I bought one of their Greatest Hits LP's many, many years ago before I knew only Summer In The City and Welcome Back and when I heard Nashville Cats I was blown away. I still play it often. A similar discovery as No Sugar Tonight from The Guess Who's greatest hits when a teenager.
They're in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. They have been recognized by their peers for being totally unique.
Richard Thompson has often said Zally was a major influence on his playing early on in the Fairport days. Especially the Nashville picking style, because RT was a big fan of country music.
The first album, Fairport Convention, and the compilation of John Peel’s recordings of that time, Heyday, really show the influence of American folk-rock on the band (they were known as “the British Jefferson Airplane”). When Sandy Denny replaced Judy Dyble, they started incorporating some English traditional music. The second and third albums are a delightful blend of American and English influences, as well as great original material. You’ll want both of these. After a disastrous highway accident, which killed their drummer, they eventually re-formed to mostly play electric versions of traditional English music. This resulted in the Liege and Lief album, IMO their best. Sandy Denny and bassist Ashley Hutchings then left the band, and the remaining members plus Dave Pegg on bass recorded Full House. Fairport did many more albums after that (although Richard Thompson left to start a solo career). These are the core albums, though, and you can’t go wrong with any of them.
I do agree his solo career was where near as interesting after the Spoonful- excepting the John B Sebastian album (which being on dual labels probably hurt it's sales). But the Woodstock appearance itself was iconic. Today, it may seem 'hippy-dippy', but at he time it was just right.
Damn! You guys are great. It's always nice to find out that my taste isn't the weirdo twisted anomaly that I always assume it it.... of course, there's a lot of times it is. I'm a "Northern Exposure" and Tom DiCillo fan... so... it probably goes without saying... "Darling Be Home Soon" really kicked my **** in a good way when I was young. I think that mentality, in part, led me to Joe Campbell and Carl Sagan in my Youth. Of course, I'll be 69 next week and that perspective is a bit more skewed and scary. In John's terms, "Three Quarters of my life mostly past." (I have a tiny bit of concern when I have gas these days). In fact, John's performance at Woodstock was a big part of that. He seemed like such a sensitive guy who thought about his Life and his Mortality, so I knew I wasn't alone. And as an aside, IMHO, "Lonely, (Amy's Theme)" on "You're a Big Boy Now" is one of the best "Rock" Instrumentals of all time! It's nice that the Original Master Tapes were eventually found some years ago. The first Spoonful CDs sounded pretty awful. And the new versions of the Albums all have a few nice Demos and Outtakes. Thanx so much dormouse !!! That was beautiful. Like you, I never thought his Performance at Woodstock was "hokey." Not sure if any of my friends did. They might not have said it around me. I love the Photos and Links you folks posted! I have that Best Of album with the Poster and Photos, in storage, but with little holes in the corner from having them up on my walls when I was a teen... Paul J: Holy Frijoles, Batman! Thanx!!! SPF2001: You need to scan the pic of You and John! davmar77: Since it was recorded for the "King Biscuit," there must be a Video, no? simoncm: I really like that Mugwumps album. Real decent. Do you have a copy of your article? There are so many new & Groovy Spoonful things out there, mostly Grey Area (so-called) "Import," stuff. Two CDs of Outtakes and Demos: "Studio Sessions 1965-1967" and "Do You Believe In Outtakes" (They were on Amazon for a while); According to Wiki, some more-recent legitimate Live albums without John; and an AWESOME Live CD with Two Sets from the same night, "Rockefeller's, Houston, TX, (07-24-1983)." The sound on it is great! BUT... Have any of you heard the "King Biscuit" Album? I'm reticent to grab it because there are all these Frankenstein versions of it and maybe I already have it under a different Title. Now I need to go back and reread what all of you wrote again and read all the Links! Thanx again!!!
I liked the Spoonful a lot in the 60's, but thought of them as a singles band. I realized my mistake when I finally gave the albums a chance. Really solid. Hums is a classic. I was thrilled to see the reunion/tribute show in Glendale right before the pandemic.
In 1970 when I was 10 my Mom would do weekly grocery shopping and buy a big bag of Lays Potato Chips. The ones where two separate bags were inside the big bag. On to my point here. Around this time she was buying chips there would be a 45 in a plastic baggie stapled to the bag. I got The Lovin' Spoonful's Six O'Clock and She's Still A Mystery 45s that way. Some of the others I remember were Velvet Underground All Tomorrow's Parties and Procol Harum Homburg. I grew up in NW Florida back in the 60's/70's.
I think so. When it came out in 1969, it didn’t leave my turntable for two weeks. It’s also won a number of polls and awards.
Yes it is. My original copy was lost in an apartment fire. Many years later a copy turned up here in the Marketplace (we’re talking about the UK Island pink label version). I grabbed it, but it cost me a bit more than $200.
Picked up a VG+ copy on Discogs for $70(plus shipping and tax). Fingers crossed it makes it safe from the UK!
In 2020, right before covid, there was a great benefit concert in LA. I believe that individual recordings are for sale and videos exist of the whole thing. Dave Alvin and JS together! Marshall Crenshaw, Susan Cowsill, Darian Sahanaja, etc and the re-united Wednesday Week. Great songs played by the great Wild Honey Orchestra. http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music...-surviving-members-reunite-at-la-area-tri.htm
I briefly met John Sebastian at the LA NAMM back in 2002. He was super nice and seemed legit surprised that a young guy like me recognized him and knew who he was. We shook hands and took a pic together but unfortunately my friend's dad (who took the pic) never shared it with me or I'd post it here.
The album has no Sebastian or Steve Boone, but Zal Yanovsky did come back and play on two tracks, even though he'd left the band a year earlier. It's essentially a Joe Butler solo album with the Spoonful name on it.
I don't think it's any more hokey than a lot of other stuff from that festival. And regardless, a stronger argument can be made that it helped his career at the time, since he'd been in something of a commercial downturn. His last album with the Spoonful in 1968 only made it to #118 and failed to produce any major hits, and his first solo single (in late 1968) stalled out at #84. The Spoonful had been a singles band and were becoming viewed as passe' as FM rock and albums became more prominent. Yet after Woodstock, Sebastian's first solo album made it to #20, his best chart showing in three years (and this is despite the legal issues between MGM and Reprise related to the album which delayed its release).
I think so. It is very easy to cherry pick highpoints and ignore the wider picture but while there were things such as Vietnam they landed a man on the moon in 1969! That is what can happen with positivity and single-minded enthusiasm for a goal that seemed to represent what can be achieved if we try. I still remember looking out of my bedroom window and my dad pointing at the moon and saying that there were people on there right now. How great was that! And it was pretty well unknown to stay up into the early hours of the morning as a 9 year old to watch thst live broadcast on TV. And Woodstock represented some sort of appreciation of youth celebrating music, which is something that has been constant throughout my life.
You are very welcome. It is always good to have an excuse to go through a catalogue of music. It does not seem that long since I went through my collection Spoonful/Sebastian recordings but I think I may wander through them again now. There is always something new to appreciate. I had not seen that clip of John Sebastian playing harp on The Times They Are A-Changing for example.
I would like to post the pic of me and John, but it's packed away somewhere. Suffice to say,my brownish beard was showing some gray and I was on the verge of bifocals,but somehow John looked pretty much the way he did on the Ed Sullivan show,go figure.
