Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful 1966 Album

The Lovin' Spoonful

The first couple of Lovin' Spoonful albums were a bit subdued compared to this, their third record, which was a deliberate attempt to make something in a multitude of styles. Running less than 27 minutes over a scant 11 tracks, there would seem to be not much room to achieve this goal, but the group achieves it quite easily - almost too easily. The only drawback is the usual one - the content is never very substantial, just direct, simple, and well executed. The second side is nearly immaculate, ranging from moody jazz-inflected ballads ("Coconut Grove") to a great tongue-in-cheek take on country ("Nashville Cats") to a defining era pop song ("Summer in the City").