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Do You Believe in Magic (album)

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Do You Believe in Magic
Studio album by
the Lovin' Spoonful
ReleasedOctober 23, 1965 (1965-10-23)
RecordedJune–September 1965
Studio
Genre
Length30:03
LabelKama Sutra
ProducerErik Jacobsen
The Lovin' Spoonful chronology
Do You Believe in Magic
(1965) 		Daydream
(1966)
Singles from Do You Believe in Magic
  1. "Do You Believe in Magic" / "On the Road Again"
    Released: July 20, 1965
  2. "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?"
    Released: April 1966

Do You Believe in Magic is the debut album by the folk rock group the Lovin' Spoonful. It was released in the United States in November 1965, on the Kama Sutra label. Release in the United Kingdom followed in March 1966. The album features the hits "Do You Believe in Magic" (U.S. No. 9) and "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" (U.S. No. 2).

Do You Believe in Magic was re-released on CD in 2002 with five bonus tracks.

Recording and production

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Recording history

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The earliest recordings on Do You Believe in Magic date to June 1965, when the producer Erik Jacobsen fronted a session for the Lovin' Spoonful with his own money at Bell Sound Studios in New York City.[5][6] The band recorded several songs during the session,[7] including "Do You Believe in Magic".[5][6][nb 1] Among those invited to participate were the local folk musician Jerry Yester, who added both piano and backing vocals,[8] the session musician Gary Chester, who played tambourine,[9] and the arranger Alan Lorber, who assisted with the vocal arrangement.[7] Harry Yarmark engineered the session.[7]

Jacobsen and Bob Cavallo, the band's manager, brought an acetate disc of the session to numerous record labels, most of which turned down an opportunity to sign the Spoonful.[10][11] Later in June, the band signed with Koppelman-Rubin, an entertainment company,[12] who signed them to Kama Sutra Records.[13] The label saw no need to re-record "Do You Believe in Magic", and they pressed copies of the June recording to be the band's debut single.[12] It was issued in the U.S. on July 20, 1965,[14][15] backed with "On the Road Again",[6] and it remained on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for thirteen weeks, peaking in October at number nine.[16]

The release of "Do You Believe in Magic" propelled the Spoonful to nationwide fame in the U.S. within weeks.[7] Amid a busy touring schedule, the band were forced to work to a tight deadline to ensure the album was completed as quickly as possible. To ensure expediency, they opted to record several well-rehearsed covers from their typical live set list.[17] The band recorded ten tracks in July and August, mostly at Bell Sound in New York.[6] One additional session took place in August at RCA Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles,[6] where the band were playing at clubs on the Sunset Strip.[18] Sessions for the album concluded with "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?", recorded in September.[6]

Techniques

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Do You Believe in Magic was recorded on two-track recording equipment, which Jacobsen mixed down to mono.[19]

The Spoonful were among the first rock bands to feature the autoharp, a stringed instrument which would feature prominently in the band's sound.[20][nb 2] In the rehearsal room before the band's first session,[23] their leader John Sebastian developed a new technique of amplifying his autoharp,[5][11] which involved affixing a ukulele contact microphone onto its back, when he then plugged into an amplifier.[5][11] To generate more bottom end, the band overdubbed piano underneath,[23] which Sebastian later said "create[d] the effect of a huge autoharp".[7] The intro of "Do You Believe in Magic" features minor seventh chords, notes normally unplayable with standard autoharp tuning, so Sebastian retuned the instrument for that section.[7]

On "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?", Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky simultaneously finger-picked on their guitars to evoke the sound of a piano.[24]

Songs

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The Spoonful often sought to avoid being typecast by their sound,[25] and Sebastian suggested at the time of its release that the album showcased how "we make a lot of different sounds, so that no one specific sound could really be characterized as what we 'sound like.'"[26] The various artists covered on the album are the Jim Kweskin Jug Band ("My Gal" and "Wild About My Lovin'"), the folk musician Fred Neil ("The Other Side of This Life"), the folk group the Holy Modal Rounders ("Blues in the Bottle"), the blues musician Henry Thomas ("Fishin' Blues") and the girl group the Ronettes ("You Baby").[27] Sebastian later said that the Kweskin Jug Band was particularly influential on the band, and that the Spoonful "redid several of their tunes with only a minimal electric difference".[28][nb 3]

Sebastian wrote all five of the album's original compositions.[6] Some of his songs were heavily indebted to the jug band style, such as "On the Road" again, which derived from a song by the Memphis Jug Band,[6] and "Younger Girl", which reworked the melody of the 1930 song "Prison Wall Blues" by Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers.[30] Sebastian also named his friend and fellow folk musician Fred Neil as influential on his songwriting, particularly Neil's "effortless" style, in which a lyric "sound[s] like it just fell out of your mouth, like you hadn't really labored over it".[28]

Pointing to the success of the Beatles and the Byrds, the Spoonful's label encouraged the band to trade lead vocal responsibilities;[31] Sebastian sang lead on most songs, but the drummer Joe Butler also sang twice ("You Baby" and "The Other Side of This Life") as did Yanovsky ("Blues in the Bottle", "On the Road Again" and an unreleased track, "Alley Oop").[6] The album closed on an instrumental number, "Night Owl Blues", the title of which referenced a club in Greenwich Village, New York City, where the Spoonful developed their sound in early 1965.[6][32]

Release and reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [33]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)A−[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[34]
MusicHound Rock3.5/5[35]

Do You Believe in Magic first went on sale on October 23, 1965, when the Spoonful held an autograph session in Pleasant Hill, California.[36] Kama Sutra Records issued the album across the United States in November.[6] In conjunction with the release of the album, the label issued the non-album single "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice".[37][nb 4] The album entered Billboard's Top LPs chart on December 4, 1965,[16] and it initially ran on the chart for 19 weeks, peaking in February 1966 at number 71.[39] Pye International Records issued the album in the United Kingdom in March 1966,[40] but it did not chart.[41]

In April 1966,[42] after the album fell off the U.S. charts,[43] Kama Sutra issued another single from it, "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?"[42][nb 5] The single peaked in June at number two on Billboard's chart,[16] and Do You Believe in Magic re-entered the Top LPs chart that month.[45] The album spent 16 more weeks on the chart, reaching a new peak in August at number 32.[16]

In a review for The Village Voice, the critic J. R. Goddard wrote that though the Lovin' Spoonful was made up of talented musicians, the album was "so dull and poorly engineered".[46] Writing in retrospect for AllMusic, the critic William Ruhlmann wrote, "The album elaborated upon Sebastian's gentle, winning songwriting style... The album also revealed the group's jug band roots in its arrangements of traditional songs... The Spoonful would be remembered as a vehicle for Sebastian's songwriting, but Do You Believe in Magic was a well-rounded collection that demonstrated their effectiveness as a group."[33]

Track listing

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All tracks are written and sung by John Sebastian, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Do You Believe in Magic"  2:04
2."Blues in the Bottle"Traditional, adapt. and arr. by the Lovin' Spoonful, Peter Stampfel and Steve WeberZal Yanovsky2:10
3."Sportin' Life"Traditional, adapt. and arr. by the Lovin' Spoonful 4:03
4."My Gal"Traditional, adapt. and arr. by the Lovin' Spoonful, Jim Kweskin and Erik Jacobsen 2:30
5."You Baby"Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Phil SpectorJoe Butler2:55
6."Fishin' Blues"Traditional, adapt. and arr. by Sebastian 1:58
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?"  2:00
2."Wild About My Lovin'"Traditional, adapt. and arr. by Sebastian 2:38
3."The Other Side of This Life"Fred NeilButler2:30
4."Younger Girl"  2:23
5."On the Road Again" Yanovsky1:52
6."Night Owl Blues" Instrumental3:00

Note

  • Track lengths are per the original LP liner notes. Lead vocal and songwriting credits are from the 2002 CD remaster.[6]

Charts

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Weekly chart performance
Chart (1965–66) Peak
position
US Billboard Top LPs[47] 32
US Cash Box Top 100 Albums[48] 71
US Record World 100 Top LPs[49] 67

Notes

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  1. ^ Which other songs were recorded is disputed.[5][6] Boone and the journalist Ben Edmonds each write it was "Wild About My Lovin'" and an electric arrangement "Younger Girl",[5][6] but Jacobsen suggested it only included "On the Road Again".[5]
  2. ^ Though a stringed instrument, the autoharp includes buttons which, when depressed, produce preset combinations of chords, leaving it typically used as rhythm instrument.[21] It was mostly associated with folk music,[22] but few folk-rock or rock acts had employed it.[11]
  3. ^ Kweskin's 1963 debut album included "My Gal" and "Wild About My Loving",[29] and the original liner notes of Do You Believe in Magic credited Kweskin in part for the arrangement of "My Gal".[6]
  4. ^ "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" was later included on the Lovin' Spoonful's second album, Daydream, issued in February 1966.[38]
  5. ^ Before the single's U.S. release in April 1966,[42] Quality Records issued it in December 1965 in select Canadian cities to test its potential performance in the American market.[44]

References

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  1. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (March 29, 2013). "The Lovin' Spoonful". MSN Music. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  2. ^ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1965". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. p. 70. ISBN 9781493064601.
  3. ^ Billboard review panel (November 20, 1965). "Album Reviews". Billboard. p. 68.
  4. ^ Gleason, Ralph J. (December 12, 1965). "Rhythm: Beatle Love Songs – Other Popular LPs". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com. [The album] is another example of the potential of contemporary rock.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Boone & Moss 2014, p. 63.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Edmonds 2002.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Eskow, Gary (August 1, 2008). "Classic Tracks: The Lovin' Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic"". Mix. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022.
  8. ^ Boone & Moss 2014, pp. 39, 64.
  9. ^ Bosso, Joe (June 7, 2021). "John Sebastian: My Career in Five Songs". Guitar Player. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. The recording came together quickly. It didn't hurt that [session drummer] Gary Chester, who happened to be in the building, played tambourine on the track. He kept us from speeding up.
  10. ^ Boone & Moss 2014, p. 64.
  11. ^ a b c d Unterberger 2002, p. 173.
  12. ^ a b Boone & Moss 2014, p. 71.
  13. ^ Helander 1999, p. 237.
  14. ^ Jackson 2015, p. xvii.
  15. ^ Barone 2022, p. 200.
  16. ^ a b c d "The Lovin' Spoonful Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  17. ^ Boone & Moss 2014, pp. 87–89.
  18. ^ Boone & Moss 2014, pp. 81–84.
  19. ^ Shiner, Lewis. "Erik Jacobsen Interview". Fiction Liberation Front. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  20. ^ Unterberger 2002, p. 174.
  21. ^ Everett 2009, p. 45.
  22. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Do You Believe in Magic? – The Lovin' Spoonful". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Shiner, Lewis. "John Sebastian Interview". Fiction Liberation Front. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  24. ^ Boone & Moss 2014, p. 88.
  25. ^ Boone & Moss 2014, p. 149.
  26. ^ Eden (January 15, 1966). "Spoonful of Lovin' Words". KRLA Beat. p. 16.
  27. ^ Boone & Moss 2014, pp. 87–88.
  28. ^ a b Unterberger 2002, p. 175.
  29. ^ Lankford, Ronnie D. Jr. "Unblushing Brassiness". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  30. ^ Jackson 2015, p. 136.
  31. ^ Boone & Moss 2014, p. 78.
  32. ^ Boone & Moss 2014, pp. 54–59, 88.
  33. ^ a b Ruhlman, William. "Do You Believe in Magic > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  34. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ Anon. (October 22, 1965). "Autorama Begins Today at Store". Contra Costa Times. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com. The Lovin' Spoonful ... will be at the Autorama ... on Saturday [October 23] to sign autographs. Their first L.P. album, 'Do You Believe in Magic' will be on sale for the first time at the Autorama.
  37. ^ Jackson 2015, p. xx.
  38. ^ Diken, Dennis (2002). Daydream (Liner notes). The Lovin' Spoonful. Buddha, BMG Heritage, RCA, Kama Sutra. 74465 99731 2.
  39. ^
    • "Billboard Top LP's". Billboard. April 9, 1966. p. 40.
    • "Billboard Top LP's". Billboard. February 19, 1966. p. 31.
  40. ^ Anon. (April 30, 1966). "News Extra: Spoonful LP". Melody Maker. p. 15.
  41. ^ "Lovin' Spoonful". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  42. ^ a b c Savage 2015, p. 556.
  43. ^ "Billboard Top LP's". Billboard. April 9, 1966. p. 40.
  44. ^
  45. ^ "Billboard Top LP's". Billboard. June 11, 1966. p. 42.
  46. ^ Goddard, J. R. (November 25, 1965). "Records: One Spoonful's Enough". The Village Voice. pp. 7, 15 – via Google Books.
  47. ^ "The Lovin' Spoonful Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  48. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Albums". Cash Box. July 9, 1966. p. 45.
  49. ^ "100 Top LP's". Record World. July 16, 1966. p. 18.

Sources

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