Steve Boone's Starfire bass

SledDawg

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anybody see this:

http://www.gbase.com/Stores/Gear/GearDetails.aspx?Item=770505


"one of the most famous basses in Rock history" - well, maybe... not exactly McCartney's Hofner, or Wyman's Vox, or well, you get the idea... :wink:

$20K! well, no... :shock:

Hmm what are some other famous basses - Entwhistle's "Fenderbird", Jamerson's Jazz Bass, Chris Squire's Ric. I think the first one was sold recently, what did it go for?
 

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I think it's absolutely amazing how this bass was "played exclusivly by ''Steve Boone'' from the ''Lovin Spoonful'' on every hit from the 60's: Do you believe in Magic,Summer in the City,Did you ever have to make up your mind,the list goes on" (quote directly from GBase listing). The listing says it's a 1967 Starfire. The official Lovin' Spoonful website lists the following discography (also directly quoted, bolding added):

"DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC?" '65 #9
"YOU DID'NT HAVE TO BE SO NICE" '65 #10
"DAYDREAM" '66 #2
"DID YOU EVER HAVE TO MAKE UP YOUR MIND" '66 #2
"SUMMER IN THE CITY" '66 #1

No wonder it's $20,000! Seriously, I was a big Spoonful fan when I was in high school - and remember those hits on the radio before 1967! :eek:
 

hansmoust

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Hey Squawk,

Good detective work!

Well, actually the bass in question is from 1966, so it might have been on
about half the amount of hits from the '60s.

And .......yes, I was a big fan too! Still like that stuff!

Hans Moust
 

Squawk

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Yes, I liked the mix of folk music and instruments in their music. I was disappointed that when Criterion released the DVD set of Monterey Pop, the Spoonful was missing from the "Outtakes" DVD - but it was worth it for the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Paul Butterfield and others. I figure 2 years from now, it will be the 40th anniversary of Monterey - maybe we'll see new outtakes of the spoonful, the Dead and others.
 

SledDawg

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but did he really play...

Hate to say it, but I also wonder how many of the *hits* Steve Boone actually played on - supposedly Vinnie Bell played a some of the guitar parts on the recordings. Who were the session bass players in NYC then? It is easy to hear which guitar parts are Zally though - his Guild has a very distinctive sound!
 
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Spoonful of my baby's love

Darryl - Not certain, but believe you may be thinking of the Kingston Trio. John Stewart came in to replace Dave Guard in 1961 - the first change to the original trio of Guard, Bob Shane & Nick Reynolds. Stewart stayed until the Trio called it quits in 1967 amongst increasingly lowering attention as musical styles changed. Bob Shane reformed the Trio in 1972 with George Grove and Roger Gambill and others since as they have continued. Stewart played with the trio for the 1981 public television concert which reunited the current trio with some former members (including Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac sitting in).

The Loving Spoonful was John Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky, Steve Boone and Joe Butler. Jerry Yester (brother of the Association's Jim Yester) came in to replace Zally in 1967 and stayed until the group called it quits. Sebastian left in 1968. Today, the Spoonful is still on the road with Yester, Boone and Butler front and center.

Hope that helps...BTW - I DO believe in magic!

Dudley-Brian Smith
Smithfield Fair
 
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Spoonful of my baby's love

Darryl - Not certain, but believe you may be thinking of the Kingston Trio. John Stewart came in to replace Dave Guard in 1961 - the first change to the original trio of Guard, Bob Shane & Nick Reynolds. Stewart stayed until the Trio called it quits in 1967 amongst increasingly lowering attention as musical styles changed. Bob Shane reformed the Trio in 1972 with George Grove and Roger Gambill and others since as they have continued. Stewart played with the trio for the 1981 public television concert which reunited the current trio with some former members (including Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac sitting in).

The Loving Spoonful was John Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky, Steve Boone and Joe Butler. Jerry Yester (brother of the Association's Jim Yester) came in to replace Zally in 1967 and stayed until the group called it quits. Sebastian left in 1968. Today, the Spoonful is still on the road with Yester, Boone and Butler front and center.

Hope that helps...BTW - I DO believe in magic!

Dudley-Brian Smith
Smithfield Fair
 

Darryl Hattenhauer

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Smithfield,

I think Stewart was officially in the band for a few weeks. There was some funny business when the spoon broke up. Kids back then said somebody involved with the group finked on somebody about drugs, and I don't know if Stewart was supposed to be brought in as a replacement, or what. But I've seem him credited a couple of times as being in the Spoon. He was also going to be in a duo with John Denver, but that fell through.
 

Darryl Hattenhauer

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Smithfield,

I think Stewart was officially in the band for a few weeks. There was some funny business when the spoon broke up. Kids back then said somebody involved with the group finked on somebody about drugs, and I don't know if Stewart was supposed to be brought in as a replacement, or what. But I've seem him credited a couple of times as being in the Spoon. He was also going to be in a duo with John Denver, but that fell through.
 
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One never knows...

I've never seen that bit of information, but it could be as the 'community' from the New York folk scene was both tight-knit and tending to be incestuous. Stewart had been in the Cumberland Three prior to the Trio and had short spells afterward in a number of groups. I've even seen photos of the Spoonful with Jim Yester pictured as a member, but never seen him credited.

The incident you speak of is a bit of cultural history in that Steve Boone and Zal Yanovsky got busted for marijuana and to escape jail time are supposed to have rolled over on their source. The great counter-culture at the time being indignant about this collusion with "the man" called for a boycott of the Spoonful and their product. It was all overblown as hippies weren't so much the Spoonful's audience as average Americans. It did cause some friction in the band and some discomfort for a short while. Zally left the band in mid-67 - still a tremendously popular figure and it was a shocker for Spoonful fans. To many, it signalled the beginning of the end for the Spoonful's hey-dey. Zally died of a heart attack in Canada in 2002 - but lived long enough to see the Spoonful inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame.

Dudley-Brian Smith
Smithfield Fair
 
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One never knows...

I've never seen that bit of information, but it could be as the 'community' from the New York folk scene was both tight-knit and tending to be incestuous. Stewart had been in the Cumberland Three prior to the Trio and had short spells afterward in a number of groups. I've even seen photos of the Spoonful with Jim Yester pictured as a member, but never seen him credited.

The incident you speak of is a bit of cultural history in that Steve Boone and Zal Yanovsky got busted for marijuana and to escape jail time are supposed to have rolled over on their source. The great counter-culture at the time being indignant about this collusion with "the man" called for a boycott of the Spoonful and their product. It was all overblown as hippies weren't so much the Spoonful's audience as average Americans. It did cause some friction in the band and some discomfort for a short while. Zally left the band in mid-67 - still a tremendously popular figure and it was a shocker for Spoonful fans. To many, it signalled the beginning of the end for the Spoonful's hey-dey. Zally died of a heart attack in Canada in 2002 - but lived long enough to see the Spoonful inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame.

Dudley-Brian Smith
Smithfield Fair
 

Darryl Hattenhauer

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I googled "Lovin' Spoonful" and "John Stewart" (which I should have done in the first place) and found only that Stewart apparently played rhythm on an LS cut, but that's all.


Lovin' Spoonful - Never Goin' Back (appears on "The Very Best of the Lovin' Spoonful", Kama Sutra lp KSBS 2013 and "The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful -Volume Two", Rhino Records, RNLP 114, 1984 and "The Lovin Spoonful Anthology",CD,1990, and "Collectors Edition, Vol 1, CD, BMG special products, DRC1-1471, 1997) - John Stewart plays rhythm guitar on the cut.
 

Darryl Hattenhauer

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I googled "Lovin' Spoonful" and "John Stewart" (which I should have done in the first place) and found only that Stewart apparently played rhythm on an LS cut, but that's all.


Lovin' Spoonful - Never Goin' Back (appears on "The Very Best of the Lovin' Spoonful", Kama Sutra lp KSBS 2013 and "The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful -Volume Two", Rhino Records, RNLP 114, 1984 and "The Lovin Spoonful Anthology",CD,1990, and "Collectors Edition, Vol 1, CD, BMG special products, DRC1-1471, 1997) - John Stewart plays rhythm guitar on the cut.
 
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Music into Gold

...and so there you go. I never knew that. But knew that Stewart as a songwriter has had cuts by a number of people (Daydream Believer for the Monkees, a couple of cuts by the Trio, etc.).

As a humorous (I think) aside - when I was working in Nashville in the early 80's, I was never country-oriented, but represented the pop songwriting/production end of a publishing company and dressed pretty outside - fatigue, zippered trousers, sleeveless striped shirts, and punk-cut hair. Industry friends like Jim Hager, Ernie Winfrey (Dolly's engineer), Sandy Pinkard & Richard Bowden, and others said I was the local spaceman for most of the people there. They were just getting Country Music Television off the ground and some of the people involved thought I was a little 'too colourful' when I dropped by for auditions in my rip-stop nylon baggy trousers and oversize matching jacket and a red pull-over jersey. I left Nashville in mid-83, and about a year later, saw CMT on the air at a friends house in Alabama. I was amused that one of the performers on the show with Ralph Emory was John Stewart - singing "People Out There Turning Music Into Gold" and wearing a the same blue rip-stop nylon suit and a shiny red shirt. How things change....

Peace - dbs
 
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Music into Gold

...and so there you go. I never knew that. But knew that Stewart as a songwriter has had cuts by a number of people (Daydream Believer for the Monkees, a couple of cuts by the Trio, etc.).

As a humorous (I think) aside - when I was working in Nashville in the early 80's, I was never country-oriented, but represented the pop songwriting/production end of a publishing company and dressed pretty outside - fatigue, zippered trousers, sleeveless striped shirts, and punk-cut hair. Industry friends like Jim Hager, Ernie Winfrey (Dolly's engineer), Sandy Pinkard & Richard Bowden, and others said I was the local spaceman for most of the people there. They were just getting Country Music Television off the ground and some of the people involved thought I was a little 'too colourful' when I dropped by for auditions in my rip-stop nylon baggy trousers and oversize matching jacket and a red pull-over jersey. I left Nashville in mid-83, and about a year later, saw CMT on the air at a friends house in Alabama. I was amused that one of the performers on the show with Ralph Emory was John Stewart - singing "People Out There Turning Music Into Gold" and wearing a the same blue rip-stop nylon suit and a shiny red shirt. How things change....

Peace - dbs
 

mellowgerman

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did anyone save the picture from the ad? i would love to see it, but the ad is no longer available:(
 
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