The Lovin' Spoonful: Everything Playing : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Despite the beauty of John Sebastian's composing talents and sweet voice there is something basically disquieting about this recording, especially to old Spoonful fans. It's no longer the Lovin' Spoonful as we knew it, but something basically much different and not quite as good.

The music that the Spoonful previously made was always intimately involved with their stance as people. The peculiar feeling they evolved in their music, from "Daydream" to "Nashville Cats" can be defined to its last degree by the way the Spoonful came on as individuals, and as a group.

Just take a look at the dust-slip used inside this album. One side has pictures of their other records and the other is that classic picture of the group together: all heaped in a very happy pile, Zally with his incredible grin and John Sebastian in the glasses he made famous. For this group, a lovin' spoonful, the collective personality was expressed through the music.

Then turn to the back cover of the album jacket. They've changed considerably. So has the music, and much in the same way.

"Boredom," with its weeping guitars of Nashville, is archetypically sad and winsome in the Sebastian style. "Priscilla Millionaira" has touches of the same, but is not brought to a successful conclusion. "Forever," an instrumental track, again has a very pretty theme, but that's all. Other than the theme—and the mood it sets—there's no substance in arrangement, instrumentation or performance.

Like "Boredom," "Money" is another very groovy track. It has a banjo and—for the delight of all those who type while listening—a typewriter picks up the percussion. The delightful way in which Sebastian has transmogrified the sincerity and folksiness of country and western music is happily apparent in "Money."

"Younger Generation," Sebastian's attempt at moralizing which is not very effective because the idea which operates behind it—each succeeding generation making the same mistakes on the next as the previous one made on it—is rather cliched, and "Only Pretty, What a Pity," a song written by Joe Butler and new group member Jerry Yester, formerly of the Association, are two bombs, especially the latter. There's just nothing to it, and it's real disappointing.

There is a damaging contrast between those two tracks (and the closing number, "Close Your-Eyes," must also be included among the unsuccessful cuts,) and the songs like "Boredom," "Money," and "Try A Little Bit," which is a gem of successfully mixed styles and instrumental techniques.

One of the things sadly lacking from the whole album, is the guitar work of Zal Yanovsky, who is now working solo. Listen back on some of the old records and you'll find his lead work extremely tasty. But the main thing is that although there are some nice songs in this album, as a whole it is very disappointing. The spirit doesn't really seem to be there anymore.