Customer Reviews

Summer in the City

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

All I originally wanted was a few Lovin Spoonful songs to remind me of that time. All the songs on this cd are the only songs needed to take me back to that time and place (60s).They also sounded exactly as I remember them. In otherwords unaltered. A great collection of their hits. Definitely recommended if you are looking for Spoonful songs.

This delightful collection is several tablespoonfuls of some excellent classics by the Lovin' Spoonful. It is hard to stop at only ten good songs or even to limit oneself to any given number, but the selection of songs on this is outstanding.

The classics "Do You Believe in Magic?," "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice," "Daydream," "Summer in the City," "Rain on the Roof," "Nashville Cats," and "Six O'Clock" can all be obtained in one place. The Lovin' Spoonful influenced countless other artists, such as the short lived ersatz Spoonful band, the Critters as well as Joe Cocker, who did a cover version of the Spoonful's "Darling, Be Home Soon." I still think the original was far superior to Joe Cocker's version.

So if you're having a good day for a day dream and you need just the right songs, this is the collection for you. You might also want to enjoy the Young Rascals and the Byrds and the Turtles (can't forget Flo & Eddie) as well.

"Summer in the City" is more of a sampler of the Lovin' Spoonful that a solid hits collection, although if you were just going to pick ten songs by the peppy pop/rock/folk group of the Sixties it is hard to argue with what you find here. If you start ticking off on your fingers the best songs by the Lovin' Spoonful--"Do You Believe in Magic?," "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice," "Daydream," "Summer in the City," "Rain on the Roof," "Nashville Cats," and "Six O'Clock"--you will find all of them here. I had forgotten that Joe Cocker's "Darling Be Home Soon" was originally a Spoonful song. All ten songs were written or co-written by John Sebastian, but then we already knew he was the heart and soul of this group. Ironically, the album title comes from the group's most atypical song, the riff-driven "Summer in the City." So the bottom line is that this BMG budget collection gives you the songs. As long as you are looking for nothing else and you cannot think of a Lovin' Spoonful song that you would like to have that is not in this sampler collection, then "Summer in the City" is a decent deal.

This is classic feel good music which is as enjoyable today as it was in the 60's. I bought this after my 7 year old son heard Daydream on the radio several times and began to sing along. He especially liked the line 'custom made for a daydreaming boy'. This was about the time of the 9/11 World Trade Center attack which makes for a distinctive contrast. Listening to songs such as Nashville Cats, Darling Be Home Soon, Younger Girl and Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind takes one back to times of innocence and relative simplicity. Granted there is a definite slant to adolescent males here, but they are just fun songs.

This CD is probably all you'll need to sample the best that this minor group has to offer; however, there are some great tunes here and the clarity and crispness of this recording is unbelievable! The background harmonies appear to have been moved to the forefront to my ears, and are almost overwhelming on some songs. These tuneful melodies of John Sebastian are instant favorites with children who recognize many of them from (alas!) TV ads! This is one of those groups where you don't really have to (or want to) get all of their music--a "greatest hits" CD (although usually detested by me) is most appropriate. Actually, you probably couldn't get most of their old albums anyway...

Great selection of bands greatest hits including no.1 summer in the city and do you believe in magic. I grew up listening to these songs on the radio and remembered falling in love with them. All my friends were crazy about them. Just put in your cd player be happy and enjoy.

I think the Anthology is way better than any other music listening enjoyment but don't get Summer In The City: The Encore Collection it's just a waste of money value for a buyer in my opinion!