Caution: John Sebastian Lovers Only
I was delighted to find that this album is available once again. I saw John perform back in the early 1970's and immediately went out and bought this record. The sound quality is not that great and the singing is uneven, but if you've ever seen Sebastian perform in person, it might be worth your while. He could, and probably still can, entertain a crowd. As the saying goes, "You Had To Be There" in order to fully enjoy this cheapo, cheapo production.

Buy cheapo-cheapo.
I had the pleasure of seeing John perform his "cheapo - cheapo productions show, way back in the early 70s.If you were also lucky enough to see one of his shows around this time. You will know why I give it five stars.From the moment that wonderful smiling face lite up the stage. He had the whole audience in his hands. The title maybe "cheapo" but the sound quality and production certainly is not. We are treated to many of the Lovin Spoonful hits and why not !but Some of the best moments come from John's interacting with the audience and singing some of the classic 50s rock & roll (rooty-tooty, in the still of the night, blue suede shoes and short bursts of teen angel and ballad of a teenage queen)theres not a bad track on the disc,but the last four tracks are particular favorites of mine (blues for dad & JBs, happy harmonica, Amys theme and Goodnight Irene)they are superb. Ive seen many hundreds of concerts in the intervening years but none have left the lingering great memories that cheapo- cheapo Sebastian left. Buy this album close your eyes and you will feel that you are indeed there in the audience and youll be smiling to before the end.They don't come any better.

Sabastian Live
One of the great Acoustic/Singer/Songwriter live albums. The gentleness of his smile can be seen with your eyes closed, and heard with every word he sings.

+ 1/2 stars...Sebastian's Aw-Shucks Persona Shines Through on This Live Set
John Sebastian's troubles with his former label (MGM) continued when they also released an unathorized album entitled JOHN SEBASTIAN LIVE in 1971. To combat this "bootleg" release, Sebastian recorded several concert appearances in California and put out the Warner/Reprise album CHEAPO-CHEAPO PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS REAL LIVE JOHN SEBASTIAN. Listening to Sebastian perform old Lovin' Spoonful songs along with material that inluenced Sebastian throughout his career, you are immediately swept into the good-time vibe these performances provide.

Essentially these are solo performances with keyboards provided by Sebastian's longtime friend Paul Harris. Many of the songs are very short--"Lovin' You," "Rooty-Toot," "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Am'ys Theme" clock in at 1:30 each (and though uncredited on the track listing, Sebastian also does about 30 seconds of "Teen Angel" and "Ballad of a Teenage Queen"). Of course, Sebastian reprises "Younger Generation" from his Woodstock performance, along with Spoonful classics like "Nashville Cats" and "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind." My favorite is the moving version of Huddie Ledbetter's "Goodnight Irene" which closes the set.

Overall, Sebastian connects with his audience in this live setting and provides enough magical moments to make this a worthy addition to any Lovin' Spoonful fan's collection. [Running Time - 51:00] RECOMMENDED

...cheapo-cheapo productions proudly presents...
oh man...i can't ever forget the memory of listening to this album, over and over again, when it came out in the early seventies...i don't think there ever was another piece of vinyl that got as many 'turns on the table' as this one did, making it one of my all-time favorites to this day...from 'younger girl' to 'nashville cats' to 'did you ever have to make up your mind' and 'darling be home soon', and, of course, 'goodnight irene', this album just went from one cut to another, presenting you with a front-row seat to one of the most underated singer/songwriters of our day, or any day...truly a shame that america doesn't even see fit to have this in print...oh well, no one ever went broke underestimating the america public...so...for the few of you who actually might possess some form of intelligence, do yourself a favor (if you haven't already), and get this album, 'cause, even though there may be 1,352 guitar pickers in nashville, no one is quite as unique as john b...