Editing The Lovin' Spoonful (section)

=== 1966: International popularity ===
==== ''What's Up, Tiger Lily?'' soundtrack; European tour ====

Though the Spoonful had achieved quick success in North America, they remained generally unknown in the U.K.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=112}}<ref name="Alan Jones" /> None of their singles had charted in the country.<ref name="UK charts" />{{refn|group=nb|"Do You Believe in Magic" was issued in the U.K. on October{{nbsp}}1, 1965,<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Valentine|first=Penny|author-link=Penny Valentine|title=Penny Picks Your Pops: Searchers' sound gets tiresome|magazine=[[Disc (magazine)|Disc and Music Echo]]|date=October 2, 1965|page=11|quote=Do You Believe in Magic (Pye Int.){{nbsp}}... Out tomorrow [Friday, October{{nbsp}}1, 1965].}}</ref> but its performance was hindered by the release of a similar-sounding cover by an English band, the Pack.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Anon. |title=Record Review: This Group Won't Need Magic |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/whitstable-times-record-review-this-gro/137684146/ |work=Whitstable Times |date=October 30, 1965 |page=3 |quote=Sales [of 'Do You Believe in Magic'] are being affected by a near-copy turned out by another group{{nbsp}}... |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Disker |title=Off the Record: Still More New Names |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/liverpool-echo-off-the-record-still-mor/137684007/ |work=[[Liverpool Echo]] |date=September 25, 1965 |page=4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Anon. |title=Paul Still No. 1 in America |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/liverpool-echo-paul-still-no-1-in-ameri/137685499/ |work=[[Liverpool Echo]] |date=October 19, 1965 |page=13 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Another English band, the Boston Crabs, covered "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" around the time the original was issued in the U.K. in January{{nbsp}}1966.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Farmer |first1=Bob |title=In the Groove: Mark Leeman May Yet Be 'A Name' |url=https://newspapers.com/article/lincolnshire-echo-in-the-groove-mark-le/137686266/ |work=Lincolnshire Echo |date=January 31, 1966 |page=4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>}} To expand the band's popularity to an international audience, their management organized several live- and TV-dates in England and Sweden for April{{nbsp}}1966.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=112}} Only days before the Spoonful was set to depart to Europe, they were approached to provide a soundtrack for ''[[What's Up, Tiger Lily?]]'', the directorial debut of the comedian [[Woody Allen]],{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=113}} who knew the band from his work at clubs in Greenwich Village.{{sfn|Colby|Fitzpatrick|2002|p=80}} The band recorded the soundtrack in two days, April 11 and 12, at [[National Video Center|National Recording Studios]] in New York City,<ref>{{harvnb|Boone|Moss|2014|p=113}}; {{harvnb|Moriarty|1966}}.</ref><ref name="Runcorn Guardian" /> and they made a brief appearance in the film.{{sfn|Lee|2015|pp=18–19}} The film was a commercial disappointment and received mixed reviews.{{sfn|Barone|2022|p=251}} Issued in August{{nbsp}}1966,{{sfn|Anon.|1990}} the soundtrack album reached number 126 on the Billboard LPs chart.<ref name="Billboard chart history" /> Jacobsen later criticized the project as a "goofball album" which distracted the band and stalled their progress.{{sfn|Barone|2022|p=251}}

[[File:The Lovin' Spoonful, KRLA Beat 6-18-66.png|thumb|left|The Lovin' Spoonful in a 1966 promotional photograph]]

On April{{nbsp}}12,<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Spoonful here|magazine=[[Melody Maker]]|date=April 16, 1966|page=4|quote=The Lovin' Spoonful arrived in Britain on Tuesday – one day earlier than expected{{nbsp}}...}}</ref> the Spoonful arrived at [[Heathrow Airport]] to begin their ten-day tour of England and Sweden.<ref name="Runcorn Guardian">{{cite news|author=Anon.|title=News of the Pops: For 'Ready, Steady Go'|newspaper=The Runcorn Guardian|date=April 7, 1966|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121230444/news-of-the-pops-for-ready-steady-go/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref name="Alan Jones">{{cite news|last=Jones|first=Alan|title=Sweet Music from the Lovin' Spoonful|newspaper=[[Lincolnshire Echo]]|date=May 2, 1966|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121235459/sweet-music-from-the-lovin-spoonful/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Problems which arose during negotiations with the [[Musicians' Union (United Kingdom)|British Musicians' Union]] forced the band to limit the number of appearances they made in Britain.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title='Daydream' boys back in August|magazine=[[Disc (magazine)|Disc and Music Echo]]|date=May 14, 1966|page=5}}</ref><ref name="Disc 5/14/66">{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title='Daydream' boys back in August|magazine=[[Disc and Music Echo]]|date=May 14, 1966|page=5}}</ref> In the tour's first week, the band played concerts in [[Birmingham]] and [[Manchester]], appeared on the television programs ''[[Top of the Pops]]'', ''[[Ready Steady Go!]]'' and ''[[Thank Your Lucky Stars (TV series)|Thank Your Lucky Stars]]'', played on [[BBC Radio]] and attended a party at the London home of the Irish socialite [[Tara Browne]].{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=116–117}} The band's time in England allowed them to interact with many of Britain's top musicians.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=116–118}} On April{{nbsp}}18, they performed an invite-only show at the [[Marquee Club]] on Wardour Street, Soho, central London.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=117}}{{sfn|Hinman|2004|p=82}} Several of Britain's top performers were in attendance,{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=117}} including [[John Lennon]], [[George Harrison]],{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=229}} [[Ray Davies]],<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Welch|first=Chris|author-link=Chris Welch|title=Knocking Down a Myth|date=April 30, 1966|magazine=[[Melody Maker]]|page=9|url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/knocking-down-a-myth|url-access=subscription|via=[[Rock's Backpages]]|quote=I saw the Lovin' Spoonful and they were nice and easy.}}</ref> [[Brian Jones]], [[Steve Winwood]], [[Spencer Davis]] and [[Eric Clapton]].{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=117}} The band were warmly received,{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=118}}{{sfn|Turner|2016|p=204}} and Lennon and Harrison joined them afterwards into the morning at [[The May Fair Hotel]] in [[Piccadilly]].{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=118}} The next night, following their performance at the Blaises Club in [[Kensington]], the band befriended Jones as well.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=118}}

After flying to [[Stockholm]] to perform on Swedish television, the Spoonful proceeded to Ireland to attend the 21st-birthday celebration of Browne on April{{nbsp}}23.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=116, 118–119}} Browne, who then regarded the Spoonful as his favorite band,{{sfn|Tinniswood|2021|loc=chap. 14}} delayed his party by seven weeks in order to coincide with the band's touring and recording schedule.{{sfn|Howard|2017|pp=248–249}} Browne flew the band to Ireland at his own expense to perform a private show,{{sfn|Shea|Rodriguez|2007|p=446}}{{sfn|Savage|2015|p=135}} paying them US$10,000 for the performance ({{Inflation|US|10000|1966|fmt=eq|cursign=US$|r=-3}}).{{sfn|Howard|2017|p=249}}{{Inflation/fn|US}} Held at the [[Luggala]] Estate, a [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] house in the [[Wicklow Mountains]], the party was attended by many prominent [[Swinging London]] figures, including members of [[the Rolling Stones]], [[Peter Bardens]], [[Anita Pallenberg]],{{sfn|Savage|2015|p=135}} [[Chrissie Shrimpton]], [[John Paul Getty Jr.]], [[Rupert Lycett Green]]{{sfn|Tinniswood|2021|loc=chap. 14}} and [[Mike McCartney]].{{sfn|Howard|2017|p=249}} Butler recalled that the band's performance was likely substandard, since they were all drunk and high on marijuana.{{sfn|Howard|2017|p=249}} Several guests also partook in the drug [[LSD]],{{sfn|Savage|2015|pp=135–136}} including Butler,{{sfn|Tinniswood|2021|loc=chap. 14}} and the Spoonful stayed overnight.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=119}}

The Spoonful flew back to the U.S. on April{{nbsp}}24,<ref name="Disc 4/23/66">{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Spoonful film on 'Top Pops'|magazine=[[Disc and Music Echo]]|date=April 23, 1966|page=6}}</ref> and reports soon followed that they planned to return later in the year for more British shows.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Pop-Liners|magazine=[[New Musical Express]]|date=May 6, 1966|page=6|quote=The Lovin' Spoonful will return to Britain in September for concerts, Tito Burns annonuced this week.}}</ref><ref name="Disc 5/14/66" /> The band's morale was high following the April tour, particularly after they had been treated as equals by contemporary performers whom they held in high regard.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=119–120}} "Daydream" became a major international hit;{{sfn|Rogan|2015|p=274}} by mid-May, it had reached number two on all of the major British singles charts and number one on the Swedish [[Kvällstoppen]] chart.<ref name="UK charts">{{cite web |title=Lovin' Spoonful |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/12420/lovin-spoonful/ |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816014342/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/12420/lovin-spoonful/ |archive-date=16 August 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{multiref2|{{cite magazine|title=NME Top Thirty|date=May 13, 1966|page=5|magazine=[[New Musical Express]]|ref=none}}|{{cite magazine|title=Melody Maker Pop 50|magazine=[[Melody Maker]]|date=May 14, 1966|page=2|ref=none}}|{{cite magazine|title=Top 50|date=May 14, 1966|magazine=[[Disc and Music Echo]]|page=3|ref=none}}}}</ref>{{sfn|Hallberg|1993|p=271}}
{{clear}}

==== Marijuana bust ====
{{Main|The Lovin' Spoonful's drug bust}}
On May{{nbsp}}20, 1966, Boone and Yanovsky were arrested in San Francisco for possessing marijuana, then an illegal drug. Police discovered the marijuana after pulling the pair over and searching their vehicle.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=121–126}} Boone and Yanovsky spent the night in jail before being bailed out the following morning by the Spoonful's road manager, Rich Chiaro.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=127–128}} Cavallo and Charley Koppelman flew out to meet the band to begin managing the situation, and they hired [[Melvin Belli]] to be their attorney. Sebastian and Butler were not immediately informed of the nature of the bust, and the band's May 21 performance at the [[University of California, Berkeley]]'s [[Hearst Greek Theatre|Greek Theatre]] went forward as normal.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=129–131}}

{{quote box|quote= We were the first big rock band to get busted for weed. There was no playbook in effect. The record company, the management company – they didn't have an operating procedure for what you do, especially if one of your members has an immigration issue.<ref name="Unterberger interview" /> |source=– [[Steve Boone]], 2018 |width=25%|align=right|salign=right|style=padding:8px;}}

At a meeting with San Francisco police and the [[San Francisco District Attorney's Office|District Attorney]], Yanovsky was threatened with deportation back to his native Canada.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=130–131}} Belli expressed that Yanovsky and Boone were unlikely to win on the merits of their case and that their only way to avoid charges was to cooperate with authorities.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=131–132}} The two initially balked at the idea, but they relented to avoid Yanovsky being deported, something they expected would lead to a breakup of the band.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=132}} Yanovsky and Boone cooperated with authorities to name their drug source,{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=61}} directing an undercover operative to their source at local party.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=135–137}} In exchange, all charges were dropped, their arrest records were expunged, the two did not need to appear in court and there was no publicity related to their arrest.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=134}} Their drug source was in turn arrested and served a brief jail sentence.{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=61}}

After the drug case went to court in December{{nbsp}}1966, knowledge of Yanovsky and Boone's bust became more widespread.{{sfn|Savage|2015|p=518}} The [[Underground press#North America|underground press]] was especially critical of the band.{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=61}} By early{{nbsp}}1967, the Spoonful's shows on the West Coast were sometimes picketed by members of the [[Counterculture of the 1960s|'60s counterculture]]. Protesters carried signs which accused the band of being "[[Informant|finks]]" and traitors to the movement, and they encouraged fans to boycott the band and burn their records.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=178–180}} The public revelations of the drug bust added to tensions between Sebastian and Butler on the one hand, and Yanovsky and Boone on the other.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=173}} Boone later suggested that the boycott hurt the band's commercial performance,{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=178–180, 187–189}} but the author Richie Unterberger suggests that the effects have likely been overestimated by other authors, since "most of the people who bought Spoonful records were average teenage Americans, not hippies".<ref name="AllMusic bio">{{cite web |last1=Unterberger |first1=Richie |author1-link=Richie Unterberger |title=The Lovin' Spoonful biography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-lovin-spoonful-mn0000052900/biography |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=August 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514131315/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-lovin-spoonful-mn0000052900/biography |archive-date=May 14, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> In an article recounting the June{{nbsp}}1967 [[Monterey International Pop Festival]], the author Michael Lydon suggested that the Spoonful was unable to appear at the festival due to complications related to the drug bust.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lydon |first=Michael |title=''Monterey Pop'': The First Rock Festival |date=September 22, 2009 |website=[[The Criterion Collection]] |url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/231-monterey-pop-the-first-rock-festival}} Originally written in 1967 for ''Newsweek'' magazine, whose editors reduced it from 43 to 10 paragraphs. Printed in full in the 2003 book ''Flashbacks'' {{ISBN|978-0-415-96644-3}}.</ref>

==== "Summer in the City" ====

{{listen|type=music|filename="Summer in the City" by the Lovin' Spoonful 1966.mp3|title=The end of the first bridge of "Summer in the City" |description= The Lovin' Spoonful's only number one record, "[[Summer in the City (song)|Summer in the City]]" features a harder rock style than the band's previous output.<ref name="AllMusic SitC" />}}

After having recorded two albums in the second-half of 1965, the Spoonful was stretched for new material in March{{nbsp}}1966 when they began sessions for a new single.<ref name="Summer in the City UNCUT">{{cite magazine |last=Richards |first=Sam |editor1-last=Bonner |editor1-first=Michael |title=The Making of{{nbsp}}... Summer in the City by The Lovin' Spoonful |date=September 2021 |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|UNCUT]] |number=292 |pages=92–94 |url=https://archive.org/details/uncut-september-2021/page/92/}}</ref> While searching for inspiration, Sebastian recalled a song composed and informally recorded by his fourteen-year-old brother, Mark.<ref name="Summer in the City UNCUT" /><ref name=nytimes>{{cite news |last1=Besonen |first1=Julie |title=How 'Summer in the City' Became the Soundtrack for Every City Summer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/nyregion/summer-in-the-city-lovin-spoonful-soundtrack-for-city-summer.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601194710/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/nyregion/summer-in-the-city-lovin-spoonful-soundtrack-for-city-summer.html |archive-date=June 1, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Sebastian reworked the lyrics and melody of his younger brother's composition into "[[Summer in the City (song)|Summer in the City]]", and he also incorporated contributions from Boone and the session musician [[Artie Schroeck]].{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=141}} Kama Sutra did not issue "Summer in the City" immediately but instead repurposed "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" for release as a single.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=139, 141}}{{refn|group=nb|[[Quality Records]] released "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" as a single in December{{nbsp}}1965 in select Canadian cities to test its potential performance in the American market.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Chris Montez – Top Seller for Quality Records|date=May 23, 1966|magazine=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|page=7}}</ref><ref name="Music Capitals">{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Music Capitals of the World|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=January 15, 1966|page=28|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7SgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA28|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> It initially reached number ten in Canada in February{{nbsp}}1966,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=9265&|title=RPM 100 (February 21, 1966) |date=July 17, 2013 |publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]]|access-date=April 13, 2023}}</ref> reaching number six that July after it was issued across the country.<ref name=Canada>{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=2819&|title=RPM 100 (July 11, 1966) |date=July 17, 2013 |publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]]|access-date=April 17, 2023}}</ref>}} Issued in April,{{sfn|Savage|2015|p=556}} "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" reached number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in June,<ref name="Billboard chart history" /> making it the band's fourth top ten single in America and their second top two record in a row.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=139}}{{refn|group=nb|[[Quality Records]] issued "Jug Band Music" as a single exclusively in Canada,<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=International News Reports: Canada|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=May 21, 1966|page=41|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8SgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41|via=[[Google Books]]|quote="After breaking the Lovin' Spoonful's 'Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind' in Canada prior to its release in the U.S.{{nbsp}}... Quality Records has another Canadian exclusive from Kama Sutra with the Lovin' Spoonful's 'Jug Band Music,'{{nbsp}}..."}}</ref> where it reached number two in June{{nbsp}}1966.<ref name="RPM Canada">{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=2920&|title=RPM 100 (June 27, 1966) |date=July 17, 2013 |publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]]|access-date=April 14, 2023}}</ref> "Bald Headed Lena" reached number one on Sweden's ''[[Tio i Topp]]'' chart that July.{{sfn|Hallberg|Henningsson|2012|p=450}}}} That same month, ''Do You Believe in Magic'' re-entered the Top LPs chart,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Billboard ''Top LP's''|date=June 11, 1966|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=42}}</ref> peaking in August at number 32 after spending 16 more weeks on the chart.<ref name="Billboard chart history" />

In June{{nbsp}}1966, while in Los{{nbsp}}Angeles to play at the [[Golden Bear (nightclub)|Golden Bear]] nightclub and support the Beach Boys at the [[Hollywood Bowl]],<ref>{{cite news |title=The Golden Bear |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/138878053/ |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |date=June 19, 1966 |page=19 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |quote=Two nites {{sic}} only June 22 & 23: The Lovin' Spoonful{{nbsp}}... [at] the Golden Bear{{nbsp}}...}}</ref>{{sfn|Hjort|2008|pp=99–100}} the Spoonful held a party to debut their newest single.<ref name="Taylor 6/18/66">{{cite magazine|last=Taylor|first=Derek|author-link=Derek Taylor|title=Hollywood Calling!: Look out for new Spoonful sound|magazine=[[Disc and Music Echo]]|date=June 18, 1966|page=14}}</ref> "Summer in the City" was released on July{{nbsp}}4.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=141}}{{sfn|Barone|2022|p=249}} One month later,{{sfn|Savage|2015|p=283}} it overtook [[the Troggs]]' "[[Wild Thing (The Troggs song)|Wild Thing]]"{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=144}} and became the band's first and only number one single in the U.S.{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|p=75}} It held the position for three weeks, becoming what the author [[Jon Savage]] terms the "American song of the summer".{{sfn|Savage|2015|p=283}} The song also topped ''Cash Box'' and ''[[Record World]]''{{'s}} charts,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Cash Box Top 100 – Week of August 20, 1966|magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]|date=August 20, 1966|page=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Record World 100 Top Pops – Week of August 20, 1966|magazine=[[Record World]]|date=August 20, 1966|page=19}}</ref> and it was number one in Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=2825&|title=RPM 100 (August 22, 1966) |work=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|date=July 17, 2013 |via=[[Library and Archives Canada]]|access-date=September 23, 2023}}</ref> The musicologist [[Ian MacDonald]] characterizes the song as a "cutting-edge pop [record]" and one of many "futuristic singles" to appear in 1966, representative of a time period when recorded songs began to employ sounds and effects difficult or impossible to recreate during a live performance; when the Spoonful played the song in concert, Sebastian was unable to both sing and play the piano part simultaneously, and Butler instead performed lead vocal duties.{{sfn|MacDonald|2007|pp=202n3, 214n1}} After "Daydream" reached number two in the U.K.,<ref name="UK charts" /> expectations were similarly high for "Summer in the City", but it failed to enter the top five of the British charts;{{sfn|Williams|2002|p=69}} it instead peaked at number eight on the [[UK Singles Chart|''Record Retailer'' chart]].<ref name="UK charts" /> Coincident with the single's release, the band reiterated their plans for a second tour of Britain and continental Europe, to be held over two weeks in September and October with the English singer [[Dusty Springfield]].<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Lovin' Spoonful sign for October tour|date=July 2, 1966|magazine=[[Melody Maker]]|page=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Dusty, Spoon Tour|date=July 16, 1966|magazine=[[Melody Maker]]|page=6|quote=Dusty Springfield and the Lovin' Spoonful are to tour Britain for two weeks at the end of September [1966].{{nbsp}}... The tour will probably open at the Finsbury Park Empire on September 27 and will play major concert dates.}}</ref><ref name="Spoonful-Springfield tour">{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=International Section: Great Britain|date=September 24, 1966|magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]|page=60|quote=[The] Spanish group Los Bravos [are] replacing the Spoonful on Dusty Springfield's autumn British tour{{nbsp}}...}}</ref> Only weeks before it began, the band withdrew from the tour.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title='Shame about the Spoonful'|magazine=[[Disc (magazine)|Disc and Music Echo]]|date=October 8, 1966|page=8}}</ref><ref name="Spoonful-Springfield tour "/><ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Vaudevilles Replace Bravos|date=October 8, 1966|magazine=[[Record Mirror]]|page=4|quote=The New Vaudeville Band have replaced Los Bravos on the Dusty Springfield–Alan Price Set tour.{{nbsp}}... Before the tour began, the Lovin' Spoonful said they would not appear and Los Bravos were signed to take their place.}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Paul Williams wrote that the Spoonful opted to delay their appearance after "Summer in the City" failed to enter the top five in the U.K.{{sfn|Williams|2002|p=69}} Asked for comment by ''[[Disc (magazine)|Disc and Music Echo]]'' magazine, the talent manager [[Tito Burns]] said that negotiations for the Spoonful's appearance broke down over "a terrible misunderstanding".<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Big US Groups to Tour Here: Spoonful due in May|magazine=[[Disc (magazine)|Disc and Music Echo]]|date=November 19, 1966|page=5}}</ref> Dan Moriarty, the band's publicist,{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=79, 115}} told ''Disc'' that the band had to delay the tour after sessions for their album ''Hums'' were delayed.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Lovin' Spoonful – why we didn't come to Britain |magazine=[[Disc (magazine)|Disc and Music Echo]]|date=September 17, 1966|page=7}}</ref>}} As they announced their withdrawal, the band announced plans to return to Britain in April{{nbsp}}1967 for a three-week tour.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Spoonful Tour Here in April |magazine=[[Disc (magazine)|Disc and Music Echo]]|date=September 17, 1966|page=4}}</ref>

In July{{nbsp}}1966,{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|pp=265–266}} the Spoonful played to a crowd of 65,000 at that year's [[Newport Folk Festival]] in [[Rhode Island]].{{sfn|Lenhoff|Robertson|2019|p=126}} [[Electric Dylan controversy|Bob Dylan had generated controversy]] at the previous year's festival when he performed a set of electric rock,{{sfn|Lenhoff|Robertson|2019|p=126}}{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=266}} but at the 1966 festival, the Spoonful and several other electric bands appeared, including [[Howlin' Wolf]], [[Chuck Berry]] and [[the Blues Project]].{{sfn|Wald|2015|p=298}} The Spoonful was well received and received no pushback over their appearance.{{sfn|Lenhoff|Robertson|2019|p=126}}{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=266}} In an article recounting the festival for ''[[The New York Times]]'', the critic [[Robert Shelton (critic)|Robert Shelton]] suggested that the band's warm reception "reflected the growing acceptance of folk-rock and other amalgamations of contemporary folk songs with electric instruments".{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=266}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shelton |first1=Robert |author1-link=Robert Shelton (critic) |title=A Fare-Thee-Well for Newport Sing: 6th Folk Festival Ends, But All Did Not Go Smoothly |url=https://nyti.ms/47suqlM |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 25, 1966 |page=L23 |language=en |via=[[TimesMachine]]}}</ref>

==== ''Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful'' ====

Sessions for the Spoonful's third studio album, later released as ''[[Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful]]'',{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=144}} were originally booked for [[Columbia Records#Studio A|Columbia Records' 7th Avenue studio]] in New York from August 16 to September 23, 1966.{{sfn|Williams|2002|p=69}} Recording was delayed after Columbia booked its own artists at the studio.{{sfn|Williams|2002|p=69}} When time allowed them a break from touring, the Spoonful recorded the album across several sessions in New York City at Bell Sound and the 7th Avenue studio, with work also done in Los Angeles.{{sfn|Diken|2003}} For the first time on one of the band's albums, it consisted of only original material.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=145}} [[Henry Diltz]], a member of the Modern Folk Quartet, contributed clarinet to "Bes' Friends" and took the pictures which adorned the LP's sleeve.{{sfn|Diken|2003}} The album was released in November{{nbsp}}1966,{{sfn|Zimmerman|Zimmerman|2004|p=113}} and it reached number 14 on the ''Billboard'' LPs chart.<ref name="Billboard chart history" /> Preorders for the album were diminished after a disappointing reaction accompanied the August release of the ''What's Up, Tiger Lily?'' soundtrack album.<ref>{{harvnb|Barone|2022|p=251}}: (diminished preorders, disappointing reaction); {{harvnb|Anon.|1990}}: (August{{nbsp}}1966).</ref>

[[File:"Nashville Cats" Cash Box advertisement.jpg|thumb|A trade ad for "[[Nashville Cats]]", the Lovin' Spoonful's seventh and final single to reach the US Top Ten]]

In addition to the already released "Summer in the City", the sessions for ''Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful'' produced the song "[[Rain on the Roof (song)|Rain on the Roof]]".{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=147–148}} The possibility of releasing the song as a single generated disagreement among the members of the Spoonful.{{sfn|Diken|2003}}{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=148–149}} "Summer in the City" featured a harder sound than their previous output,{{sfn|Savage|2015|p=284}}<ref name="AllMusic SitC">{{cite web |last1=Unterberger |first1=Richie |author1-link=Richie Unterberger |title=Summer in the City – The Lovin' Spoonful |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/summer-in-the-city-mt0013293678 |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811073122/https://www.allmusic.com/song/summer-in-the-city-mt0013293678 |archive-date=August 11, 2021 |language=en |url-status=live}}</ref> and it had attracted new fans to the group after it reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in August.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=149}}<ref name="Billboard chart history"/> Both Boone and Butler worried that returning to a softer sound with "Rain on the Roof" would potentially alienate the band's new fans,{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=149}}<ref name="Summer in the City UNCUT" /> but Sebastian countered that the band ought to avoid releasing consecutive singles which sounded too similar, also contending that "Rain on the Roof" would add another dimension to their sound.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=149}} Issued as a single in October,{{sfn|Savage|2015|p=561}}{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|p=252}} "Rain on the Roof" remained on the Hot 100 for ten weeks and peaked at number ten, making it the Spoonful's sixth consecutive single to reach the top ten.<ref name="Billboard chart history"/> The song also continued the band's success in Europe, charting in several European countries.{{sfn|Diken|2003}}

Another song from ''Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful'', the country-tinged "[[Nashville Cats]]", was issued as a single in December.{{sfn|Anon.|1990}} It reached number eight on the Hot 100, but despite the band's hopes, it failed to crossover into the country market.{{sfn|Diken|2003}} The single's B-side, "Full Measure", a Boone-Sebastian collaboration, received strong airplay in California and the [[Southwestern United States]], helping it reach number 87 on the Hot 100 chart.{{sfn|Diken|2003}}{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=147–148}} In ''[[KRLA Beat]]'', the local publication of the [[Southern Californian]] radio station [[KWVE (AM)|KRLA]], "Full Measure" reached as high as number seven on the station's chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=What a Crazy World|date=December 31, 1966|magazine=[[KRLA Beat]]|page=8|url=http://krlabeat.sakionline.net/issue/31dec66.pdf}}</ref>

In 1966, the Spoonful had five Top Ten singles, making it the band's most successful year to date.{{sfn|Unterberger|2002|pp=185, 212}} The end-of-year issue for ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine ranked the Spoonful as the third best performing singles artist of the year, after the Beatles and [[the Rolling Stones]].{{sfn|Savage|2015|pp=544–545}}<ref name="1966 Top Artists">{{cite magazine |title=Top Singles Artists of 1966 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=December 24, 1966 |pages=14, 18–19 |ref=none}}</ref> In the magazine's list of the [[Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1966|top records of the year]], it placed "Summer in the City", "Daydream" and "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind" at numbers 35, 38 and 48, respectively.<ref name="1966 Top Records">{{cite magazine |title=Top Records of 1966 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=December 24, 1966 |page=34 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hSIEAAAAMBAJ |via=[[Google Books]] |ref=none}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|The only other groups to have at least three singles on the list were the Beach Boys (three), [[Paul Revere & the Raiders]] (three) and the Beatles (four).<ref name="1966 Top Records" />}} Besides achieving commercial success, the Spoonful in 1966 were among the American bands regarded most highly by critics;<ref name="O'Grady" /> a piece in ''[[Time (magazine)|TIME]]'' magazine that October placed the band alongside the Mamas and the Papas and [[Simon & Garfunkel]] as one of the three best new groups in the country, and Ralph J. Gleason told ''[[Look (American magazine)|Look]]'' magazine that the Spoonful were "the best group in the U.S.", adding he was "glad to be alive at a time when I can hear them".<ref>{{cite news |author1=Anon. |title=Lovin' Spoonful Praised |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-duluth-news-tribune-lovin-spoonful/165288658/ |work=[[The Duluth News Tribune|Duluth News Tribune: Cosmopolitan]] |date=November 20, 1966 |page=10 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Music: Rock 'n' Roll: The New Troubadours|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|TIME]]|date=October 28, 1966|pages=92, 94|url=https://archive.org/details/time-1966-11-18/Time%201966-10-28/page/92/|via=the [[Internet Archive]]|quote=The best of the new groups{{nbsp}}...}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Rollin|first=Betty|title=The Lovin' Spoonful: Rock 'n' Roll Sweetener|magazine=[[Look (American magazine)|Look]]|date=November 1, 1966|pages=77–81|quote=Some older, wiser heads are just as caught up – among them, jazz critic Ralph Gleason, who says, 'They're the best group in the U.S. I'm glad to be alive at a time when I can hear them.'}}</ref>