''Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful'' is the third studio album and fourth overall by American

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

band the Lovin' Spoonful, released in 1966 by

Kama Sutra Records Kama Sutra Records was started in 1964 by Arthur "Artie" Ripp, Hy Mizrahi and Phil Steinberg as Kama Sutra Productions, a production house. The "Kama Sutra" is an ancient Sanskrit text.Alan Betrock ''Girl groups: the story of a sound'' 1982 p.1 ...

. It peaked at No. 14 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Pop Albums chart.

Background

''Hums'' was a deliberate attempt by the band to record in a variety of styles. They composed and played in the pop, country, jug-band, blues and folk styles. It would ultimately be the last full project by the original lineup. It was recorded in New York with the exception of "Lovin' You' which was recorded in Los Angeles.''Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful'' re-issue liner notes by Dennis Diken, January 2003. The album managed to spawn four charting singles for the band, including the No. 1 hit " Summer in the City". "Rain on the Roof", "Nashville Cats", and "Full Measure" also appeared on the Pop charts, all but the last making it to the Top 10. Bobby Darin had a Top 40 hit with a cover version of "Lovin' You".

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

and June Carter Cash later covered "Darlin' Companion" in 1969 on ''

Johnny Cash at San Quentin ''Johnny Cash at San Quentin'' is the 31st overall album and second live album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, recorded live at San Quentin State Prison on February 24, 1969, and released on June 16 of that same year. The concert was fi ...

''. Principal songwriter John Sebastian said of "Nashville Cats" — which made No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 — "We thought our version would cross over to the country market. It never did. So we're always kind, gee, well I guess that tells us what we are and what we aren't."

Flatt & Scruggs Flatt and Scruggs were an American bluegrass music, bluegrass duo. Singer and guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs, both of whom had been members of Bill Monroe's band, the Bluegrass Boys, from 1945 to 1948, formed the duo in 1948 ...

took "Nashville Cats" to No. 54 on the country charts as a single.

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

covered "Lovin' You" for her 1977 album '' Here You Come Again.'' ''Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful'' was re-released in 2003 on the Sundazed label with bonus tracks consisting of four demos, instrumental tracks, and alternate versions/mixes of songs from the album, along with extensive liner notes. It was also released on CD along with ''Do You Believe in Magic?'' in 1995. Allmusic entry for ''Do You Believe in Magic'' and ''Hums'' re-release./ref>

Reception

William Ruhlman of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote of the album: "An emphasis on the parts of the album is a way of describing it as more a loose collection of disparate tracks than a unified effort, despite Sebastian's hand in all the compositions and his lead vocals on most of them. This was by necessity, but also by design, since Sebastian and co. went into the studio trying to sound completely different each time. They often succeeded..." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said of the single "Rain on the Roof" that it got "away from the raunchy 'Summer In The City' sound and back to their soft-rock stylings," and that they expected it to be successful.

Track listing

All songs written by John Sebastian except where otherwise noted. Side one #"Lovin' You" – 2:25 #"Bes' Friends" – 1:52 #"Voodoo in My Basement" – 2:35 #"Darlin' Companion" – 2:22 #"Henry Thomas" – 1:40 #"Full Measure" (Steve Boone, J. Sebastian) – 2:40 Side two #"Rain on the Roof" – 2:13 #"Coconut Grove" (J. Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky) – 2:38 #"Nashville Cats" – 2:34 #"4 Eyes" – 2:53 #" Summer in the City" (J. Sebastian, Mark Sebastian, Boone) – 2:39 2003 Reissue bonus tracks #

"Darlin' Companion (Solo Demo)" – 2:20 #"Rain on the Roof (Instrumental)" – 2:17 #"4 Eyes (Alternate Vocal/Extended Version)" – 3:38 #"Full Measure (Instrumental)" (Boone, J. Sebastian) – 2:41 #"Voodoo in My Basement (Instrumental)" – 2:40 #"Darlin' Companion (Alternate Vocal/Alternate Mix)" – 2:25

Personnel

* John Sebastian – lead (1, 2, 4, 5, 7-12, 14, 17) and backing vocals, guitar,

twelve-string guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

autoharp An autoharp or chord zither is a string instrument belonging to the zither family. It uses a series of bars individually configured to mute all strings other than those needed for the intended chord. The term ''autoharp'' was once a trademark of ...

, piano, organ, harmonium (2),

ocarina The ocarina is a wind musical instrument; it is a type of vessel flute. Variations exist, but a typical ocarina is an enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body. It is traditionally made from c ...

(5),

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a Console steel guitar, console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all s ...

(4, 7, 8, 13, 17), Irish harp * Zal Yanovsky – electric and acoustic guitars, backing and lead (3) vocals,

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

(2, 5),

slide whistle A slide whistle (variously known as a swanee or swannee whistle, lotos flute piston flute, or jazz flute) is a wind instrument consisting of a fipple like a recorder's and a tube with a piston in it. Thus it has an air reed like some woodwinds ...

(5) * Steve Boone – electric bass, double bass, piano, organ, percussion *

Joe Butler Joseph Campbell Butler (born September 16, 1941) is an American drummer and stage actor. He was a founding member of The Lovin' Spoonful, who had seven top 10 hits between 1965 and 1966. Early life Joe Butler was born on September 16, 1941, ...

– drums, backing and lead (6) vocals, percussion * Henry Diltz –

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

(2) *

Artie Schroeck Arthur Bruce Schroeck (born October 10, 1938) is an American musician, best known for arranging and composing popular songs and jingles. He has won multiple Clio Awards, such as when he composed the music for the 1981 ABC-TV promo "Now is the ...

–

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument which produces sounds when a performer presses the keys of a piano-style musical keyboard. Pressing keys causes mechanical hammers to strike metal strings, metal reeds or wire tines, leading to vibrations ...

(11) *Larry Hankin –

Jew's harp Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

(5)

Production

*Erik Jacobsen – producer *

Roy Halee Roy Decker Halee (born 1934) is an American record producer and engineer, best known for working with Simon & Garfunkel, both as a group and for their solo projects. Early life He grew up on Long Island, New York. His father, also named Roy ...

– engineer *Henry Diltz - photography

Charts and certifications

References

Sources

External links

The Lovin' Spoonful at Classicbands.com

Lovin' Spoonful Official Website
{{Authority control The Lovin' Spoonful albums 1966 albums Kama Sutra Records albums Albums produced by Erik Jacobsen