By the time of its release,
the Lovin' Spoonful's debut album was already a significant record because of the inclusion of its title track,
John Sebastian's timeless anthem to love and music, which had been one of the major hits of the summer of 1965. The album elaborated upon
Sebastian's gentle, winning songwriting style with the humorous "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind," which was released as a single in the spring of 1966 and became another
Spoonful hit, and the wistful "Younger Girl," which became a chart hit for
the Critters. The album also revealed the group's jug band roots in its arrangements of traditional songs like "Fishin' Blues" and "Wild About My Lovin'" and revealed that lead guitarist
Zal Yanovsky and drummer
Joe Butler, while not quite in
Sebastian's league, were good singers as well.
The Spoonful would be remembered as a vehicle for
Sebastian's songwriting, but
Do You Believe in Magic was a well-rounded collection that demonstrated their effectiveness as a group.