# Talk:The Lovin' Spoonful

Growing up in the New York City area at the time, the group's name may have been a double entendre to some, but those references would be hard to detect in the lyrics or public behavior of the Lovin' Spoonful musicians.  This made it easier to obtain parental permission to see them perform live in the Village than to see other musical acts in the same years with names suggesting psychedelic experience.  This was smart marketing.  I do hope the group's entry in Wikipedia is expanded, and might answer, for example, why Buddha Records/Kama Sutra had such perfectly abyssmal studio sound recording and production for such a capable group of musicians?  The CD sound quality is no better than the vinyl - and that sounded muddy, at best.  Surely their musical contemporaries noticed and said something?    Crusaderrabbits (talk) 20:33, 20 January 2008 (UTC)   

So true... you can listen to the great album Hums of... and hear distortion all over the place. I read somewhere that a lot of their master tapes were lost too.Airproofing (talk) 15:27, 16 July 2008 (UTC)

I was listening to Dr. Demento, I have recorded a show where he covered a number of songs 
written about coffee and had commented about the son Missippi John Hurt song that he played
where John repeats "By the Loovin Spoo-onnfu".  I moved the reference toward the top so 
people would know the origins of the band name..

All of my dears friends and fans of Lovin Spoonful, are you forgot the great solo named "Lonely"? This music is the reason of my interest to play harmonica a long time a go.

Oh, yes!  Another excellent song!  The main article should be edited so that a complete chronology of all of the Lovin' Spoonful's songs (and not just their albums) are accurately described here.

Way back in high school, in history of music class, I'd swear we learned that Lovin' Spoonful was a reference to the amount of ejaculate from an average male orgasm.
I couldn't find this exact info on a quick net search, but from the Story about The Lovin' Spoonful page[1] I found the following: "The name Lovin' Spoonful' came from a line in Mississippi John Hurt's song 'Coffee Blues' and had a sexual reference rather than a drug connection, as many believed at the time."
While not definitive, it does lend support to the theory...
65.101.19.199 23:40, 7 December 2005 (UTC)Thanks, Janman

This is covered in the reference book The Encyclopedia of the Blues so I will add it. "Spoonful" in blues has been interpreted with both sex and drug overtones though the Hurt version was more oriented towards sex. TheBlinkster (talk) 16:41, 30 May 2015 (UTC)

Can't help, I think "Summer in the City" is by the Spencer Davis Group?

They may have done a live version of it, but "(Hot Town) Summer in the City" is definitely Lovin' Spoonful material.  The bluesy riffs, on the other hand, that Spencer Davis Group is famous for, might have given birth to a highly similar song but without more information, it's hard to speculate which one it might be.  It probably wouldn't have the mix with traffic noise and honking that the Lovin' Spoonful version has.

The main article could be improved if the discography were edited to list the songs that came out on A-sides or B-sides of 45s, and which came out in LPs or albums.
On the other hand, some record companies released so many combinations of songs on 45s, it might be unnecessarily laborious having to type that much information in.  Is this the case for the Lovin' Spoonful?

Seems inaccurate. Is it the same song? Anchoress 05:45, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags Nhl4hamilton (talk) 06:03, 3 February 2008 (UTC)
Can someone get a picture of them in their heyday please? It would be better than another tired comeback tour...--MacRusgail (talk) 22:54, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

The song "Money" as recorded by the Lovin' Spoonful does not feature typewriter percussion.  Rather, it is an entirely different song entitled "Money" by Pink Floyd that contains the sound of a typewriter.````  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sandybeach2 (talk • contribs) 17:32, 3 June 2009 (UTC) 

You may be in error. I am not familiar with the tune by the Lovin' Spoonful, but Roger Waters describes in some detail how the sounds were derived for their song Money - from the Eagle Rock DVD release on the DSOTM album, a part of their Classic Album series. It does not include a typewriter. The sound you are referencing is the cash register sound he used along with the sound of tearing a piece of paper and throwing coins into a large mixing bowl his then wife used for her pottery work.THX1136 (talk) 16:10, 20 October 2014 (UTC)

This article contains the undocumented claim, "They even had a crossover hit, as "Nashville Cats", a number eight pop hit, reached the country charts." But the article about the album Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful contains the following quote from John Sebastian stating that it was not:

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 took "Nashville Cats" to No. 54 on the country charts as a single.
That quotation is attributed to the liner notes of the album's 2003 re-release, while the contradictory claim in this article is unsubstantiated. Therefore I am deleting the sentence from this article which claims that the song was a crossover hit for The Lovin' Spoonful.--Jim10701 (talk) 15:30, 2 June 2010 (UTC)

I am surprised that no one has included something on the controversy in 1966± where the bandmembers were naively put in the position of acting as narcs.  It was a really big deal at the time, and the band got a bad rap over it.  If I ever get around to it, I will include something. Shocking Blue (talk) 20:20, 16 February 2011 (UTC)

Fine, but be 100% certain you also add a reliable reference if you do place any text about such a thing, else, sadly, true or not, your work there would be necessarily reverted, per WP:MOS. I recall some such rumor about Gregg Allman from my older friends in 1973. SIGH. People will always be people, no matter how talented or high profile. --Leahtwosaints (talk) 20:05, 7 May 2011 (UTC)
I think it was actually Cher who narced on Gregg Allman actually – ostenibly to help him get off drugs. I don't know enough about that one to really say though. Shocking Blue (talk) 13:57, 16 September 2011 (UTC)
Now a reference showing that about Gregg Allman would certainly be interesting. Do share on his biography if you find a solid reference! I was for a time lead editor on the Derek Trucks article, which, at times, bled into other musicians' bios, though lately, I keep getting distracted cleaning up after other editors. The biggest reason I dislike handling controversial info here, since, all it would take for a pissed off musician with a good lawyer and giant balance in the bank, would be to sue the Wikipedia for libel and much worse. A solid reminder needs to be sent to all editors who think is OK to enter any text, especially based on hearsay or less violating WP:OR without citing such text (esp. those who are biographies of living persons) !! All or a substantial amount of what we've worked so hard to create here (assuming we all have the same goal of providing a free online encyclopedia) could be lost in one fell swoop. Keeps my butt in line as much as I'm aware now. It's why I prefer that all editors register. It protects them better than an IP address would, less vandalism when they are identifiable, and makes it easier to see if we are all on the same page. (No pun intended! Well, maybe). Giggle. --Leahtwosaints (talk) 14:27, 8 December 2011 (UTC)
Moe Bishop on Vice.com has done a good job of exploring this controversy, with references.  The Ralph Gleason article already referenced in the Wiki article is the main source.  I have been reading about this in rock books since the 1970s and the Ralph Gleason article is always the main source and most reliable.  I added a little more and cited the Moe Bishop source.  I don't think it's going to be a problem at this point since this is ancient history and Yanovsky is dead for years so no BLP issue. TheBlinkster (talk) 16:23, 30 May 2015 (UTC)

Needs a separate discography article, as this is just a long list of his work on the page. --Leahtwosaints (talk) 14:55, 8 December 2011 (UTC)

by folks such as myself that Gary Chester played on at least Do You Believe In Magic (song), thus making this sentence

"The Lovin' Spoonful played all the instruments on their records, with the exceptions of the orchestral instruments heard on their soundtrack album You're a Big Boy Now and some later singles."
null and void. Einar aka Carptrash (talk) 02:24, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

If you have a suitable reliable source to cite that information, please feel free to do the edit. If there is no reliable source to cite a "citation needed" tag would be more appropriate. Thanks!THX1136 (talk) 16:22, 20 October 2014 (UTC)
This is a fact widely known by drummer historians but here is one source, [[2]], but do a google search and get a dozen more if you don't like this one. Carptrash (talk) 18:03, 20 October 2014 (UTC)
My point was to encourage you to do the edit to the article to include this information if you feel it is worthy. No worries either way (I have no vested interest in the article other than that it be accurate and complete). Thanks for your input!THX1136 (talk) 15:20, 21 October 2014 (UTC)
Sorry for missing your point.  I need very little encouragement.  I took that sentence out months ago. Carptrash (talk) 15:25, 21 October 2014 (UTC)

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Countless 'cultural' uses of the term 'Lovin' Spoonful' have ensued since the rock band used the name.  How many food rescue organizations and restaurants have been called 'Lovin' Spoonful'? MaynardClark (talk) 21:56, 23 August 2020 (UTC)

So, is the band officially "The Lovin' Spoonful", "the Lovin' Spoonful", or just the "Lovin' Spoonful"? Someone just went through Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind? and changed all the references to the band to "the Lovin' Spoonful", which seems like the least likely candidate. From album covers I can find, "The Lovin' Spoonful" seems correct. Brianyoumans (talk) 00:29, 17 February 2022 (UTC)

MOS:THEMUSIC. Tkbrett (✉) 00:59, 17 February 2022 (UTC)

How can I or somebody correct the spelling of a name on the lovin' spoonful wiki page?
Under past members: David Jayco should be David Jayko
Thank you, Roxane
Rclbuss (talk) 19:38, 19 September 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Rclbuss. Every online source I can find says "Jayco". Where is your evidence for the other spelling. Cullen328 (talk) 19:46, 19 September 2022 (UTC)
I am 60 years old and I've known Dave since I was 14. The only presence he has on the Internet is Facebook under Dave Jayko and it shows him as a keyboardist. Dave is 61 in December he'll be 62 years old. Rclbuss (talk) 20:03, 19 September 2022 (UTC)

I am on the lookout for a review of the Lovin' Spoonful's June 7–8, 1965, appearance at Club 47 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was written by a seventeen-year-old Paul Williams, who went on to found Crawdaddy! magazine in February 1966. In a 2002 book (p. 120) collecting Crawdaddy pieces, Williams says that, "[In 1965, Larry] McCombs got me started as a music writer by publishing (in his magazine Folkin' Around) my reviews of the Lovin' Spoonful at Club 47 ..."
In his 2002 book, Turn! Turn! Turn!, Richie Unterberger interviewed Williams, who reflected on the Spoonful's Club 47 appearance (pp. 163–164), but there are no quotations from the original '65 review. Looking at WorldCat, Folkin' Around does not seem to have been digitized by any universities. A listing at Bowling Green State University indicates that the magazine had only seven issues as Folkin' Around (January to August 1965), and that by its eighth issue in October 1965 it was re-titled Sounds. Tkbrett (✉) 16:07, 5 December 2023 (UTC)

is Joe Butler still touring with the Spoonful? It said he retired from the band in the touring members section. Their is no source though. PrincessJoey2024 (talk) 21:43, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

Maybe? Unless John Sebastian shows up, the touring iteration receives no coverage from reliable sources, so there is nothing to go off of. I see that Joe Butler's daughter, Yancy, wrote on Twitter that her dad "wasn't touring/working with The Lovin' Spoonful" in March 2023. I have no idea if he is back to playing with them though. Tkbrett (✉) 12:47, 16 March 2024 (UTC)
I havent seen Butler touring with them in any recent YouTube videos. I saw one video from 2023. It wasent a cover band because it had Steve Boone playing Bass with them. I also saw on the bands website that their is a picture of their current line up. Butler is nowhere in site. I can see Boone in it however. The latest I can find of him working with the band is the performance from Leap day of 2020 where John Sebastian did show up.  PrincessJoey2024 (talk) 01:03, 22 March 2024 (UTC)
Thanks, PrincessJoey2024, I had no idea the touring iteration had their own website. Without any sort of announcement though, it feels a bit like original research to say he is retired though. Tkbrett (✉) 01:23, 22 March 2024 (UTC)
Yeah it does, and your welcome. Lets keep him in the members section until a reliable third party source reports if Butler is retired or not. I have been trying to find a source for Butlers retirement or not, I have also been trying to find sources for Butlers own page and I cant find much.  Joey (talk) 01:28, 22 March 2024 (UTC)
This article published in 27 East on June 27, 2023, indicates that "When The Lovin' Spoonful come to WHBPAC next week, Boone will be playing with three new band members, all of whom are based in Los Angeles and have worked and recorded with many other artists" (my emphasis). Also, the touring band's website lists Boone and four other guys, none of whom are Butler. Combined with Yancy's tweet, It expect this means that Butler has not played with the touring band since 2020. Tkbrett (✉) 13:17, 22 May 2024 (UTC)
So Butler is retired then Joey (talk) 15:06, 22 May 2024 (UTC)
Further confirmation from a September 2024 article on PennLIVE: "Today, the band tours with founding member, Steve Boone, and Jeff Alan Ross, Bill Cinque, Rob Bonfiglio and Mike Auturi." Tkbrett (✉) 17:18, 25 September 2024 (UTC)