Is this fair statement to make? Because Mr. John Benson Sebastian both “talked the talk and walked the walk”, he became the consummate American hippie musician during that era.
They were my first rock concert, June 1967 Lambertville, NJ- they were so much better live than in the studio that I felt like throwing the albums out when I arrived home, "Summer In The City the only song where the record was better. And I didn't know it then but Zally had already been fired and was working out his last month- you'd never know from his behavior, which was totally professional.
A magical group that’s never really been given its proper due. With two all-killer-no-filler Best Ofs taken from a mere four albums and one single. That’s a pretty good ratio!
John Sebastian opened for Steve Martin when he played Ohio University in 1977. Don’t remember much, just John and a guitar, but I’m pretty sure he did Welcome Back.
Really love the lovin spoonful ! I discovered them at the end of the 90’s with a cd best of and I am now trying to get sounding vinyls
Big fan of the Spoonful from back in the day. I bought this album in 1965 and played it regularly. On a side note, I have the album by the great Fred Neil "Bleecker & McDougal from the same year and John is credited on harp.
Excellent call, Paul J. Same vibe. Felix Pappalardi is credited with bass on the same Fred Neil album. Apologies for being OT.
Love 'em. Saw them live right before Covid. Have the Sebastian-era CDs (I prefer the mono), and the old Rhino Handmade Sebastian solo set. Don't figure I need anything else. Read both books on the band (Boone's was interesting).
Hums is essential. Love the Sundazed mono cd. John vetoed the only chance for a live recording of the band (on Verase) over 20 years ago. Shame we'll never hear it
While I respect your opinion I would perhaps like to gently disagree! I understand where you are coming from but I think that in time to come when historians are trying to illustrate that period: hippies, flower power, the counterculture, peace and love, mass gatherings etc. they will be digging out the clips of John from Woodstock and pondering how different the world could have been if more people were that hokey! Here is a little thing I posted when ploughing through the Woodstock megaset a few years ago. Apologies for the repeat and perhaps the rose tinted glasses! This is one of the shortest discs, I would imagine, running at less than thirty minutes but is again a memorable performance by the tie-died minstrel from the Lovin’ Spoonful. Chip has another go at one of the remaining tower inhabitants in advance of John Sebastian taking to the stage as a stop gap during another rain interruption, late band member arrivals and some PA issues. He had only attended as a spectator but was summoned as an emergency fill-in. He had no guitar and had to borrow one from his friend Tim Hardin. He looked every inch the embodiment of the hippie philosophy with his colourful clothing, endearingly delightful introductions with flower power idealism fully intact, and laid-back performances of songs of unending optimism. As he takes to the stage you can hear concerned discussions about a band who are awaiting half of their compliment to arrive by helicopter. Presumably this is the Keef Hartley Band who are up next. Choppers can again be heard buzzing the stage as he tunes up. He tells the audience how amazing they look, “a whole city”, and kicks off the short set with a heartfelt How Have You Been as the transport continues to arrive. It is a fascinating recording and is beautifully rendered by our heroes in charge of the mixing to tell the whole story as we eavesdrop on this intimate performance (well as intimate as it can be in front of half a million people!). Clear and defined, it defies the conditions under which it was recorded. John gets a rapturous reception and he goes on to wax lyrical about recently living in a tent in California and learning all about tie-dying from a lady there, “…and it’s so groovy to come here and see all you people living tents. A cloth house is all you need when you have love. This is a tune about rainbows, I guess!” He requests a glass of water and strums a beautiful Rainbows All Over Your Blues. The man just exudes an innocence that I do believe actually existed for a short period in the late 1960s! He seems to have lived in a small bubble where childlike dreams and discussions were part of adult life. I’m not knocking it. The next song recalls discussions he had in small rooms huddled around heating pipes. A wonderful piece of storytelling of an alternative lifestyle that now seems so long ago. Darling Be Home Soon is introduced as a “goodbye song” which brings “ahs” from the audience. He has to temper his introduction somewhat as it sounds too final, however. The song brings a huge round of applause as recognition kicks in. Helicopters have continued to punctuate the set as we picture the stragglers from Keef Hartley’s band being ferried in one-by-one! More applause as he says farewell with a “You’re all beautiful… goodbye.” This probably gets the biggest cheer I have heard so far and Chip realises that he is not going to get away without an encore. John returns and he somehow manages to bring an innocence to a few f-bombs! “Oh boy this is really a mindf**ker of all times , man. I have never seen anything like this! Just love everyone around you and clean up a little garbage on your way out!” Chip gets a big thank you and John dedicates the last song to the couple who had a baby at the festival. “This is for you and your old lady, man. That kid’s gonna be far-out!” Inevitably we get an LSD fairytale in Younger Generation. I’m not sure anyone else on the planet could have got away with this sentiment, but it is a genuinely tear-jerking moment as it ends with the perfect “What’s the matter daddy, how come you’re looking mean, could it be that you can’t live up to your dreams…” He immediately adds: “No, it’s not true because we’re doing it. I love you, goodbye.” He gets an enormous cheer and helicopters continue to arrive. We then discover from the announcers that they are in fact military helicopters and are ferrying in medical teams. “They are with us, man, they are not against us, and for that they deserve it!” says John Morris and Chip, picking up on the cheers, adds “When that lands, make sure they hear you please.” So polite! There are times when this starts to emulate the end of Yellow Submarine where the Blue Meanies are defeated by flowers: “Hello Blue People, won’t you join us? Hook up and otherwise comingle! What do you say? Such a shame that Altamont was just around the corner!
same here. Loved this song since first hearing it as a kid. I remember wondering "why haven't I ever heard this on the radio?" (still haven't) I would have first heard it on Buddah's 1977 release of The Best Of .. which I found used a few years later when I first started buying records. I remember how excited I was upon finding it. I also love Six O'Clock now more than ever, the entire Everything Playing album usually gets a weak review but I quite enjoy it for its 'band falling apart but still highly ambitious' vibe. Even Old Folks (with a nice Butler vocal) and Pricilla Millionara (with an excited and inspired Boone vocal that irritates many, but I think the song needs it and was a good move) are some more interesting later tracks from them. I just think they're one of the best bands of the 60s. Under appreciated because they weren't heavy or whatever. This is pop, and while they lasted they were on a roll. Those two soundtracks are both solid albums in their own right. Respoken!
Oh my God, he finally leaked it!!! I knew a guy years ago that knew who had it, he did mention someone named Eric (sic)
I love their first three albums after thst it became diminishing returns for me. Their originals are best-covers they don’t do as well.
Zal Yanovsky, John Sebastian, Joe Butler and Steve Boone of ‘The Lovin' Spoonful’ record their second album, Daydream, on 15 September 1965 in New York City. Image: PoPsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images. From Wall Street Journal: The Story Behind ‘Darling Be Home Soon’ by the Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian How a request by a young Francis Ford Coppola led to the 1966 hit.
