"Summer in the City" by The Lovin' Spoonful.

OK, boys and girls, back to the 60s: It was early 1966 and Mark Sebastian, John's 15-year-old brother, had just written a poem about urban life in the East Coast metropolis where they were born and raised. He showed it to John and, in collaboration with The Loving Spoonful's bassist Steve Boone, they penned what would become the group's only #1 hit for three weeks and the group's fifth Top 10 single. A hard-rock classic that was a departure from the band's usual soft folk-rock fare. Appropriately, it was released on July 4th. It speaks of the contrast between the hot (hint, hint!) crowded, busy days and night time, when the youth would come out to play. It was the first time that street sounds appeared on a hit record. The producers hired whom Sebastian called "a hilarious old Jewish sound man" and he added car horns, pneumatic drills as well as other traffic and urban noises to create the desired ambiance. Trademark seamless transitions between major and minor keys. Song? Answer: "Summer in the City" by The Lovin' Spoonful. Loved it from the first time I heard it. One of those many bands that I wish I could have seen live. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7ofnHmxE-I Another version that I wrote before starting the blog: OK, more 60s: This 1966 M. Sebastian/Boone composition reached #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in Aug. of that same year. Originally written as a poem for a high school literary magazine - the author's brother set it to music for his group. Genial interplay between the Hohner Pianet and the Vox Continental. Cream's "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" guitar riff is based upon this tune. Group? Brother? Song? Answer: The Lovin' Spoonful. John Sebastian. "Summer in the City". Mark Sebastian, John's brother, wrote it as a poem while attending a N.J. boarding school. John and bassist Steve Boone adapted it to music. Hot salsa version by Los Challengers in Spanish on their self-titled 2007 CD - "Hay Calor En El Barrio". The summer of '66 was indeed a hot one - muscally and otherwise! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePuD8D2zBu8

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