The Lovin' Spoonful with John Sebastian - Do You Believe in Magic [DVD]

The interviews were great, thankfully NOT overwhelming. Most of their greatest hits are included! Musical groups & songs were incredibly great in the '60s, a fantastic addition to a music videos collection, Loving Spoonful fans!

There are certain songs whose opening chords will always draw me in so completely that I have no way to express what I'm feeling. It doesn't matter that I've heard the song countless times. It doesn't matter that the song may mean something different to me now from what it did when I was younger. I made the soul connection to the song long ago. Such is the case with "Do You Believe In Magic," the first of 10 songs the Lovin' Spoonful took into the Top 30 between September 1965 and November 1967.Perhaps not surprisingly, it is also the main title of a new DVD that is a fond look back at the band, its songs, and a time in popular music when it seemed that, virtually every day, listeners were treated to an exciting new sound. There was such a wealth of great songwriting, talented musicians, memorable singers, and innovative production techniques back then. The Lovin' Spoonful, or "the Spoons" as my friends and I usually called them, embodied all those qualities. The four original members -- John Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky, Joe Butler and Steve Boone -- and later, Jerry Yester, wrote, sang and played their own music. And that music, while drawing from the blues, country, jug band, folk, Chuck Berry, and Motown, remains unique in its sound and substance. It also remains some of the best of what Top 40 radio offered in the mid-1960s.This DVD, which clocks in at a little over an hour, is not a typical music documentary. It doesn't feature an overly serious narrator taking you from point A to point B to point C in the band's evolution. It doesn't go into the reasons for personnel changes or the band's eventual breakup. At the center of this presentation are vintage performance clips taken mostly from the band's various TV appearances plus two John Sebastian solo gigs.Sebastian is our on-screen host. He provides insights -- always informative and often very amusing -- into the songs' histories and the creative process in developing the songs. (I've known the background story, including the musical genesis, of "Do You Believe In Magic" for years, but it's still great to see and hear John explain it in his own matchless fashion.) He also provides a slew of stories about the people and places most closely associated with the Spoons. Having seen him in concert several times going back 30 years or more, I can tell you he is just as warm and funny and intelligent and entertaining in front of a camera as he is on stage. The other two key elements to this DVD are listed as extras: (1) Sebastian's on-screen commentaries about his life and career, with more good stuff on the Spoons and their music (including his idea for the opening riff to DYBIM); and (2) a segment titled "Reflections" that features rare (but all-too-brief) interview clips of "Papa" Denny Doherty and former Spoons guitar hero Zally Yanovsky.I gave this DVD four stars rather than five because, as someone who's a junkie for rock 'n' roll facts and trivia, there was little in the way of even basic identification during the main segment of performance clips. I mean, judging from the clips that are in color and the clips that are in black and white, along with the stage sets themselves, I'm guessing most of the Spoons' performance clips were taken from The Ed Sullivan Show (the closing credits allude to this). Judging from the set and the number of dancers, I'm guessing the clip of the Spoons performing "Do You Believe In Magic" may be from the documentary film, The Big T.N.T. Show. And I'm pretty sure the clip of "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" with Peter Noone's intro of the band is from Hullabaloo. The nonparticipation of the other surviving Spoons (Zally died in 2002) is also regrettable. It may have given the DVD a stronger sense of completeness. (And frankly, it would have been great to see John and his former bandmates, who haven't always been on the best of speaking terms over the years, sitting together in the same room and sharing their stories with us.)Still, this program is very entertaining. For those of us who will always count the Spoons' music as essential to our well-being, this DVD is a treat to watch. So, despite its flaws, one could argue the overall presentation here is in keeping with the band's musical legacy. A documentary that was "warts and all" might well have detracted from what the Spoons were all about. "Positive," "wistful," "knowing," "romantic" (but never sappy), "wry" -- these and other terms I've always attached to the Lovin' Spoonful's music. It was a great time to be alive. Years ago I heard my folks talkin' one night when I had the Spoons cranked up on my stereo. And I heard Mama say to Papa, "Let those boys rock and roll."

This is great video for fans of the Lovin' Spoonful and/or John Sebastian. The main feature contains filmed performances from the '60's plus commentary by Sebastian. The Bonus Features section has much more of Sebastians stories, plus brief clips of Zal Yanovsky and Denny Doherty. Personally, I loved the whole thing!

This DVD includes all the hit songs of The Lovin' Spoonful, some in color and others in glorious black and white. John Sebastian provides interesting commentary between each song and also provides interesting tidbits in the extras. Both John Sebastian and Denny Doherty provide stories regarding the Mamas and the Papas. I especially enjoyed the rendition of Summer In The City which shows the instruments used in performing the song. John also illustrates how doubling the speed of the introduction to the song Heat Wave provides the introduction to Do You Believe in Magic. A PG rating is shown at the beginning of the DVD, but I would rate it a definite G. I thoroughly enjoyed the DVD, and watched several parts of it over again. If you enjoy The Lovin' Spoonful this is a DVD you should include in your library.

A very good DVD which provided most of their greatest hits. Needed to have more interviews with Sebastian's other bandmates though.

Good overview of this folk group. Love. Their sounds

I loved The Lovin' Spoonful...crazy about them. I saw them live late '66 or early '67. After buying the remastered CDs and seeing them in "What's Up, Tiger Lilly?", I began to study Zal's guitar playing. I believe he was very talented, while not fast or flashy. He played with a thumb pick, alternating between finger picking and flat picking. His solos were simple but extremely tasteful. His backgrounds were essential contributions to the band's sound (dare I say like George was to early Beatles).So, you see where I'm going: I really hoped to see some shots of him playing. I was very disappointed to find that only 1 or 2 at most of the songs were not "lip synched" and 90% of the time was close up to John's face. Back then, it was "hip" to reveal that you weren't really playing and to ham it up; so they did. It was endearing then, but considering what I was looking for, a let down. Surely somewhere there is footage of Zal playing. (I hope I'm not the only one who cares.)So why my suggested title? Because John talks about the band, the band plays, but the interview doesn't stop with the Spoonful. John goes on to talk about his solo career, and they even show parts of "Welcome Back, Kotter". OK, the subtitle does say, "The music of John Sebastian & The Lovin' Spoonful" but that doesn't reveal the actual balance of material presented. If you are a big Spoonful junky, like me, you may want to see this, but it will be more to the liking of John Sebastian fans.

Very well done all original clips narrated by John Sebastian

Arrived on time. Good footage. Very good audio and video. The interviews are great! Thanks. Bill Partridge

あるアーティストのライブに行ったときにラビン・スプーンフルの名前が出てきてびっくりした。と同時にうれしかった。そこで、手持ちのＣＤ、ＶＨＳを見ていったのだが、一番大好きな「サマー・イン・ザ・シティ」の映像がない。最大のヒットだが、スプーンフルの他の曲と比べるとなんか違うなって感じていた。このＤＶＤにはもちろん収録されていて、ジョン・セバスチャンが曲のできた経緯を語っている。フォークギターをひきながら。英語は半分もわからなかったが、フレーズをギターで弾いている様子に鳥肌が立った。この映像を見て決して異質な曲ではないことがわかった。スプーンフル以後の７６年の「ウエルカム・バック」がなぜかドラマの映像つきで収録されている。この時期以後のアルバム「タール・ビーチ」に至るジョン・セバスチャンを若いころ（もうスプーンフルに出会って２５年以上になる）眠い・退屈と感じたがそのイメージも一掃させてくれた。貴重な映像と感動がなんだか懐かしい気持ちにさせてくれるＤＶＤである。