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The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful
Greatest hits album by the Lovin' Spoonful
Released	March 1967
Recorded	June 1965 – March 1966
Genre	Folk rock
Length	29:10
Label	Kama Sutra
Producer	Erik Jacobsen
The Lovin' Spoonful chronology
Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful (1966) The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful (1967) You're a Big Boy Now (1967)

The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful is a 1967 compilation album by the Lovin' Spoonful featuring hits and other tracks from their first three albums. It charted the highest of the group's career, hitting number three on the Billboard Top LPs chart.

The album also included 9" x 12" individual color photos ("Suitable for framing", as labeled) of John Sebastian, Joe Butler, Steve Boone, and Zal Yanovsky.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
MusicHound Rock	3.5/5

In his Allmusic review, music critic William Ruhlman wrote "this compilation is an attempt to balance group concerns rather than present their most successful performances. Nevertheless, it picks the strongest material from the group's three previous albums..."

Track listing

All songs written by John Sebastian, except where noted.

Side one

1. "Do You Believe in Magic" – 2:04
2. "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" – 2:00
3. "Butchie's Tune" (Steve Boone) – 2:34
4. "Jug Band Music" – 2:49
5. "Night Owl Blues" (J. Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky, Boone, Joe Butler) – 3:00
6. "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" (J. Sebastian, Boone) – 2:29

Side 2

1. "Daydream" – 2:18
2. "Blues in the Bottle" (traditional, adapt. and arr. by the Lovin' Spoonful, Steve Weber, Peter Stampfel) – 2:10
3. "Didn't Want to Have to Do It" – 2:06
4. "Wild About My Lovin'" (traditional, adapt. and arr. by J. Sebastian) – 2:38
5. "Younger Girl" – 2:23
6. "Summer in the City" (J. Sebastian, Mark Sebastian, Boone) – 2:39

Charts

Certifications

References

1. ^ Ruhlman, William. "The Best of The Lovin' Spoonful > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
2. • Edmonds, Ben (2002). Do You Believe in Magic (Liner notes). The Lovin' Spoonful. Buddha Records, Kama Sutra Records. 74465 99730 2.
   • Diken, Dennis (2002). Daydream (Liner notes). The Lovin' Spoonful. Buddha, BMG Heritage. 74465 99731 2.
   • Richards, Sam (September 2021). Bonner, Michael (ed.). "The Making of ... Summer in the City by The Lovin' Spoonful". UNCUT. No. 292. pp. 92–94.
3. Nelson, Paul (1980). "Folk Rock". In Miller, Jim (ed.). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll (Revised and Updated ed.). New York City: Random House. pp. 231–234. ISBN 0-394-73938-8 – via the Internet Archive.
4. 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.
5. "RPM 25 Top LPs". RPM. May 13, 1967. p. 5.
6. "The Lovin' Spoonful Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
7. "Top 100 Albums". Cash Box. May 20, 1967. p. 49.
8. "Top 100 LP's". Record World. May 20, 1967. p. 60.
9. "Top Records of 1967 (Based on Billboard Charts)". Billboard. December 30, 1967. p. 42.
10. "Best Albums of 1967". Cash Box. December 23, 1967. p. 24.
11. "American album certifications – Lovin' Spoonful – The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful". Recording Industry Association of America.

• The Lovin' Spoonful albums
• Kama Sutra Records compilation albums
• 1967 greatest hits albums