Monocled Alchemist

“Younger Generation” is my pick from the LP | The Lovin’ Spoonful – ‘Everything Playing’ (Kama Sutra KLPS-8061) December 1967

Article published in Crawdaddy!, March / April 1968

The Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘Everything Playing’ Album Review | A sequential evaluation of the Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘Everything Playing’

SHE’S A MYSTERY: This is a much better version than the one on the single—big band stuff isn’t very personal —it’s pretty sterile even for the Spoonful—it’s the orchestrated parts mostly—the only one you can really identify with is the vocalist (Sebastian) and there’s not much ad lib—the moving vocal harmonies are really good—very good job of arranging.

PERCILLA MILLIONAIRE: The beginning can be deceptive (the downbeats sound like upbeats)—the singing is really nice—out of tune as it may be—the pre-chorus sounds like an early twenties song or maybe thirties) – early Turtles standard rock-blues-soul – with some funky-blues guitar thrown in on the sly—Soft White Underbelly Don Roeser thinks this sounds like the Duck and you all know about all those famous animal hits spurred undoubtedly by Link Ray and the Raymen’s immortal hit “The Bug.”

BOREDOM: I’m beginning to dig country music lately even though I used to dislike it—a lot—but whenever I hear this song I can’t help but be soothed and relaxed – its all nice—the bridge is close to ’63-’64 rock—it re minds me of a scene out of an old western with the star of the show in his room in a strange town etc. etc. – although steel guitars often sound out of tune.

The Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘Everything Playing’ Album Review

SIX O’CLOCK: An oh so familiar story – this has lots of fancy parts (orchestral)—nice—and to top it off is the funk-over-all-effect—was that a harmonium—like “We Can Work it Out”—then there’s the c&w influence in the vocal harmony—the guitar player uses a run that’s very similar to the one he used in Percilla – I have to admit this is a masterpiece—I guess this is their up-to-date equivalent of “Summer in the City”—they’re progressing as fast as everyone else (the good guys that is).

FOREVER: Metronome what? Sounds like drumsticks being struck together—there’s a lot of Brian Wilson influence—sounds like Italian classical music—a little like “Feeling Groovy,” the New York collegiate sound (yet more authentic than the Incense and Peppermint thing) —now a bit of Lawrence of Arabia or that type thing and/or Taras Bulba (theme from) in spots—those minor scales—here a Paul McCartney bass riff—now the grandfather from Peter and the Wolf played on an oboe—nice sustained chord on these violins—the guitar player isn’t as good as Zal, but he sounds like him and if he has a good heart what does it matter—written by Steve Boone —its really nice—I guess there’s a lot more there than the simple bass patterns he plays.

The Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘Everything Playing’ Album Review

YOUNGER GENERATION: I guess just about everybody feels like this when they’re young—I’ll remember type stuff but it just isn’t that simple, as John points out —but besides emotional hang-ups there’s other things too like differences—but there’s always that reassuring voice of J. S.—the noted rock critic-philosopher Memphis Sam Pearlman should like this with its childhood melody—Sebastian’s hippy-middle class etc. humour.

MONEY: A banjo! The Buffalo Springfield used one of these—a typewriter! bell and all—that’s good—those crazy musician freaks—this has a very clean and simple structure and a clean arrangement—it’s good that Sebastian is just making observations (like this one on the movement of money)—where he makes you think about it and you become part of the artist—I like the subtle approach and I’m tempted to say it’s the most efficient way.

The Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘Everything Playing’ Album Review

OLD FOLKS: Another orchestra—sounds like Johnny Rivers‘ “Mountain of Love”—piano, bass, strings, drums, I don’t hear any guitars—I wonder who’s singing—doesn’t sound much like J.S.—sad sad sad but its not so sad —kind of cool (?) trumpet harmonica flute—well.

ONLY PRETTY WHAT A PITY: The train’s coming—this sounds like “Firefly” on the Cake album—at least in the chorus—the only difference (note-wise) in the chorus is the tempo and time signature and it’s a step lower key—I doubt if the resemblance was intentional—there’s an interesting story concerning the origin of The Cake—groupies make good in “the business”—I like this album and everyone should but it—it’s good—the Spoonful haven’t lost anything—if one can say whether they have lost or gained—I think they’ve gained—you can listen to this album a lot and not get tired of it—listen even more than the new Buffalo Springfield album (it’s as well done and more creative even)—the talking steel guitar sounds like “Theme From a Summer Place” or something. (I just noticed Butler plays the sound of his drums —an idea I really like—not only on this but generally too.)

The Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘Everything Playing’ Album Review

TRY A LITTLE BIT: Blues guitar and oboe (?), well this is good—really good—sounds like some of the slow blues on that great old album, the wham of that Memphis Man Lonnie Mack—a bit like the Fifth Dimension album too (vocally after the second chorus that is)—John Sebastian is a cool bastard—I kind of like him.

CLOSE YOUR EYES: Who’s singing this? It’s pretty nice —sounds a little like Buckley with faster vibrato—the chords modulate upward and wow nice effect—nice echo on voice or whatever makes that underwater sound (aquatic tongue) just before the big break—those nice little dissonant chords signify the middle of the song like beadwork—that’s a nice chord coming out of it—as mellow and sweet as Smokey Robinson—this part of the song resembles the Bee Gee‘s “To Love Somebody”—the way the voice sort of drowns in the volume of the big band giving sort of an anguish-pleasure-night-time feeling—the Fender reverb on the guitar is nice but it could be a drag—this song leaves you hungry for more —it could be their announcement of the next album.