When I joined the Capitol Record Club in 1965, book and record clubs had this thing called the negative option. That is, you would get the selected book or record UNLESS you sent in the response card in time. I was really bad at the negative option; I almost NEVER got the card in on time.
Which is how I ended up receiving the album Daydream by the Lovin’ Spoonful on Kama Sutra Records; loved that yellow label. Turns out, I was very fond of the early Spoonful. And when the subsequent single Summer in the City came out in 1966 (b/w Butchie’s Tune from the Daydream album), I had to buy it, probably from the Philadelphia Sales discount department store in Binghamton, NY, which was only two blocks from my elementary/junior high school, one of the very few singles I ever purchased; I was, even early on, an LP guy.
Summer in the City entered the Billboard charts on the 16th of July 1966, and spent 11 weeks there, including three consecutive weeks at #1, starting on the 13th of August.
It is one of the few songs I ever learned to play on the piano, albeit very badly.
Summer in the City
a grainy ‘live’ version
I was pretty hopeless at getting my ‘no thanks’ option card posted back, although in my case it was a book club.
I really liked the grainy live version!
Ah, the Lovin’ Spoonful. And Philly Sales – man, you bring those Binghamton memories back, so wonderfully. I remember buying fresh-roasted cashews from the nut man and cruising over to Philly’s in my ’62 Volvo (old, even then). Got a lot of records there.
John Sebastian remains a favorite of mine… and that song, wow. Talk about how white guys get away with stuff – remember when Martha and the Vandellas’ “Dancin’ In The Streets” got pulled because the radio owners took the “dancing” as a code for rioting, like in L.A.?!
Thanks, Roger, for another great synapse blast! Amy
http://sharplittlepencil.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/forward-march-special-ops/
Goodlooking boys, Roger! It’ a pity I never heard them sing.