Review Summary: Before band leader John Sebastian's departure, The Lovin' Spoonful manage to release a consistent and mature album.
The year is 1968, and the hype around The Lovin' Spoonful was beginning to fade. After the release of "You're a Big Boy Now" in May 1967, guitarist Zal Yanovsky departed from the band. He and bassist Steve Boone were arrested for possession of marijuana around the same time. The Canadian guitarist was then threatened to be deported to his homeland. Charges were then dropped after the two turned in their dealer. This incident created a lot of negative publicity for the band and played a big part in the band's inevitable downfall. Yanovsky was replaced with Jerry Yester, guitarist of the Modern Folk Quartet. All of these changes were going to affect The Lovin' Spoonful's sound considerably. But, was it for the better or for the worse?
The Lovin' Spoonful were never know for their albums. They were known for their hit singles, such as "Do You Believe in Magic?", "Daydream" and "Summer In The City". What makes it so difficult to listen to their records ("Daydream" being the exception) is that they're so wildly inconsistent. The singles are usually guaranteed to be good – or great even – but the album tracks tend to be lazily written fillers. Band leader John Sebastian grew into his role as the main songwriter and managed to write some fantastic songs. So, what stopped the albums from being consistent? Was it the record label who pushed them to focus on the hits? Or was it just a simple matter of not being good enough? Now, I'm absolutely certain that Sebastian is capable of writing a consistent album; there's no question. The question is, however, if he felt that the rest of the band were holding him back. That would explain him leaving the band after the release of "Everything Playing", the last "real" The Lovin' Spoonful album. It could actually be described as their swan song. Because, in the end, John Sebastian was The Lovin' Spoonful. He was the foundation in the band. And looking at the circumstances during the recording of the album, it'd seem like they were setting themselves up for a massive failure. Surprisingly, "Everything Playing" is better than expected.
"Everything Playing" starts out strong. Album opener "She Is Still A Mystery" is one of their best songs, and Sebastian shows that he's still a songwriting genius. It's still different from the music we've come to know from The Lovin' Spoonful, which definitely feels like a breath of fresh air. The band has moved on from folk blues to pop. Even Sebastian himself has evolved. His vocal performances are better than ever and sound a lot more aggressive than before; on previous albums it would sound out of place, but on this one, it works. He has also matured in his songwriting, bringing poetic lyrics about finally growing old. The song "Boredom" explains the concept of not fitting in and is, again, one of their best songs. It leans a bit more to country pop but it still feels fresh. The melody is simple, albeit a perfect match for the song as expected from Sebastian. Lyrically, it's of a much higher quality than before:
So here we are together, machines and me
I feel about as local as a fish in a tree, and this
Boredom
My mind's countin' time, trucks go rollin' by
Past the pumps and highway signs
And in this town all the other sounds have ceased
And the Late Late Show died long ago
With a few words from a priest
Boredom
Hangin' by myself in a bleak motel
Overnight in a small town
"Everything Playing" is The Lovin' Spoonful's most consistent album. It doesn't suffer from the same identity crisis as "Hums of The Lovin' Spoonful", where the band tried to cram every single genre they could find into the album. It actually sounds like it had some genuine thought put into. There's a clear direction in the sound from beginning to end; the absence of unnecessary fillers is a welcome addition, as well. Although, the album isn't entirely free from flaws. "Priscilla Millionaira", the second track of the album, features bassist Steve Boone on vocals. Boone's performance is mediocre and makes the song one of the few weak ones on the album. While the song itself isn't particularly bad, putting Boone at the microphone was a huge mistake. John Sebastian is the better singer by far and probably would've saved the song. It has a catchy melody, but nothing more than that. Hit single "Six O'Clock" claims the prize as one of the band's best songs, just like "She Is Still A Mystery" and "Boredom" before it. Sebastian delivers his best vocal performance yet with his new, more aggressive singing style. It fits the song perfectly and enhances the well-written number even further. While not as good lyrically as "Boredom", it has a very strong melody; it's no wonder that it made the Top 40.
The fact that the album doesn't have any fillers still stands. But, it still has a couple of weak songs; "Forever" being the weakest of the bunch. It's an instrumental written by Steve Boone that fails just like The Lovin' Spoonful's two soundtrack albums ("What's Up, Tiger Lily" and "You're a Big Boy Now"). What makes this one even worse is that it's 4 minutes and 21 seconds long – much longer than any of the songs on the previously mentioned albums. The song is a chore to listen and is very skippable. "Only Pretty, What A Pity" is another weak track, written by guitarist Jerry Yester and drummer Joe Butler. It's not very easy to listen with its redundant vocal effects near the end, and is made even worse due to the fact that it's not a very good song. Album closer "Close Your Eyes" was written by Sebastian and Yester. To me, it has a pretentious feel to it and takes itself a bit too serious. This is shown in the generic lyrics that try to force you into thinking that the words are meaningful. It's a shame that an album that starts out so strong has to end with one of the worst songs they've ever made.
In the end, "Everything Playing" could've been much more than it is. Had John Sebastian been the only singer and songwriter on the album, there's a good chance that it would've. This album could very well be the reason to why Sebastian decided to leave the band shortly after its release. The Lovin' Spoonful's swan song isn't perfect. But it's a consistent one. And that's a big achievement for the band.
Recommended tracks:
"She Is Still A Mystery"
"Boredom"
"Six O'Clock"
"Younger Generation"
"Money"
