The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful

Not to be confused with The Best... Lovin' Spoonful.

The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful
Greatest hits album by
the Lovin' Spoonful
ReleasedFebruary 1967 (1967-02)
RecordedJune 1965 – March 1966[1]
GenreFolk rock[2]
Length29:10
LabelKama Sutra
ProducerErik Jacobsen
The Lovin' Spoonful chronology
Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful
(1966) 		The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful
(1967) 		You're a Big Boy Now
(1967)

The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful is the first compilation album by the Canadian-American folk-rock band the Lovin' Spoonful. Released in February 1967,[3] it features songs from the band's first two albums and their single "Summer in the City". It is the band's most successful album release; it peaked at number three in both the U.S. and Canada, and Billboard magazine ranked it at number 23 on its 1967 year-end chart. RIAA certified the album for gold that year,[4] indicating retail sales of US$1 million (equivalent to US$9 million in 2024).[5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
MusicHound Rock3.5/5[7]
New Musical Express[8]

In his Allmusic review, music critic William Ruhlman wrote "this compilation is an attempt to balance group concerns rather than present their most successful performances. Nevertheless, it picks the strongest material from the group's three previous albums..."[6]

Track listing

All songs written by John Sebastian, except where noted.

Side one

  1. "Do You Believe in Magic" – 2:04
  2. "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" – 2:00
  3. "Butchie's Tune" (Steve Boone) – 2:34
  4. "Jug Band Music" – 2:49
  5. "Night Owl Blues" (J. Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky, Boone, Joe Butler) – 3:00
  6. "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" (J. Sebastian, Boone) – 2:29

Side two

  1. "Daydream" – 2:18
  2. "Blues in the Bottle" (traditional, adapt. and arr. by the Lovin' Spoonful, Steve Weber, Peter Stampfel) – 2:10
  3. "Didn't Want to Have to Do It" – 2:06
  4. "Wild About My Lovin'" (traditional, adapt. and arr. by J. Sebastian) – 2:38
  5. "Younger Girl" – 2:23
  6. "Summer in the City" (J. Sebastian, Mark Sebastian, Boone) – 2:39

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[15] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^
    • Edmonds, Ben (2002). Do You Believe in Magic (Liner notes). The Lovin' Spoonful. Buddha Records, Kama Sutra Records. 74465 99730 2.
    • Diken, Dennis (2002). Daydream (Liner notes). The Lovin' Spoonful. Buddha, BMG Heritage. 74465 99731 2.
    • Richards, Sam (September 2021). Bonner, Michael (ed.). "The Making of ... Summer in the City by The Lovin' Spoonful". UNCUT. No. 292. pp. 92–94.
  2. ^ Nelson, Paul (1980). "Folk Rock". In Miller, Jim (ed.). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll (Revised and Updated ed.). New York City: Random House. pp. 231–234. ISBN 0-394-73938-8 – via the Internet Archive.
  3. ^ "New Releases ... Just Arrived!". La Crosse Tribune. February 28, 1967. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Gold & Platinum: Lovin' Spoonful". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  5. ^ Hinman 2004, p. 88.
  6. ^ a b Ruhlman, William. "The Best of The Lovin' Spoonful > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  7. ^ Rucker, Leland (1996). "Lovin' Spoonful / John Sebastian". In Graff, Gary (ed.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit, Michigan: Visible Ink Press. pp. 422–423. ISBN 0-7876-1037-2 – via the Internet Archive.
  8. ^ Evans, Allen (August 5, 1967). "LPs". New Musical Express. p. 2.
  9. ^ "RPM 25 Top LPs". RPM. May 13, 1967. p. 5.
  10. ^ "The Lovin' Spoonful Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  11. ^ "Top 100 Albums". Cash Box. May 20, 1967. p. 49.
  12. ^ "Top 100 LP's". Record World. May 20, 1967. p. 60.
  13. ^ "Top Records of 1967 (Based on Billboard Charts)". Billboard. December 30, 1967. p. 42.
  14. ^ "Best Albums of 1967". Cash Box. December 23, 1967. p. 24.
  15. ^ "American album certifications – Lovin' Spoonful – The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful". Recording Industry Association of America.

Sources

  • Hinman, Doug (2004). The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day-by-Day Concerts, Recordings and Broadcasts, 1961–1996. San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-765-3.
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