughout the 26 selections on this incredible CD. Believe me, there is no filler on this CD. You will find what I discovered years ago.
Even the "B" sides of Spoonful records were amazing!!! Check out tunes like "Didn't Want To Have To Do It", "Younger Girl" and "You're A Big Boy Now".
Unfortunately the party was short lived. Lead guitarist Zal Yanovsky left the band in 1967 and was replaced by Jerry Yester. About a year later John Sebastian left to pursue a solo career and the group disbanded. It was not until 1991 that original members Joe Butler and Steve Boone and the aforementioned Jerry Yester decided to re-form the band. They have been touring ever since. In 2000, the Lovin' Spoonful was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
All of the tracks on this fabulous CD are the original Kama Sutra recordings. You'll also enjoy perusing the 12 page booklet included here. Very highly recommended!!!!!