History

Everything Playing was the first album featuring guitarist Jerry Yester

Jerry Yester

Jerry Yester is an American folk rock musician, record producer, and arranger.Growing up in Burbank, California, Yester formed a duo with brother Jim Yester, the Yester Brothers, and starting playing folk clubs in Los Angeles in 1960...

 (who replaced Zal Yanovsky

Zal Yanovsky

Zalman "Zal" Yanovsky was a Canadian rock musician. Born in Toronto, he was the son of political cartoonist Avrom Yanovsky. He played lead guitar and sang for the Lovin' Spoonful, a rock band which he founded with John Sebastian in 1964...

) and the last commercial album as a quartet; principal songwriter and lead singer John Sebastian

John Sebastian

John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...

 would leave the group in June 1968 for a solo career. This album also features the only known track to feature bassist Steve Boone

Steve Boone

Steve Boone is the bass guitarist for the rock band, The Lovin' Spoonful.After the Lovin' Spoonful stopped touring in 1968, Boone went to work producing an album for Mercury Records by the Oxpetals. Soon after finishing the album Boone bought a 56 ft sailboat 'Cygnus' and moved onto it in the...

 on lead vocal: "Priscilla Millionaira".

Three of the songs made the Top 40: "Six O'Clock," "She Is Still a Mystery," and "Money".

Everything Playing was re-issued on CD in 2003 with three bonus tracks — alternate versions of songs from the original recording.

Reception

In his Allmusic review, music critic William Ruhlman wrote of the album "When Sebastian wasn't at the mic, the singing could be mediocre, and the group was often all over the map in its attempt at musical sophistication, but the record was saved by Sebastian's writing and singing."

Track listing

All songs by John Sebastian unless otherwise noted.

1. "She Is Still A Mystery" – 3:01
2. "Priscilla Millionaira" – 3:13
3. "Boredom" – 2:25
4. "Six O'Clock" – 2:43
5. "Forever" (Steve Boone) – 4:23
6. "Younger Generation" – 2:42
7. "Money" – 1:55
8. "Old Folks" (Joe Butler) – 3:05
9. "Only Pretty, What A Pity" (Butler, Yester) – 3:03
10. "Try A Little Bit" – 3:06
11. "Close Your Eyes" (Sebastian, Yester) – 2:47

    2003 rerelease bonus tracks:

12. "She Is Still A Mystery" (Alternate Version) – 3:11
13. "Only Pretty, What A Pity" (Alternate Version) – 2:57
14. "Try A Little Bit" (Alternate Version) – 3:02

Personnel

• John Sebastian
  John Sebastian
  John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
  
   – vocals, guitar,
• Steve Boone
  Steve Boone
  Steve Boone is the bass guitarist for the rock band, The Lovin' Spoonful.After the Lovin' Spoonful stopped touring in 1968, Boone went to work producing an album for Mercury Records by the Oxpetals. Soon after finishing the album Boone bought a 56 ft sailboat 'Cygnus' and moved onto it in the...
  
   – bass, vocals
• Joe Butler – drums, percussion, vocals
• Jerry Yester
  Jerry Yester
  Jerry Yester is an American folk rock musician, record producer, and arranger.Growing up in Burbank, California, Yester formed a duo with brother Jim Yester, the Yester Brothers, and starting playing folk clubs in Los Angeles in 1960...
  
  – guitar, banjo, vocals