Nicely curated introduction to John Sebastian’s solo catalog
Though John Sebastian returned to the top of the charts with the 1976 theme song to “Welcome Back Kotter,†his solo career never gained the commercial traction of his earlier work with the Lovin’ Spoonful. Which isn’t to suggest there wasn’t artistic growth or musical riches in his solo years – there was plenty of both – but other than the single “Welcome Back†and his self-titled solo debut album, his releases failed to crack the Top 40. Varese’s sixteen track collection cherrypicks material from Sebastian’s five albums for Reprise, including the rare live album Cheapo Cheapo Productions Presents Real Live John Sebastian. The selections include his first solo single, “She’s a Lady,†the ambitious sixteen-minute “The Four of Us,†the soulful “Give Us a Break,†a thoughtful cover of Jimmy Cliff’s “Sitting in Limbo,†the country-tinged “Stories We Could Tell†(famously recorded by the Everly Brothers in 1972), a modernized remake of “Didn’t Wanna Have to Do It,†and a quartet of live Lovin’ Spoonful covers. All four studio albums (John B. Sebastian, Four of Us, Tarzana Kid, Welcome Back) are available for digital download and in a grey-market 2-CD set, but Varese’s 16-track set offers those new to Sebastian’s solo years a well-curated single-disc introduction. [©2017 Hyperbolium] 