Editing The Lovin' Spoonful (section)

==== Touring, debut album ====

[[File:The Lovin' Spoonful, 1965 (2).png|thumb|The Lovin' Spoonful in a promotional photograph taken by [[Henry Diltz]], 1965]]

The release of "Do You Believe in Magic" in July{{nbsp}}1965 propelled the Spoonful to nationwide fame in the U.S. within weeks.<ref name="Mix">{{cite web |last1=Eskow |first1=Gary |title=Classic Tracks: The Lovin' Spoonful's 'Do You Believe in Magic' |url=https://www.mixonline.com/recording/classic-tracks-lovin-spoonfuls-do-you-believe-magic-366002 |website=[[Mix (magazine)|Mix]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520085538/https://www.mixonline.com/recording/classic-tracks-lovin-spoonfuls-do-you-believe-magic-366002 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |date=August 1, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> The band made their American television debut on the [[WPLG|channel 10]] show of the Miami disc jockey [[Rick Shaw (radio)|Rick Shaw]], and they also taped appearances for the TV programs ''[[American Bandstand]]'', ''[[The Merv Griffin Show]]'' and ''[[The Lloyd Thaxton Show]]''.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=80–84}} In conjunction with the release of the single, the band's management made plans for their first series of serious live dates outside of New York City.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=71}} Beginning in August, the band toured the [[West Coast of the United States]].{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=81–84}} In San Francisco, the band held a two-week residency at [[Mother's Nightclub]],{{sfn|Miles|2005|p=30}}<ref name="Gleason 5/15/66">{{cite news |last1=Gleason |first1=Ralph J. |author1-link=Ralph Gleason |title='Spoonful' Fans Kept Following |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-john-sebastia/96860815/ |work=[[The San Francisco Examiner]] |date=May 15, 1966 |page=37 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |quote=Last fall the Spoonful appeared at Mother's on Broadway for two weeks and later at the hungry i. They also played the first of the really successful rock 'n roll dances here presented by The Family Dog. It was those productions which set the pattern for the whole dancing scene that exists now.}}</ref> which then advertised itself as the "world's first psychedelic nightclub",{{sfn|McNally|2003|p=86}} and on August{{nbsp}}7,<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Sternfield|first=Aaron|title=People and Places|date=August 14, 1965|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=12|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rigEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12|via=[[Google Books]]|ref=none}}</ref> they performed in-front of 35,000 at the [[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]] in [[Pasadena, California]], as one of several support acts for the English pop group [[Herman's Hermits]], alongside [[the Turtles]] and [[the Bobby Fuller Four]].{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=84}} In Los{{nbsp}}Angeles, the Spoonful played at several clubs on [[Sunset Strip]], including [[Ciro's]], the [[Whisky a Go Go]]{{sfn|Hoskyns|1996|p=90}} and [[The Crescendo (music venue)|The Crescendo]] (later renamed [[The Trip (night club)|The Trip]]).<ref name="Mix" />{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=81–84}}

In October{{nbsp}}1965, the Spoonful returned to the West Coast,{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=81–84, 102–104}} where their image and sound proved influential in the emerging [[San Francisco sound|San Francisco scene]],{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=61}}<ref name=Meriwether /> particularly in the city's [[Haight-Ashbury]] district, a center of the 1960s counterculture.<ref name=Meriwether>{{cite journal |last1=Meriwether |first1=Nicholas G. |title=When the Dead Fought the Law: The Grateful Dead's 1967 Marijuana Arrest and its Legacies |journal=Proceedings of the Grateful Dead Studies Association |date=2023 |volume=3 |pages=121–136 |url=https://deadstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GDSA_Proceedings3_Meriwether.pdf |issn=2770-5358}}</ref> The band appeared for a week at the [[hungry i]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Wilson|first=Russ|title=A 'Spoonful of Pain in Folk-Song|newspaper=[[Oakland Tribune]]|date=October 21, 1965|page=22-F|url=https://newspapers.com/image/354613638/?match=1&clipping_id=148098114|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Anon. |title=Today's Lively Arts |url=https://newspapers.com/image/458408293/?match=1&clipping_id=148097780 |work=[[The San Francisco Examiner]] |date=October 18, 1965 |page=34 |quote=The Lovin' Spoonful{{nbsp}}... opening tonight for a one-week run at the hungry i. |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> one of the most prominent clubs in America's folk-music scene,{{sfn|Unterberger|2002|p=38}} where they were seen by the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]''{{'s}} jazz critic [[Ralph J. Gleason]].<ref>{{cite news |author1=Anon. |title=Two Popular Noted Modern Singing Groups Being Brought Here by PTSA at North High |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-mail/111836170/ |work=[[The Herald-Mail|The Daily Mail]] |date=February 25, 1966 |page=6 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref name="Gleason quoted Independent">{{cite news |author1=Anon. |title='The Lovin' Spoonful' in Concert Saturday at UC |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-independent-the-lovin-spoonful-in/165288094/ |work=The Independent |date=May 19, 1966 |page=21 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> In his review of their first show, Gleason described the band's music and clothing as "the expression of a new age" and "an expression of freedom".<ref name="Gleason quoted Independent" /> He concluded the band was "vital and alive and, I believe, important".<ref name="Gleason quoted Independent" /> On October{{nbsp}}24,<ref name=10/24/65>{{cite news|last=Gleason|first=Ralph J.|author-link=Ralph J. Gleason|title=State College Tunes Up for Jazz '65|newspaper=[[The San Francisco Examiner]]|date=October 24, 1965|page=19|url=https://newspapers.com/image/458468806/?match=1&clipping_id=149829251|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|quote=The Lovin' Spoonful, Larry Hankin and the Charlatans play a dance concert tonight at the Longshore Hall sponsored by the Family Dog{{nbsp}}...}}</ref> the Spoonful headlined a dance party at the [[Longshoreman's Union Hall]] in the city's [[Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco|Fisherman's Wharf]] neighborhood.<ref name="Gleason 5/15/66" /><ref>{{harvnb|Jackson|2015|pp=240–243}}; {{harvnb|Selvin|1995|pp=35–36}}.</ref> Organized by the concert-production collective [[Family Dog Productions]], the event combined rock music with light shows and [[psychedelic drugs]],{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=347}} and it was among the earliest events of its kind in San Francisco;{{sfn|Jackson|2015|pp=240–243}}{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=61}} Jacobsen reflected, "That whole idea of going and listening to music and [[getting high]] started there".{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=61}} In attendance at the Longshoreman's show were members of the [[Grateful Dead]],{{sfn|Jackson|2015|pp=244–245}} an acoustic-folk group, who were inspired by the Spoonful's performance to similarly "go electric" in their style.{{sfn|Miles|2009|p=232}}{{refn|group=nb|The Grateful Dead had performed as a jug band since their formation in May{{nbsp}}1965,{{sfn|Jackson|2015|pp=250–251}} but seeing the Spoonful's show inspired them to transition to amplified instruments.{{sfn|Jackson|2015|pp=244–245, 250–251}}{{sfn|Miles|2009|p=232}} Their first recording session with electric instruments was ten{{nbsp}}days later, on November{{nbsp}}3.{{sfn|Jackson|2015|p=251}} That month, for their first photo session, they adopted similar clothing to the Spoonful.{{sfn|McNally|2003|p=98}}}}

Amid their touring schedule, the Spoonful recorded tracks for their debut album, ''[[Do You Believe in Magic (album)|Do You Believe in Magic]]''.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=87}}{{refn|group=nb|Around this time, the band also performed as uncredited studio musicians on [[Sonny & Cher]]'s single "[[But You're Mine]]",{{sfn|Edmonds|2002}} released in late{{nbsp}}1965.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Breakout Singles|date=October 9, 1965|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=42|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HSkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA42|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>}} The band recorded thirteen songs across several sessions between June and September{{nbsp}}1965, mostly at Bell Sound in New York, and they also recorded at RCA Studios in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles]]. The band's focus was on recording as quickly as possible, and a majority of the songs were jug band and blues covers taken from their typical live set list.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=87–89}} The album's five original compositions were all credited to Sebastian, including "[[Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?]]",{{sfn|Edmonds|2002}} which he based on a experience as a child at summer camp when he fell in love with twin sisters.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=88}} Pointing to the success of the Beatles and the Byrds, the Spoonful's label encouraged the band to trade lead vocal responsibilities;{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=78}} on ''Do You Believe in Magic'', Sebastian sings lead on most songs, but Butler also sings twice ("[[You Baby (song)|You Baby]]" and "The Other Side of This Life") as does Yanovsky ("Blues in the Bottle", "On the Road Again" and the unreleased "[[Alley Oop (song)|Alley Oop]]").{{sfn|Edmonds|2002}} The album first went on sale on October{{nbsp}}23, 1965, when the band held an autograph session in [[Pleasant Hill, California]],<ref>{{cite newspaper|author=Anon.|title=Autorama Begins Today at Store|date=October 22, 1965|page=10|newspaper=[[Contra Costa Times]]|url=https://newspapers.com/article/contra-costa-times-autorama-begins-today/148098435/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|quote=The Lovin' Spoonful{{nbsp}}... will be at the Autorama{{nbsp}}... on Saturday [October 23] to sign autographs. Their first L.P. album, 'Do You Believe in Magic' will be on sale for the first time at the Autorama.}}</ref> and Kama Sutra issued the album nationwide in November.{{sfn|Edmonds|2002}} It debuted on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs]] chart on December 4,{{sfn|Edmonds|2002}} and it initially ran on the chart for 19 weeks, peaking in February{{nbsp}}1966 at number 71.<ref>{{multiref2|{{cite magazine|title=Billboard ''Top LP's''|date=April 9, 1966|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=40|ref=none}} (19 weeks).|{{cite magazine|title=Billboard ''Top LP's''|date=February 19, 1966|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=31|ref=none}} (number 71).}}</ref>

By late{{nbsp}}1965, the Spoonful had made appearances on the most popular American television variety shows, including ''[[Where the Action Is]]'', ''[[Shindig!]]'' and ''[[Hullabaloo (TV series)|Hullabaloo]]''.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=91}} Executives from [[NBC]] approached Cavallo and offered the band the opportunity to star in their own television series, ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]''.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=91}}{{sfn|Hartman|2012|p=158}} The executives [[Bob Rafelson]] and [[Bert Schneider]] met with the band in Manhattan and explained their idea for a comedy sitcom about a band seeking to make it big, styled similarly to the Beatles' 1964 film, ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]''. Though excited at the prospect of being propelled quickly to a national audience, the band were unenthusiastic at the idea of having to change their name to ''[[The Monkees]]'' and were worried that their ability to create and play their own music would be limited by the venture. They declined the offer.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=91–93}} Rafelson later said that the Spoonful was the only existing group considered for the show before they began auditioning individual actors and musicians in September{{nbsp}}1965.{{sfn|Sandoval|2005|pp=23, 26}}
{{clear}}