Lovin Spoonful - Do You Believe in Magic
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Lovin SpoonfulEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2002-07-09
Music Label: Buddha
Soundtracks:
- Do You Believe In Magic
- Blues In The Bottle
- Sportin' Life
- My Gal
- You Baby
- Fishin' Blues
- Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?
- Wild About My Lovin'
- Other Side Of This Life
- Younger Girl
- On The Road Again
- Night Owl Blues
- Allep Oop (bonus track)
- Younger Girl (demo)
- Blues In The Bottle (alternate vocal version)
- Wild About My Lovin' (alternate vocal version)
- Other Side Of This Life (instrumental)
Free Music Notes for Do You Believe in Magic
Free Music Review: Do You Believe In Good Time Music ?
Hit: 5 Stars
Formed in the Greenwich Village in 1965 by John Sebastian, Zalman Yanovsky, Steve Boone and Joe Butler, the Spoonful were one of the first, and best, American band to appear in the wake of the British invasion. Their music was an original blend of pop, rock and roots elements. It remains vital listening to this day.
"Do You Believe in Magic", their first album, showed signs of these various influences. There was the pop/rock side with the unforgettable title track (US Top 10) and "Did You Ever Have to Make up Your Mind" (US Top 2). Another Sebastian original, "Younger Girl", became a top 50 hit when covered by the Critters. They also showed great taste in reviving "You Baby", a Ronettes LP-only track that was sung by Joe Butler. This tune would later become a Top 20 hit for the Turtles.
A folk/blues song by Fred Neil titled "The Other Side of This Life" was duly electrified and, again, sung by Joe Butler.
Although it has generally been overlooked, the majority of the original album was primarily based on electrified interpretations of old-timey blues material.
To begin with, the chorus of the aforementioned "Younger Girl" was lifted from "Prison Wall Blues" released by the Memphis based Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers in 1930.
Two other tracks originate from the same time and place: "Wild about My Lovin'", which was first issued by Jim Jackson and "On the Road Again", which was first issued by the Memphis Jug Band (both 1928).
"Blues in the Bottle" (sung by Zal Yanovsky) came from a seemingly stranger background. It was one of a handful of tracks recorded by proto-western swing Prince Albert Hunt's Texas Ramblers in 1928, although the Spoonful cover is actually based on the 1964 version of this tune by the Holy Modal Rounders. Interestingly, Peter Stampfel, a musician from the Rounders, co-wrote the original liner notes for the first Spoonful LP.
"Sporting Life" is a "city blues" first waxed by Brownie McGhee in 1946.
"My Gal" is a very old vaudeville tune but it was probably directly inspired by the 1941 interpretation from the Delta Boys (including Sleepy John Estes and Son Bonds). Of interest is the fact that Jim Kweskin & the Jug Band released their own version of this tune on their first Vanguard LP (1963).
"Fishing Blues" was first released by "archaic" Texan singer/guitarist Henry Thomas who recorded it in 1928; it is a square dance song, also of probable vaudeville origin.
Lastly, there is an excellent original electric blues titled "Night Owl Blues" which concludes the original LP and is a real showcase for John Sebastian's harp and Zal Yanovsky's guitar.
It should be noted that these rocking' versions of old blues tunes are a zillion miles away from numerous scholarly renditions of say, "Parchman Farm" and "Dust My Blues" (if you see what I mean).
The words of most of these blues are full of fun and good humour and suit the "good time music" of the Spoonful to a tee. They are not note for note copies but are genuine electrified renditions of delighful slices of Americana.
It could be argued, in my opinion, that the Spoonful were, on their first LP, among the most interesting "white" blues performers of the time.
Instrumentally, the band was very strong. Sebastian was a gifted multi-instrumentalist, Yanovsky had realized his own fusion of folk/country/blues/rock guitar and the rhythm section was rock solid. In addition, Erik Jacobsen produced the LP expertly, letting the musicians ample room to be creative.
I shall refrain to comment upon the "bonus tracks" because, although welcome, they add little to the content of the original LP.
The sound of this CD is terrific, which is not surprising as Sundazed's Bob Irwin did the remastering. It must be said that the original tracks (which I still own on both American and British vinyl) were pretty good to begin with, especially for the time.
To conclude, I will add that I have regarded this pioneering masterpiece as one of my quintessential albums ever since I bought the original UK mono LP issued on Pye Records when it came out forty years ago. What a sweet long trip it has been!
Definitely an album that no one with a remote interest in sixties music should be without.
Do You Believe in Magic Poster
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